The Arabian Nights, also known as The Thousand and One Nights and known in Arabic as Alf Layla wa Layla, is a collection of fables, fairy tales, romances and historical accounts of varying ethnic sources, including Indian, Persian, and Arabic oral traditions. While their specific origins are unknown, it is certain that the stories were circulating orally for centuries before they were written down in the fourteenth century in a Syrian manuscript.  “Arabian Nights” is probably one of the most famous literary works of the Eastern civilization, which incorporates literary heritage of different countries united into one literary work. At the same time, the creation of this book perfectly reflects the major political and socio-economic trends during this time.<!--more-->

This collection of stories which vary by their genres and style, but which convey basic views and socio-cultural norms of that epoch. “Arabian Nights” is a monumental work which depicts the life of different individuals in a manner that has a considerable historical and cultural value. “The Arabian Nights: Tales from A Thousand and One Nights” raise a number of themes, which were very significant for the society when the book was created. However, many of the themes covered in the book may be considered to be universal and eternal since, even in the present times, these themes are still relevant. It is worth mentioning the theme of fidelity and infidelity, which occupies one of the central places in the entire book and may be easily traced from tale to tale. Obviously, this theme was very significant in the context of the strengthening of Islam and the establishment of Islamic principles, which condemned infidelity and glorified fidelity, emphasizing the importance of virtuous family life and forbidding any extramarital connections. The entire book may be viewed as a kind of prejudice against infidelity and, in all probability; one of the major goals of the book was to promote the virtuous lifestyle and fidelity as an essential condition of a happy family life. On the other hand, the presence of numerous stories where both men and women prove to be infidel may indicate to the possibility of the presentation of an alternative non-Islamic view of the relationship between men and women. What is meant here is the fact that the book depicts the actual nature of men and women and their inability to lead an absolutely virtuous life as Islam prescribes. It is very important to analyze in details “Arabian Nights” and dwell upon some stories where the theme of fidelity and infidelity is particularly strong, in order to find out what was the main message of the book concerning the problem of fidelity and infidelity.
At the same time, it is hardly possible to evaluate adequately the theme of fidelity and infidelity in “Arabian Nights” with a brief analysis of the historical background of the book, when it was created and what were the basic historical and socio-cultural trends in then.  On the basis of the historical background of the book, it is possible to understand clearly the theme of fidelity and infidelity and its significance within the book.
First of all, it should be pointed out that the precise date of the creation of this literary work is unknown but basically the collection was created about 800-900 AD. The first manuscripts containing some elements of “The Thousand and One Nights” appeared in 800AD and throughout the following two centuries some references to “The Nights” were made. However, it is only in 1814, Calcutta 1, the earliest existing Arabic printed version of “The Nights”, was published by the British East India Company. “The Thousand and One Nights” actually included works originated from different parts of the world which were either under the impact of Caliphate or with Arabs had close contacts, such as India, Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, naturally traditional Arabian tales and legends and many other works from other countries were included in this collection.
Such a diversity of works is not occasional because the topic when this literary work was created, was the period of the great progress and expansion of the Arabian state along with the expansion of Islam in the Middle East, Asia Minor, Northern Africa, and reached far to the East where Arabs developed close contacts with Indians. In such a way, on the national level, this was the period of the great progress of Arab culture and civilization at large. The country prospered economically and culturally, while its territories were really enormous and stretched from India till Europe where they also occupied considerable territories.
It was quite natural that the creators of the collection “The Thousand and One Nights” had rich material to create the solid literary work which incorporated traditional tales and legends of Arabian world and those civilizations which territories Arabs occupied or with which they contact with.  The was during this time of the great popularity of Arabian culture and its religion, that Islam started to compete with Christianity dividing Europe into two distinguishable parts. In this respect, it is quite natural that tales and legends included in the collection basically represent the heritage of Oriental civilizations.
“The Thousand and One Nights” may be viewed as a literary symbol of the power of Arabian state and at the moment, it was really one of the major powers in the world because European countries were quite weak and divided by internal conflicts because of the lack of strong central power. The Middle East, Asia Minor, Northern Africa were controlled by Arabs and in actuality they were the dominant power in the region, while India and China as well as other Far eastern people were too distant from Arabs to influence their politics. As for America, it was inhabited by Indians which had quite poorly developed civilization.
Arabs were one of the major powers in the world and had practically no rivals. The country was prospering while Europe was weakened by local conflicts, China and India were also unable to compete, while America was still undiscovered and local civilizations were consistently less developed than Arabian civilization. “The Thousand and One Nights” became the symbol of the power of Arabian civilization which occupied enormous territories and was actually the leading power in the world.  The theme of fidelity and infidelity covered in the books reflected the general attitude of peoples inhabiting the Arab world to the problem of fidelity and infidelity as well as extramarital relationships of both men and women.

It is important to underline that the theme of infidelity is a cornerstone of the entire book because all the tales of the book are told by Scheherazade to the King Shahryar and her only purpose was to postpone her own execution caused by an almost paranoid fear of the King Shahryar of being deceived by an infidel wife. To put it more precisely, Shahryar had already suffered from the infidelity of his former life and this negative experience defined his future attitude to all his wife and women he had close relationships with. He executed the infidel wife as soon as he learned about her infidelity. Moreover, he continued executing his wives after the night he spent with them because of the fear of being deceived one more time. In such a way, the execution became a sort of the preventive measure against the infidelity of the king’s wives.
At the same time, such a radical “solution” of the problem of the infidelity reveals the general attitude of people in the Arab world to this problem. Obviously, the execution of infidel wives is conveyed as a justified punishment. This is why it is possible to conclude that the infidelity was one of the most serious crimes that could have committed in that time. On the other hand, it is obvious that such a severe punishment of infidel wives was, in all probability, the prerogative of the King, but it is possible to assume that his subordinates could also appeal to the authorities for the punishment of infidel spouses.
Scheherazade manages to escape the punishment, which is apparently unjust because she is innocent and she is not going to be infidel. The book shows that there is a kind of justice in the world, which is above the king and his earthly rule. At this point, it is possible to speak about some divine protection of Scheherazade as well as about her own wisdom and ability to save her life. In order to survive, she tells the king a tale night after night, but, as the morning is about to begin, she starts a new story and the king, being intrigued and interested, delays the execution to hear the end of the story. Scheherazade tells the King a tale during a thousand and one nights and after that the king decides to let her live and she escapes the unjust punishment. It is important to point out that such an outcome may be interpreted as a reward of Scheherazade for her fidelity. Scheherazade spends night after night with the king and she cannot deceive him, remaining devoted to him. As a result, the king understands that his wife, Scheherazade is trustworthy and her fidelity is beyond a doubt. As a result, he decides to let her live that is apparently the highest reward she could have received for her fidelity.
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that the concept of fidelity and infidelity play a very important role in “Arabian Nights”. At the same time, this concepts proves to be quite large since it incorporates not only the idea of the relationship of spouses or relationship of men and women, but also the concept of the fidelity on a spiritual level, such as the fidelity to the oath or certain moral or ethical principles. Nevertheless, whatever the infidelity is, this reading shows that it should be severely punished because it is absolutely unacceptable, especially in relation to extramarital liaisons. In contrast, the fidelity is supposed to be rewarded and the entire story of the King Shahryar and Scheherazade and some tales show that the fidelity is one of the major virtues. In such a way, the book shows that the concept of the fidelity and infidelity occupied a very significant place in the life of the society in that epoch and the fact that the infidelity was severely punished throughout the book proves that “Arabian Nights” basically supported major Islamic concepts and principles emphasizing the importance of the fidelity and condemning the infidelity in human relations.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>

<span style="text-decoration: underline"> </span>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Works Cited</span></p>

Arabian Nights. New York: Penguin Classics, 2002. Dwight, R. "The Thousand and One Nights: A History of the Text and its Reception." In The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature: Arabic Literature in the Post-Classical Period. Cambridge UP, 2006.
Irwin, R. The Arabian Nights: A Companion. Tauris Parke, 2004.
Zipes, J.D. and R.F. Burton. The Arabian Nights: The Marvels and Wonders of the Thousand and One Nights. New York: Penguin Classics, 1991.