ARABIAN LITATURE

A written Arabic literature began to be known with the collect of Koran, the sacred book
of Islam, in Arabia in 17th century A.D. with the spread of the Islamic faith into Asia, Arica and
Europe, the Arabian language soon became a major world language. Today it is read or
understood by hundreds of millions of people. Even before the revelations of Muhammad were
collected in the Koran, however, the Arabs possessed a highly developed poetry, composed of
recitation and transmitted from generation to generation. The most famous example are the
elaborated odes, or qasdahs, of Mu’allagat (“the suspended odes”), beginning with those of
Imru’Alqais. These poems reflected and praised the customs and values of the desert
environment in which they arose.

PRE-ISLAMIC
The structure of the Arabic language is well-suited to harmonious word-patterns, with
elaborate rhymes an rhythms. The earliest known literature emerged in northern Arabia around
500 A.D. and took the form of poetry which was recited aloud, memorized and handed down
from generation to another. It began to be written down towards the end of the seventh century.
The most celebrated poems of the pre-Islamic period were known as the Mu’allagat (“the
suspended”), reputedly because they were considered sufficiently outstanding to be hung on the
walls of the ka’ba in Makkah.

The typical poem of this period is the Qasidah (ode), which normally consists of 70-80
pairs of half lines. Traditionally, they describe the nomadic life, opening with a lament at an
abandoned camp for a lost love. The second part praises the poet’s horse or camel and describe a
journey, with the hardships it entails.

HISTORICAL PERIOD
The history of Arabic literature is usually divided into periods making the dynasty changes and
divisions that took place within the Islamic world.

A. Umayyad Period (A.D. 661-750)

Arabic prose literature was limited primarily to grammatical treatise,
commentaries on the Koran, and compiling of stories about Muhammad and his
companions. The Umayyad poets, chief of whom were Al-Akhtal and Al-Farazdaq,
favored poetic forms such as love lyrics called (Ghazals), wine songs and hunting
 poems. These forms the conditions of life and manners found in territories conquered by
Islam.

B. Abbasid Empire (750-1258)

In the early years of this empire, many forms were invented for Arabic literature,
which then entered what is generally regarded its greatest period of development and
achievement. It is certain that the Persian influences contributed significantly to this
development. For example, translations from Persians, such as those of Ibn al-Muqaff’,
led to a new refinement in Arabic prose called adab, often sprinkled with poetry and
utilizing rhyme prose (saj’), the style of Koran. The greatest masters of adab were Al
jahiz and Al Hariri.
An Inventive type of folk literature, exemplified in “The thousand and one
nights” (popularly known as The Arabian Nights), drew upon the recitations of
wandering storytellers called rawis.
Abu Nuwas was acknowledged as the foremost among the new poets who used
the Arabic language with greater freedom and imagination. An expiremental tradition
now vied with classical traditions, some poets excelled in both traditions: al-Maarri and
al-Mtanabi are regarded as the greatest among them. In Spain, an independent poetic
tradition culminated in the exquisitive lyrics of Ibn Zaydun and Ibn Quzman. The
Romance of Antar, closest work to an epic in Arabic, was also written about this time.

C. Modern Period
During the centuries of Ottoman Turksih domination, Arabic literature fall into
decline. Not until the mid-19th century was it revived by its intellectual movement known
as Nahdah (“reawakening”), which originated in Syria and spread to Egypt. From being
imitative to Europeans , Modern Arabic literature, both prose and poetry, has gradually
freed itself from centuries of neglect and has assumed its former place among the world’s
greatest literatures.

ARABIC WRITERS of the past hundred years have been extremely versatile. Most of
their work is characterized by strong concern for social issues.

Outstanding among the recent Arabic novelists, dramatists, and essayists:

- Tawfig al-Hakim
- Nobelist NgaguibMahfouz, Taha Husayn
- Poets, Ihiya Abu Madi, Adonis, Ahmad Shawqi, Abu Shadi and Abbas al Aqqad

Many other works have been translated and are enjoyed by non-Arab connoisseurs of
literature of everywhere.
 D. GOLDEN AGE OF ARABIC PROSE
Studded with names of brilliant writers such as the essayist al-Jahiz and Abu Hayyan
al-Tawhidi and the critic Ibn Qucaybah. It was also during the period that the works of
Abual-‘alaal-Ma’aarri became popular with his letters in Saj and the Risalat al-
Ghufran which pictures visit to the other world.
Mora, instructive and assuring anecdotes, became popular too and the most outstanding
compiler of anecdotes was TANUKHI who was responsible of 3 compilations of
anecdotes like:
-Niswar al-Muhadarah (The Table of Mesopotamian Judge)
-Mustajad (Anecdotes of Generousity)
-Farah Ba’d al Shiddah (Deliverance after Anguish)

These kind of works led to a new literary form, the Maqamat (Assemblies), initiated by al-
Hamadhani.

Hamadhani’s Maqamat is a collection of short stories, mainly picaresque, woven around

the names of 2 fictious protagonists. Genre was developed a century ater by al-Hariri.

ARABIC POETRY
There is not much evidence of written literature among the Arabs before the Islamic period. Oral
traditions, the poetry of the north Arabs, particularly the Bedouin tribes of the fifth and sixth
centuries, are the most outstanding in artistry and sensuousness of feelings. Poetry was
constructed in elaborate meters of which sixteen are universally recognized. All verses are
divided into types:

-Occasional Poems

-Collection or Anthologies.

1. Occasional Poems- consisting 2 to 20 lines whose themes are usually war and revenge
and praise of one’s own tribe.

Various genres fall to this are:

- Elegies
- Praising the dead; the most famous type was Kansa.
- The Odes or Quasida
- Was an elaborate ode usually of 60 to 100 lines
 - Themes were usually about exploits of narrator, his old passion, and descriptions of
camp life honor of his patron. The oral transmission of poems lasted for 350 yrs.

2. Collection or Anthologies- Al-Mu’allagat, a group of pre-Islamic Odes.

“3 KINDS OF COLLECTION”

-Al-Mu-Allkat means “suspended” because these poems were supposed to have been displayed
by the Arabs on the Kaaba at Mecca. These collections are ascribed to Hammed-al-Ravisya in 8th
century A.D. by Amru UI Kais “most illustrious of Arabian poets”. Showed the nomadic life,
views, philosophies, visions and their dreams arising from such condition.

-Al-hamasa is an anthology compiled by poets ABRETAMMAN bout 836 A.D. Derive its
name from the beginning of books and poems. Themes were usually about valor and constant
battles, patience when comforted reality, seeking vengeance, pagan rituals, myths temptations,
treasure and Arab traditions.

-Mujaddiyat is a collection of poems named after MUFADDALIBN YA’LA who compiled

them for the future caliph Mahdt between 762 and 784, showed hospitality, charity, valor,
faithfulness, lavish entertainment, love for wine and love for chance.

In the first century after the death of Mohammed, in 662 A.D. called Umayyad period there were
no outstanding literary productions but, there were 4 NOTEWORTHY POETS:

-AKHATAL

-FARAZDAK

-JARIR

-DHU RUMMA

The Kasidas a type of literature was becoming stereotype but the vogue of court poetry
became popular.

ABBASID PERIOD (750-1258)

New tendencies were favored and Arabic poetry became popular. The classical tradition
kept faith with the past, particularly desert poetry, with one modification – the substitution for
the old imaginative phrases of rhetoric types, a fashion set by ,MUSLIM IBN WALKD followed
by TAMMAN and extravagantly exploited by MUTANNABI. Some critics pften call this period
as THE GOLDEN AGE up to 1055 A.D. and 1258 as THE SILVER AGE. Poets become more
original in their crafts. Influenced by Hellenistic and Persian Art.

Outstanding Authors:
-IBN ISHAQ- author of Mohammed’s life

-RABJA OF BASTRA AND SUFI POETESS

-ABU NUEVAS- greatest Arab lyricist