Hatim al-Tai

Hatim al-Tai ('Hatim of the Tayy tribe'; died 578), full name Ḥātim bin ʿAbd Allāh bin Saʿd aṭ-Ṭāʾiyy was an Arab chieftain of the Tayyi tribe of Arabia, ruler of Shammar, and poet who lived in the late sixth century. He is also associated with the Lakhmid court in Hira, especially under its most famous king Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man. Although he was considered a well-established poet in his time, today he is best known for his altruism. Stories about his extreme generosity have made him an icon among Arabs up until today, as evident in the proverbial phrase "more generous than Hatim". Additionally, he is known to be a model of Arab manliness. The tales of Hatim are also popular in Persia, North India, and Pakistan.
His son was Adi ibn Hatim, who was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Biography
Al-Tai lived in Ha'il in the present-day Saudi Arabia and was mentioned in some Hadiths attributed to Muhammad. He died in 578 AD, and was buried in Tuwarin, Ha'il. His tomb is described in the Arabian Nights. His name Hatim means 'black crow' in Arabic.
He lived in the sixth century CE and also figures in the Arabian Nights stories. The celebrated Persian poet Saadi, in his work Gulistan (1259) wrote: "Hatim Taï no longer exists but his exalted name will remain famous for virtue to eternity. Distribute the tithe of your wealth in alms; for when the husbandman lops off the exuberant branches from the vine, it produces an increase of grapes". He is also mentioned in Saadi's Bostan (1257). According to legends in various books and stories, he was a famous personality in the region of Ta'i (present day Ha'il) and is also a well-known figure in the rest of the Middle East as well as the Indian subcontinent, featuring in many books, films and TV series in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Hindi, Kashmiri and various other languages.
Rozat-ul-Sufa mentions that "In the eighth year after the birth of his eminence the Prophet (Muhammad), died Noushirwan the Just, and Hatemtai the generous, both famous for their virtues", around 579 CE. According to the 17th-century orientalist D'Herbelot, his tomb was located at a small village called Anwarz, in Arabia.
Works
One of his works is a poem which has been translated into English as "On Avarice".
Qissa-e-Hatem-tai
Qissa-e-Hatem-tai, alternatively Dastan-e-Hatem-tai, meaning "The Tale of Hatemtai" is very popular in Persia and the Indian subcontinent. Sayad Haider Bakhsh Haidri, the author of the Qissa-e-Hatim Tai, writes in his introduction that he has taken the story from "someone’s" Persian text, but has amplified and extended it at suitable points "to please the listeners." Multiple films (see below) have been made about Hatim based on this story, which narrates seven of his fantastic adventures in seven chapters.
The books on the story usually consist of a short introduction describing his ancestry and character and tells the seven episodes based on seven riddles, asked by a beautiful and rich woman named Husn Banu, who will marry only the person who is able to obtain answers to all seven of them. The riddles are:
'What I saw once, I long for a second time.'
'Do good, and cast it upon the waters.'
'Do no evil; if you do, such shall you meet with.'
'He who speaks the truth is always tranquil.'
'Let him bring an account of the mountain of Nida.'
'Let him produce a pearl of the size of a duck's egg.'
'Let him bring an account of the bath of Badgard.'
A king, who falls in love with her but unable to find answers, tells the generous Hatemtai, whom he meets by chance, all about it. Hatim undertakes the quest to find the answers and help the king marry her.
Film and television
Film
Hatimtai, a 1929 Indian film
Hatimtai, a 1933 Indian film
Hatimtai, a 1947 Indian film
Hatimtai Ki Beti, a 1955 Indian film
Sakhi Hatim, a 1955 Indian film
Hatim Tai (1956), directed by Homi Wadia
Shan-E-Hatim, a 1958 Indian film
Son of Hatimtai, a 1965 Indian film
Saat Sawal (1971), directed by Babubhai Mistry
Hatim Tai (1990), directed by Babubhai Mistry
Television
Dastaan-e-Hatimtai - An Indian TV Series aired on DD National.
Hatim - An Indian TV Series on Star Plus in 2003-04
The Adventures of Hatim - A 2013 Indian TV Series on Life OK
See also
Ka'b Ibn Mama
References
Further reading
The Story of Hatim in The Arabian Nights (AD 800–900 in modern form).
The Adventures of Hatim Tai (Qissa-e-Hatim Tai, from an 1824 Persian manuscript) by Duncan Forbes.
Adventures of the second Darwesh in Bagh-o-Bahar or Qissa Chahar Darvesh, Mir Amman of Delhi, Urdu 1804, translated by Duncan Forbes
Edward FitzGerald (1809–1883) mentions Hatim Tai in his translations of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. See quatrain IX in Fitzgerald's first edition:
"But come with old Khayyam, and leave the Lot
Of Kaikobad and Kaikhosru forgot:
Let Rustum lay about him as he will,
Or Hatem Taiy cry Supper--heed them not."
Many books written and translated in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi etc.
Hatem Tai in Tamil by Prema Pirasuram
External links
578 deaths
One Thousand and One Nights characters
Year of birth unknown
Tayy
6th-century Arabic-language poets
Yemeni poets