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    Medieval Islamic Poetry

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    el_ahrairah
    This document discusses the functions and roles of poetry in medieval Arabic-Islamic society. It summarizes that poetry served as a source of both secular and religious knowledge, was an essential part of education, and played important political and ideological roles. It traces the evolution of poetry from the pre-Islamic to Umayyad and Abbasid periods, where it increasingly became professionalized and incorporated into courtly life and entertainment. The document also outlines the early development of literary criticism of poetry from the 9th century, including key figures like Ibn Sallam, Al-Jahiz, Ibn Qutayba, Ibn al-Mutaz, and their approaches to analyzing and evaluating poetry.

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    Medieval Islamic Poetry

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    el_ahrairah
    265 views9 pages
    This document discusses the functions and roles of poetry in medieval Arabic-Islamic society. It summarizes that poetry served as a source of both secular and religious knowledge, was an essential part of education, and played important political and ideological roles. It traces the evolution of poetry from the pre-Islamic to Umayyad and Abbasid periods, where it increasingly became professionalized and incorporated into courtly life and entertainment. The document also outlines the early development of literary criticism of poetry from the 9th century, including key figures like Ibn Sallam, Al-Jahiz, Ibn Qutayba, Ibn al-Mutaz, and their approaches to analyzing and evaluating poetry.

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    Medieval Islamic Poetry

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    This document discusses the functions and roles of poetry in medieval Arabic-Islamic society. It summarizes that poetry served as a source of both secular and religious knowledge, was an essential part of education, and played important political and ideological roles. It traces the evolution of poetry from the pre-Islamic to Umayyad and Abbasid periods, where it increasingly became professionalized and incorporated into courtly life and entertainment. The document also outlines the early development of literary criticism of poetry from the 9th century, including key figures like Ibn Sallam, Al-Jahiz, Ibn Qutayba, Ibn al-Mutaz, and their approaches to analyzing and evaluating poetry.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    265 views9 pages

    Medieval Islamic Poetry

    Uploaded by

    el_ahrairah
    This document discusses the functions and roles of poetry in medieval Arabic-Islamic society. It summarizes that poetry served as a source of both secular and religious knowledge, was an essential part of education, and played important political and ideological roles. It traces the evolution of poetry from the pre-Islamic to Umayyad and Abbasid periods, where it increasingly became professionalized and incorporated into courtly life and entertainment. The document also outlines the early development of literary criticism of poetry from the 9th century, including key figures like Ibn Sallam, Al-Jahiz, Ibn Qutayba, Ibn al-Mutaz, and their approaches to analyzing and evaluating poetry.

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    Some of the key takeaways from the passage are that poetry served important religious, linguistic, and educational functions in early Islamic society but later took on more entertainment roles in courts. It also discusses the evolution of poetry from the pre-Islamic to Islamic era and the rise of professional poets.

    Poetry evolved from having a more secular, individualistic role in the pre-Islamic era to taking on more sacred, communal functions after the rise of Islam. During the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, poetry became more involved in politics and courtly life, leading to the rise of professional poet classes and the incorporation of poetry into entertainment. Its political functions declined over time.

    Some of the early developments in literary criticism of poetry included efforts to authenticate original Arabic poetry and defining poetry as a craft or profession. Scholars like Ibn Sallam, Al-Jahiz, and Ibn Qutayba contributed to the beginnings of literary criticism by establishing frameworks and criteria for analyzing poetry.

    Functions of Poetry in Medieval ArabicIslamic Society

    Al- Hamadhni (d.398/1008)


    In Maqamat, he make a distinction between pre Islamic
    Arabic poetry and muhdah poetry
    Al- Iskendari: the language of the ancients is nobler and
    their themes is more abundant, whereas the conceits of
    the moderns are more refined and their style more elegant
    Poetry is kind of source of secular knowledge but it may
    also has a religious attribution: muallaqa poems hung on
    the walls of Ka'ba.
    Condemnation of poetry: religious conflict between the
    supernatural sources of knowledge and Quranic knowledge
    or worldview of slam as a threat for the power of Arab
    tribes

    In Arabic Islamic Society:


    Source of knowledge for the Arabic language which is
    significant to understand Quran truly.
    Poetry was not studied for its own sake but for the sake of
    learning grammar and lexicography because of the purity of
    their language.
    Examples from poetry were used to support the definition of
    a word in lexicoraphy
    Poetry had a low status in the hierarchy of Arabic Sciences.
    Also poetry was an essential component of elementary
    education. Hz. Aisha reportedly told the Muslims to teach their
    sons poetry
    Poetry in Pre-Islamic worldview -Secular- individualistic,

    New Role of Poetry


    Umayyad Times (661-749)
    Political and ideological emphasis on poetrysectarian polemics between Shiites, zubayrids and
    khawarij
    Abbasid Period (842-1258)
    Increasing involvement of poetry in courtly lifestyle
    gave rise to two important phenomena:
    The rise of poets as professional classes
    Incorporation of poetry into the entertainment area

    The rise of poets as professional classes


    Institutionalisms of poetry led to artistic development and
    appreciation- literary criticism.
    Poetry as a commodity,
    Poets had patrons at the various courts,
    Poets were mostly dependent on ruling class
    Poet is defender and propagandist of court as well as
    entertainer
    Poetry is vehicle reaching of poet to the court
    Carrier in poetry: education, good training and ambition- in
    return money, recognition by rulers and fame.
    Ibn Sallam and Ibn Haldun: poetry is craft (sanai and kasb)
    Incorporation of Poetry into Entertainment Areas
    Popularization of poetry in general, loss of its political function
    with the rise of entertainment function
    Entertainment to the courts of caliphs

    Beginnings
    Early meanings and practices of literary criticism
    Naqd al-shir- first mentioned by Al-Asmai is the
    authentication of Arabic poetry
    Identification of original poetry in transmission from oral
    culture to written culture.
    Arabic poetry is both as a source for Islamic knowledge and
    also symbolic of Arab culture
    Ibn Sallam (d.232/846)
    He was accepted the founder of classical Arabic criticsm from
    two reasons:
    he insisted that poetry was a craft (sinaa)and only some
    people of learning (ahl-ilm) can make
    judgments on that and he named this activity ilm-al-shir and
    defined its purpose

    Al Jahiz (d.225/868)
    In Al-hayawan and Al-bayn wa al-tabyin he responses to
    the shuibi attacks on Arabic oratory tradion
    Contrary to Ibn Sallam who is a religious scholar and relies on
    isnad, Aljahiz, Mutezilite, relies on reason and dispenses
    with isnad in his works
    His main purpose was developing the concept of bayan
    (clarity of speech)
    The process of tamyiz requires a closer inspection of text
    Ibn Qutayba (d.276/889)
    He replaces In- Sallams rigid and impractical sheme with
    simpler one
    He gave more superiority to pre Islamic poetry than muhdah

    Naturalness (matb, absence of affection (mutekallif),


    freedom from errors in diction and meaning; minimal
    borrowing from the ancient poets; and popularity of poetry
    From these criteria, he gave more superiority to pre Islamic
    poetry than muhdah poetry
    Process of selecting the best of tradition does not rely on
    instinct alone
    Al- Jahiz accepted and artistic creativity as a willful human act
    thorugh rational thinking with the effect of mutezilite
    influence, Ibn Qutayba, on the contrary, emphasized the
    notion of tab.
    Ibn al Mutaz (d.296/908) and Kitab-el Bad
    He documents bad devices- al-madhhab al- kalami
    (argumentative discourse), al-jinas (paranomasia), al-tibaq
    (antithesis), al-tashbih (simile) and al-istiara (metaphor)

    Sariqat

    bn- Tabataba, Qudama and al- Hatimi


    Tabataba in his works Iyar al- shir says that his purpose is
    to describe what ilm-al shir is and to explain simply
    techniques of poetic composition
    For hi, poetry is two kind:
    First one is well constructed (muhkam), meaning wise and
    composition wonderful, so that it is made into prose its
    excellent meaning is not invalidated and its strong diction
    not lost
    Second is deceptively ornate and sweet poetry that appeals
    to the senses on the surface , but of its diction is found to
    be corrupt and meaning defective, when its exposed and
    examined. It could not be reworked into prose

    Qudema (d.337/948) and Naqd al-shir:


    objective critic of poetry, distinguishing good from bad poetry that requires knowledge of
    the both merits and shortcomings
    Eight elements of poetic compositions: four individual and four compound
    Wording, metre, rhyme, rhyme and meaning
    Wording and metre, wording and meaning, meaning and metre, meaning and rhyme
    bn-i Tababata is a poet and his concern mainly the craft.
    Qudema is not poet and his concern objective evolution of poetry
    Al-hatimi and Sinet al-shir

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