The Ring Of the Dove

The Ring of the Dove is a treatise on love written in 1022. It examines affection chiefly in its human forms, while approaching the subject from the standpoint of a devout Muslim. Chastity and self-command are therefore central concerns, shaping its treatment of desire, attachment and restraint. Although Ibn Hazm was better known for writing on theology and law, this was his only literary work. The book was strongly influenced by Plato’s Phaedrus, yet it is presented as substantially Ibn Hazm’s own composition rather than a compilation of earlier writings. It also offers insight into the author’s inner life, with his youthful infatuation with a maid in his family’s household often cited as an instance of the chaste, unreturned love described in the work.

The manuscript of Ṭawq al-Ḥamāmah, catalogued as MS Or. 927, is held by Leiden University Libraries and is also available digitally. The work has appeared more than once in English, including translations by A. R. Nykl in 1931 and A. J. Arberry in 1951.