Advantages and opposites

Al-Jahiz wrote the book "Al-Mahasin wal-Adad" (The Book of Virtues and Opposites) in a sophisticated style, discussing the virtues and vices of things in all their forms, including customs, actions, traits, facts, and opposites, good and bad. The concept of the book dictated the style of writing for Al-Jahiz, as it is a collection of narrative quotations from ancient and modern events, which Al-Jahiz used in a calm style rich in vocabulary and structures to match the wisdom and morals that fill the quotations. The use of the concept of a thing and its opposite added a sense of ease and simplicity to the book, both because it made its features clear and because it was a different concept from what readers were accustomed to in literary books.