Hatim al-Tai, full nameḤātim bin ʿAbd Allāh bin Saʿad a'ṭ-Ṭāʾiyy was a famous Arab prince and a poet who belonged to the Ta'itribe of Arabia. 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".
Biography
Al-Tai lived in Ha'il in the present-day Saudi Arabia and was mentioned in some Hadiths by Prophet Muhammad. He died in 578 AD and was buried in Towaren, Ha'il. His tomb is described in the Arabian Nights. He lived in the sixth century CE and also figures in the Arabian Nights stories. The celebrated Persian poet Saadi, in his work Gulistan 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. According to legends in various books and stories, he was a famous personality in the region of Ta'i 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 and various other languages. Rozat-ul-Sufa mentions that "In the eighth year after the birth of his eminence the Prophet, 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
Poems:
On Avarice by Hatem Taiy
Qissa-e-Hatem-tai
Qissa-e-Hatem-tai, alternatively Dastan-e-Hatem-tai, meaning "The Tale of Hatemtai" is very popular in the Indian subcontinent. Multiple films have been made about Hatim based on this story, which narrates seven of his fantastic adventures in seven chapters. book Araish-e-Mehfil which describes the adventures of Hatemtai 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.
