Kalila and Dimna Meets Marwan Salama!

The book “Kalila and Dimna” is one of the most famous and important literary treasures in human history. It consists of a collection of fables, animal and bird tales, and moral stories, aiming to convey wisdom, lessons, and political and social advice in a symbolic and engaging manner. Some of its stories were part of our curriculum when we were young.

The book’s origins trace back to India, where it was originally titled “Panchatantra,” meaning “The Five Chapters.” It was written by the Indian philosopher Bidpai in Sanskrit for King Dabshelim, to indirectly express wisdom, political counsel, and ethical guidance. Approximately 1,500 years ago, the book was translated into Persian by order of King Anushirvan, who sent his personal physician to India to copy and translate the book into Pahlavi, the ancient name for the Persian language. This name was adopted by Reza Khan, the father of the last Shah, as a family title when he declared himself emperor in 1925. After his death, he bequeathed the state and the title to his son Mohammad, paving the way for Khomeini to come to power and dismantle the false myth of the monarchy.

During the Abbasid era, the Arab writer Abdullah bin al-Muqaffa translated the book from Pahlavi into Arabic, adding some chapters and crafting the translation in a refined Arabic literary style. It is believed that all subsequent international translations were derived from this Arabic version.

“Kalila and Dimna” relies on symbolism; dialogues between animals serve to embody human nature, royal policies, and social relations. The lion represents the king or ruler with authority, while Kalila and Dimna are names for two foxes, representing the courtiers, ministers, and advisors. The first symbolizes intellect, wisdom, and prudence, while the second represents greedy ambition and cunning. The other animals represent the populace and different social classes. The author’s purpose was to offer advice on politics, management, friendship, deception, and how to deal with power without incurring the wrath of kings.

“Kalila and Dimna” is the most prominent story in the book, detailing the friendship between a lion and a bull. This friendship sparked jealousy in Dimna, the fox, who resorted to cunning, eventually convincing the lion that the bull planned to betray him, and convincing the bull that the lion intended to kill him. The story ends with a confrontation in which the lion kills the bull, only to discover Dimna’s lies. Dimna is then tried and executed. The moral is that following the advice of gossips and schemers destroys even the strongest friendships and brings regret.

There is also the famous story of the monkey and the carpenter, which we encountered in our childhood through cartoon illustrations. Driven by curiosity, the monkey watched how the carpenter worked. Once the carpenter left, the monkey imitated him: he sat on the wooden plank, inserted his tail into the slot, and pulled the wedge. The plank snapped shut on his tail, trapping him until the carpenter returned, released him, and beat him, teaching him not to interfere in matters that do not concern him.

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Our friend Marwan Ahmad Salama, an economic expert and colleague at Al-Qabas, used his fertile mind to write and publish a book in English titled “From Rags to Rags” (or “From Poverty to Poverty”). In his preface, he wrote: The “jungle,” in its metaphorical sense, can be viewed as dense tropical forests, grassy plains, or even “concrete jungles” in major cities. All share the characteristic of being arenas for fierce competition among various parties for survival, which often breeds cruelty and a lack of mercy.

In these “Jungle Tales,” Salama seeks to explore this phenomenon through symbolic stories, proverbs, and a satirical style, offering a modern, fierce imitation of “Kalila and Dimna.” The narrative depicts the eternal existential struggle between carnivorous beasts and herbivorous animals, and the need each side has for the other, despite the intense hostility between them.

Ahmad Al-Sarraf