''Nawāḍir ʾal-ʾAyk fī Maʿrifat al-Nayk'' ( ar, نواضر الأيك في معرفة النيك, "The Thicket's Blooms of Gracefulness on the Art of the Fleshly Embrace") is an Arabic manuscript allegedly attributed to Islamic scholar

Al-Suyuti Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti ( ar, جلال الدين السيوطي, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī) ( 1445–1505 CE),; (Brill 2nd) or Al-Suyuti, was an Arab Egyptian polymath, Islamic scholar, historian, Sufi, and jurist. From a family of Persian or ...

in the late fourteen century, a summary of an earlier one written by the author, ''

Al-Wishāḥ fī Fawāʾid al-Nikāḥ ''Al-Wishāḥ fī Fawāʾid al-Nikāḥ'' (, ''The Sash on the Merits of Wedlock'') is an Arabic Arabic literature, literary work of sexology and sex education written by the Mamluk Sultanate, Egyptian Muslim Islamic scholar, scholar Jalal al-D ...

''. The book is one of many books on the same subject attributed to the author, such as ''

Shaqāʾiq al-Utrunj fī Raqāʾiq al-Ghunj ''Shaqāʾiq al-Utrunj fī Raqāʾiq al-Ghunj'' ( ar, شقائق الأترنج في رقائق الغنج, lit=Halves of the Lemon Regarding the Intricacies of Coquetry) is a manuscript allegedly written by Islamic writer Al-Suyuti in the late fo ...

''.

Subject

Most of the chapters of the book deal with sex education as showing various sex positions and giving advice that told by whom were considered as experts on these subjects. The other chapters contain poetry (usually happens to be short) and urban tales, mostly using explicit and vulgar words and some are attributed to well-known figures such as Abu Nuwas, Ibn al-Rumi, Al-Asmaʿi and

Al-Ṣafadī Khalīl ibn Aybak al-Ṣafadī, or Salah al-Dīn al-Ṣafadī; full name - Salah al-Dīn Abū al-Ṣafa Khalīl ibn Aybak ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Albakī al-Ṣafari al-Damascī Shafi'i. (1296 – 1363); he was a Turkic Mamluk author and historian. ...

. Some old Arab scholars classified this kind of books as '' 'Ilm al-Bah'' ("The Art of Coition"). The book also has some chapters relating tales about homosexuals and eunuchs, but in most occasions the author tries to depict the mainstream preferences of adult men at the time.

Author controversy

Regarding the sensitive and explicit subjects mentioned in the book, some modern Islamic scholars condemn and believe it is impossible to accredit the manuscript to Al-Suyuti, who is considered one of the most important figures in the literature of

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

. Some claim the attribution of the book is forged, and it was a scheme made by an anonymous writer to give the book authenticity to sell more copies. Other opinions say he may had this book written but at least he must have renounced it before he died. Though, there are some scholars who agreed to credit the book to Al-Suyuti. The title is not mentioned in the author's own bibliography list. However, it is indexed in some old major resources like Kâtip Çelebi's ''Kashf al-Ẓunūn ‘an Asāmī al-Kutub wa-al-Funūn'' and

Ismail Pasha al-Baghdadi Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...

's ''Hadiyat al-ʻArifīn.''

Resources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nawadir Al-Ayk Fi Maʻrifat Al-Nayk Arabic erotic literature 14th-century Arabic books Medieval Arabic literature Books by al-Suyuti Islamic sexual education literature Arabic sex manuals