Ibn Al-Muqaffa

Kalila Wa-Dimna Ibn Al-Muqaffa Arabic edition

Kalila and Dimna is a book containing collection of fables. It was translated into Arabic in the Abbasid age specifically in the second hijri century (the eighth Gregorian century) by Abdullah ibn al-muqaffa using his own writing style. A lot of researchers have agreed that the book goes back to Indian roots, and was based on the Sanskrit text Pañcatantra. Then it was translated into Pahlavi language at the beginning of the sixth Gregorian century by orders from Khosrow I. The book introduction says that the Indian scholar "Bedba" wrote it for the king of India "Debshleem," the author used animals and birds as main characters in it, which mainly refer to human characters. The fables include several subjects the most remarkable among them is the relation between the king and his people, in addition to number of aphorisms and sermons. When Khosrow I heard about the book and what it contains of sermons, he ordered the physician Borzuya to travel to India and copy what is in the book and translate it into Persian Pahlavi.