Diplomacy in the early Islamic world: a tenth-century treatise on Arab-Byzantine relations

The book of messengers of kings (Kitab Rusul al-Muluk) of Ibn Al-Farra
The original book was written in the Arabic language

Table of contents

1. Introduction
The Importance of the Kitab Rusul al-Muluk
The Accounts of 'Abbasid-Byzantine Exchanges
The Period of al-Mansur
The Period of Harun al-Rashid
The Period of al-Mamun
The Period of al-Mu'tasim
2. Description of the Text
Author
Date
The Place of the Composition: Spain
Genre
Arrangement of the Author's Material
Tenth-century Byzantine and Muslim Treatises on Diplomatic Protocol
Contents
3. Manuscripts
4. Notes on the Translation
5. Translation: Messengers of Kings

Arab messengers played a vital role in the medieval Islamic world and its diplomatic relations with foreign powers. An innovative treatise from the 10th Century ("Rusul al-Muluk", "Messengers of Kings") is perhaps the most important account of the diplomacy of the period, and it is here translated into English for the first time. "Rusul al-Muluk" draws on examples from the Qur'an and other sources which extend from the period of al-jahiliyya to the time of the 'Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim (218-227/833-842). In the only medieval Arabic work which exists on the conduct of messengers and their qualifications, the author Ibn al-Farr rejects jihadist policies in favor of quiet diplomacy and a pragmatic outlook of constructive realpolitik. "Rusul al-Muluk" is an extraordinarily important and original contribution to our understanding of the early Islamic world and the field of International Relations and Diplomatic History.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/diplomacy-in-the-early-islamic-world-9781788313520/