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Any
discussion of Arabic literature must
begin with the language itself. While the
leading literary figures within the
islamic Empire represented a diversity of
ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the
non-Arabs among them adopted the language
of the Qur 'an as their universal
medium ofexpression. Arabs have long
considered their language a perfect
instrument of precision, clarity and
eloquence, as evidenced by the Qur 'an
itself and by subsequent literary
masterpieces. Since the Qur an was
adopted as the fixed standard, a
surprisingly vast and rich literature has
accumulated over a period of fourteen
hundred years.
The earliest form of Arabic literature
known is the heroic poetry of the noble
tribes of pre-islamic Arabia. It was
there that the standard Arabic verse
form, the qasidah, evolved. The qasidah,
a long poem, often recounted
incidents from the poet's own life or
that of his tribe~-sometimes dramatically
and, sometimes, with a distinctively epic
flavor. Pre-Islamic poetry was
transmitted and preserved orally until
the latter part of the seventh century
A.D., when the Arab scholars undertook a
large effort to collect and record verses
and shorter compositions that had
survived in the memories of professional
reciters.
During the Umayyad period (661-750 A.D.),
the Arab way of life began to shift from
a nodamic mode of existence to a more
settled and sophisticated urban style. In
accordance with Greek and Persian
practices of the time, poetry was often
accompanied by music, performed by women.
In time, the poetic form was simplified:
the complex and highly refined meters of
the traditional Arabian poetry were
replaced by shorter, freer meters which
were adaptable to music. Poetry and music
became inseparable, giving rise to the ghazal
traditions, most strikingly
illustrated in the famous Kuab
atAghani, or "Book of
Songs."
Arab literature
flourished under the Abbasids, who rose
to power in Baghdad in the mid~ighth
century. The "golden age" of
Islamic culture and commerce reached its
zenith in the reigns of Harun al-Rashid
and his son, al-Ma'mun. Arabic prose
began to take its rightful place along
with poetry; secular literature was at
home alongside religious tracts. Abbasid
authors of this era not only contri
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buted to
the splendor of their age but also left
an indelible mark on the European
Renaissance.
The outstanding
genius of Arab prose at that time was Abu
'Uthman 'Umar bin Bahr al-Jahiz
(776-869), the grandson of a black slave
who, having received a wide education in
Basra, Iraq, became one of the period's
leading intellectuals. Al]ahiz is best
known for his Kigab al-Hayawan, "Book
of Animals," an anthology of animal
anecdotes, representing a curious blend
of fact and fiction. His Kuab at-
Bukhaia, "Book of Misers,"
a witty and insightful study of human
psychology, is more revealing of Arab
character and society than any other book
of the time.
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The essays of
al-Jahiz form a part of the large category of adab,
polite literature or beltes-tettres. in
the second half of the tenth century, a new
literary genre appeared. This was known as ma-qamal
"assemblies"-amusing anecdotes
narrated by a vagabond who made his living by his
wits. The maqamat were invented by Badi'
al-Zaman alHamadhani (d. 1008); only fifty-two of
his original four hundred maqamat have
survived. AI-Hariri (d. 1122) elaborated upon
this genre and stereotyped it, using the same
format and inventing his own narrator and roguish
hero. The popularity of the maqamal was
only eclipsed by the rise of modern Arabic.
For many people, Abu al-Tayyib Ahmad alMutanabbi,
may have been the greatest of all Arab poets.
Born in Kufa, Iraq, and educated in Syria,
alMutanabbi appeared in the early part of the
tenth century. His themes recalled the
traditional Arab |
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