LessonsThe Dimyāṭī Maqāmah: Abū Ḥabīb’s Poetic ReplyQuiz

«وَمَا دَرَى مِنْ جَهْلِهِ أَنَّنِي / أَقْضِي غَرِيمِيَ الدَّيْنَ مِنْ جِنْسِهِ»
In his ignorance he did not realize that I settle a claimant’s debt with something of its own kind.

Gharīm can refer to a party to a debt, creditor or debtor according to context; aqḍī al-dayn means to discharge a debt. The poem compares the treatment of a friend to settling an account.

Min jinsihi means “of its own kind.” The central image is that a response corresponds to the treatment received. This is the poet’s figurative argument, not a discussion of the detailed legal rules of debt.

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From affection to settling a debt

The Dimyāṭī Maqāmah: Abū Ḥabīb’s Poetic Reply

«وَمَا دَرَى مِنْ جَهْلِهِ أَنَّنِي / أَقْضِي غَرِيمِيَ الدَّيْنَ مِنْ جِنْسِهِ»
In his ignorance he did not realize that I settle a claimant’s debt with something of its own kind.

Gharīm can refer to a party to a debt, creditor or debtor according to context; aqḍī al-dayn means to discharge a debt. The poem compares the treatment of a friend to settling an account.

Min jinsihi means “of its own kind.” The central image is that a response corresponds to the treatment received. This is the poet’s figurative argument, not a discussion of the detailed legal rules of debt.