ABSTRACT
Partisans of the Shu ( u¯biyyah, the movement that sought recognition of the equality
of non-Arabs with Arabs, wrote works that echoed the earlier mufa¯kharah genre,
including both self-praise and derision. Mufa¯kharah was a form of boasting or
vaunting that was sometimes used to end a quarrel between two people.1 An
impartial umpire would be appointed as judge and forfeits deposited with him.
The outcome depended, of course, more on skill than on principles of justice.
Variants of the mufa¯kharah included the muna¯farah, mukha¯yalah, muna¯jadah, and
