Abbasid literature

Question 1

who wrote the book kalila wa domina?

Answer 1

ibn al muqafa

Question 2

aljahiz wrote?

Answer 2

• kitab al7ywan ( book of animals )
• kitab al-byan wa al-tabyin ( book of education and exposition )
• kitab al-bukala ( book of misers )

Question 3

who wrote kitab al-agani ( the book of music ) ?

Answer 3

• abu farj al-asfahani

- 24 volumes

Question 4

two famous prose writers?

Answer 4

al Hamadani and al-harirri

Question 5

where does the name abbasid came from?

Answer 5

From the prophets uncle Abbas

Question 6

what was the slogan the abbasids used to win the caliphate?

Answer 6

“alrda mn ahl albait” or “alrda mn ahl mohammed”

Question 7

who helped the abbasids win the caliphate?

Answer 7

Military leaders called al5rsan helped them win.

Question 8

what is the difference between the Umayyad and the abbasid empires in this regard?

Answer 8

• The abbasid lasted longer

- They weren’t pro-arabs; they were more open to other cultures unlike the ummayyads

Question 9

The caliphate during the abbasids was hereditary.

T/F

Answer 9

true

Question 10

Golden age:

Answer 10

8th-11th century; Golden age; because literature flourished, science emerged.

Question 11

Abbasids for a certain time they lost their power, but they were still the caliphates and political decisions were made by the othmans.
T/F

Answer 11

true

Question 12

when did silver age start?

Answer 12

Silver age started when the abbasids stoped being in the caliphate

Question 13

First abbasid caliph?

Answer 13

• Abbas abdallah b. Mohammed (754) known as “al-saffah”; having a strong personality.

Question 14

Second caliph?

Answer 14

Abu Ja’far al-mansur (762); he built Baghdad and it became the capital of abbasids.

Question 15

Harun al-rashid (809) and al-ma’moun (833) they built:

Answer 15

“house of wisdom” “bait al 7kma”

Question 16

Baghdad became an international hub where people from all around the world to study science

T//F

Answer 16

true

Question 17

The 3 authors in the abbasid period:

Answer 17

lbn al-muqaffa is a Persian translator who wrote kallia wa demina. - Abu 3thman bin b7r known as al-jahiz (the google eyed); he wrote more than 200 books and he soon became the leading intellectuals; the books he wrote: ktab al-heywan (the books of animals),

Question 18

Kallia wa dimna:

Answer 18

mirrors for princess, name of two jackals not names of girls.

Question 19

Al-jahizs book:

Answer 19

al-bayan wa al-tabyin (the book of eloquence and demonstration); he’s books covered history, science and many more. Ktab al-bukhala (the book of misers) in this book he makes fun of people, about the greedy people. Humorous and satirical. Ktab of heywan (the book of animals) it comes in so many volumes; talks about animals, stories about books and the love reading books.

Question 20

Al-isfahni:

Answer 20

his book kitab al-aghani (book of songs): it included so many stuff like proverbs, Stories of poets, singers, legends and so many popular things that happened during his time.

Question 21

Alma8amat?

Answer 21

rhythm prose; invented by Badi al-zaman, extended by al-hariri and they’re always narrated by one person, and the same character.

Question 22

Al-hamdhani wrote?

Answer 22

400 ma8amat but 52 survived.

Question 23

Name four modernist poets:

Answer 23

Ibn ar-Rumi, Abu al-Atahiyah, Abu Nuwas

Question 24

Name four neoclassical poets:

Answer 24

Abu tammam, Abu at-tayyib, Ahmad al-mutannabi, ala alma’arri.

Question 25

What are the main differences between the modernist and neoclassical poets in the abbasid period:

Answer 25

the modernist schools were made up of non-arab or half-arab poets, and they were inspired by their own unique circumstances style

Question 26

Abu Nawas (d. 810):

Answer 26

Was well educated in both Basra and Kufa and attained the finest Arabic by staying with the Bedouin tribes. He later moved to Baghdad and became the favorite poet of al-Amin, the son of Harun al-Rashid.

• His wine poetry is known as (al-khamriyyat):

Question 27

Abu Tayyib al-Mutanabbi (d.965):

Answer 27

al-Mutanabi reached the height of his fame at the court of Sayf al-Dawla al-Hamadani to whom he dedicated his finest panegyrics.
His poetry also displays his proud character, his glorification of the virtues of honour, loyalty, friendship, bravery and integrity.
He revived the old Arab values, which were epitomised in his motto, “Live honourably or die heroically.”

Question 28

Abu al-‘Ala’ al-Ma‘arri (d. 363/973):

Answer 28

He wrote three major collections of poetry:

1. Saqt al-Zand (written in early life);
2. al-Dir‘iyyat;
3. al-Luzimiyyat (later in life).

His asceticism can also be seen in his prose text, Risalat al-Ghufran, which is said to have influenced Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Question 29

Al-Ma’ari is known for wishing the following verse to be his epitaph:

Answer 29

This wrong was by my father done

To me, but never by me to one!

Question 30

Sufi poetry 


Sufism is Islamic mysticism

Answer 30

Rabi’a Al-’Adawiya from Basra (d.801)
Al-Hallaj (d. 922)
Ibn al-Farid (d. 1235)
Ibn ‘Arabi (d. 1280)

Question 31

Rabi’a al-’Adawiya (d.185/801)

Answer 31

If I adore You out of fear of Hell, burn me in Hell!
If I adore you out of desire for Paradise,
Lock me out of Paradise.
But if I adore you for Yourself alone,
Do not deny to me Your eternal beauty.

Question 32

Ibn ‘Arabi (d. 1240 in Muslim spain) 


Answer 32

My heart can take on any form:
A meadow for gazelles,
A cloister for monks,
For the idols, sacred ground,
Ka’ba for the circling pilgrim,
The tables of the Torah,
The scrolls of the Quran.