[Pseudo-] Ḥātim

Known for his hospitality and magnanimity, Ḥātim al-Ṭāʾī ibn ʿAbd Allāh (who lived in the second half of the 6th century) became a “very popular figure in adab literature” with “scarcely any works which do not include stories of his proverbial generosity”. Yet, even for his widespread presence in literature, it is only in the Persian romance Qiṣṣa-i Ḥātim Ṭāʾī, or Qiṣṣa-i Haft Sayr (suʾal)-i Ḥātim Ṭāʾī, in which Ḥātim is the hero. Aside from being known for the generosity he gave to both his guests and his enemies, Ḥātim was a poet who left “mostly verses in praise of liberality and altruism,” however, “the Dīvān bearing his name is probably largely apocryphal”.