Hátim et-Ta'i

Hátim et-Ta'i was chief of the Arabian tribe of Tai, and flourished shortly before the advent of Mohammed. He was renowned for his extraordinary liberality, and his name is at the present day synonymous throughout the Moslem world with all that is open-handed and generous. No greater compliment, indeed, can be paid to an Asiatic prince or noble than to style him 'a second Hátim.' Many anecdotes of his liberality and magnanimity are recounted by poets; thus Sa'di says: 'Hatim Tai no longer exists, but his exalted name will remain famous for virtue to eternity. Distribute a tithe of your wealth in alms, for when the husbandman lops off the exuberant branches from the vine it produces an increase of grapes.' See Clouston's Group of Eastern Romances (1889).