خُرَافَاتُ "كَلِيلَةََ وَدِمْنَةَ" مَا بَيْنَ الأَصَالَةِ وَالمُحَاكَاةِ

Abstract

This article deals with a litrary genre known as the "fable", which means " a parable story", with the emphasis on an old Arab book called "Kaleelah and Dimnah" by "Ibin El-Muqafa'", a Persian writer who lived in the eighth century.  In this article, I will attempt to show that the book is influenced by ancient Indian sources, or by old Greek sources, as some researchers claim.

I will also relate to the real motives behind the attempt of Ibin El-Muqafa' to compile or translate such a book.  I also deal with the overall structure of the book, being one of the oldest among this category of books in the Arabic literature. Therefore, I will talk about the impact this book  had on other books and compilations in the classic Arabic literature