A beautiful and very necessary translation of a vital text. Ibn Hajar is a stunningly observant witness of his age, and this translation provides a window into a time and place long overlooked in histories that over-privilege western narratives.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- Penguin Classics for an advance copy of this book on a man living through terrible times, losing family and using both faith, and science to make sense of it all.

The Black Plague ripped through Europe killed millions, depopulating cities, destroying families, leaving some to tell the tale, others to be buried forgotten. Nobles and peasants faced this reaper, some dying in the time it takes me to write this, some living in agony till finally passing on. European history and civilization was changed, society had to adapt to the losses, and life was forever changed. Plague was a recurring event, coming almost like the tide, waiting, killing and fading away. We know much about Europe and the bubonic plague, but other areas were affected also, Africa, the Middle East and of course Asia. People died, leaving emptiness in many lives, and changes to thinking and the way things were done. There stories are not as well known for many reasons, which gives scholars new material to draw from, thought these works are over 600 years old. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalānī was an Islamic scholar, writer, poet and a victim of the plague. His book Merits of the Plague is a study of the history of the plague from the past to his present, his thoughts on plague from both a religions, and scientific view, and his own loss from the plague and what effect it had on him.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalānī had a rough bringing losing both his parents early, but sponsored by a merchant who saw much in him. Ibn Hajar married had daughters, and a son in another marriage, and gradually become a scholar of merit and renown whose thoughts on religion and life are still studied today. In 1416 the plague returned to Cairo, where Ibn Hajar was living and took his two daughters. Ibn Hajar started collecting writings and research on the plague, but put it aside, until 1430 when the plague returned, killing his daughter who was pregnant, and infecting Ibn Hajar who lived. This made him return to his book, a meditation on plague, its history and reasons why plague was important and necessary, even though people had to die from it.

The book is a mix of history, theology, myth and practical science and medicine. Poetry, religious thought, mythological creatures and honest thought all mix on the page, which can be confusing for some, but really is a fascinating way to look at things. I can't speak about the translation, but I didn't have any problems understanding things, or getting lost in the narrative. The book is broken into chapters history, what life in a plague is like, can one flee a plague, even thoughts on martyrdom. Again some sections are easier to read than others, but this is a very interesting, very different kind of book. Both scholarly and personal, which one understands as the author is both a survivor, and a mourner. One is left with the idea that the book was written to both satisfy an intellectual and spiritual curiosity, how and why does a merciful God allow this, and an attempt to figure out why bad things happen, and what life means to those left behind.

Recommended for people who are interested in both the ideas and emotions that can be raised in stories about the plague. Also for people interested in both Islamic history, Egyptian history, and for those who want to support more works like this being published. Not for all tastes, but a very different look plague and its effects on history, from people that western history never really looks at.