Editing Satire (section)

===Medieval Islamic world===
{{main|Arabic literature#Satire and comedy|Persian satire|l1=Arabic satire}}

Medieval [[Arabic poetry]] included the satiric genre ''hija''. Satire was introduced into [[Arabic literature|Arabic prose literature]] by the author [[Al-Jahiz]] in the 9th century. While dealing with serious topics in what are now known as [[anthropology]], [[Sociology in medieval Islam|sociology]] and [[Psychology in medieval Islam|psychology]], he introduced a satirical approach, "based on the premise that, however serious the subject under review, it could be made more interesting and thus achieve greater effect, if only one leavened the lump of solemnity by the insertion of a few amusing anecdotes or by the throwing out of some witty or paradoxical observations. He was well aware that, in treating of new themes in his prose works, he would have to employ a vocabulary of a nature more familiar in ''hija'', satirical poetry."{{Sfn | Bosworth| 1976| p = 32}} For example, in one of his [[Zoology|zoological]] works, he satirized the preference for longer [[human penis size]], writing: "If the length of the penis were a sign of honor, then the [[mule]] would belong to the (honorable tribe of) [[Quraysh (tribe)|Quraysh]]". Another satirical story based on this preference was an ''[[One Thousand and One Nights|Arabian Nights]]'' tale called "Ali with the Large Member".<ref>{{Cite book| title = The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia | first1 = Ulrich | last1 = Marzolph | first2 = Richard | last2 = van Leeuwen| first3 = Hassan | last3 = Wassouf | publisher = ABC-CLIO| year = 2004 | isbn= 1-57607-204-5|pages=97–8}}</ref>

In the 10th century, the writer [[Tha'alibi]] recorded satirical poetry written by the Arabic poets As-Salami and Abu Dulaf, with As-Salami praising Abu Dulaf's [[Polymath|wide breadth of knowledge]] and then mocking his ability in all these subjects, and with Abu Dulaf responding back and satirizing As-Salami in return.{{Sfn | Bosworth| 1976| pp = 77–8}} An example of Arabic political satire included another 10th-century poet Jarir satirizing Farazdaq as "a transgressor of the [[Sharia]]" and later Arabic poets in turn using the term "Farazdaq-like" as a form of political satire.{{Sfn | Bosworth| 1976| p = 70}}

The terms "[[comedy]]" and "satire" became synonymous after [[Aristotle]]'s ''[[Poetics (Aristotle)|Poetics]]'' was translated into [[Arabic language|Arabic]] in the [[Islamic Golden Age|medieval Islamic world]], where it was elaborated upon by [[Early Islamic philosophy|Islamic philosophers]] and writers, such as Abu Bischr, his pupil [[Al-Farabi]], [[Avicenna]], and [[Averroes]]. Due to cultural differences, they disassociated comedy from [[Greek drama]]tic representation and instead identified it with [[Arabic poetry|Arabic poetic]] themes and forms, such as ''hija'' (satirical poetry). They viewed comedy as simply the "art of reprehension", and made no reference to light and cheerful events, or troubled beginnings and happy endings, associated with classical Greek comedy. After the [[Latin translations of the 12th century]], the term "comedy" thus gained a new semantic meaning in [[Medieval literature]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Comedy as Satire in Hispano-Arabic Spain |first=Edwin J |last=Webber|journal=Hispanic Review|volume=26|issue=1|date=January 1958|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|pages=1–11|doi=10.2307/470561| jstor=470561}}</ref>

[[Ubayd Zakani]] introduced satire in [[Persian literature]] during the 14th century. His work is noted for its satire and obscene verses, often political or bawdy, and often cited in debates involving [[homosexual]] practices. He wrote the ''Resaleh-ye Delgosha'', as well as ''Akhlaq al-Ashraf'' ("Ethics of the Aristocracy") and the famous humorous fable ''Masnavi Mush-O-Gorbeh'' (Mouse and Cat), which was a political satire. His non-satirical serious classical verses have also been regarded as very well written, in league with the other great works of [[Persian literature]]. Between 1905 and 1911, [[Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi]] and other Iranian writers wrote notable satires.