Abbasid literature Flashcards
who wrote the book kalila wa domina?
ibn al muqafa
aljahiz wrote?
- kitab al7ywan ( book of animals )
- kitab al-byan wa al-tabyin ( book of education and exposition )
- kitab al-bukala ( book of misers )
who wrote kitab al-agani ( the book of music ) ?
- abu farj al-asfahani
- 24 volumes
two famous prose writers?
al Hamadani and al-harirri
where does the name abbasid came from?
From the prophets uncle Abbas
what was the slogan the abbasids used to win the caliphate?
“alrda mn ahl albait” or “alrda mn ahl mohammed”
who helped the abbasids win the caliphate?
Military leaders called al5rsan helped them win.
what is the difference between the Umayyad and the abbasid empires in this regard?
- The abbasid lasted longer
- They weren’t pro-arabs; they were more open to other cultures unlike the ummayyads
The caliphate during the abbasids was hereditary.
T/F
true
Golden age:
8th-11th century; Golden age; because literature flourished, science emerged.
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
true
when did silver age start?
Silver age started when the abbasids stoped being in the caliphate
First abbasid caliph?
- Abbas abdallah b. Mohammed (754) known as “al-saffah”; having a strong personality.
Second caliph?
Abu Ja’far al-mansur (762); he built Baghdad and it became the capital of abbasids.
Harun al-rashid (809) and al-ma’moun (833) they built:
“house of wisdom” “bait al 7kma”
Baghdad became an international hub where people from all around the world to study science
T//F
true
The 3 authors in the abbasid period:
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),
Kallia wa dimna:
mirrors for princess, name of two jackals not names of girls.
Al-jahizs book:
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.
Al-isfahni:
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.
Alma8amat?
rhythm prose; invented by Badi al-zaman, extended by al-hariri and they’re always narrated by one person, and the same character.
Al-hamdhani wrote?
400 ma8amat but 52 survived.
Name four modernist poets:
Ibn ar-Rumi, Abu al-Atahiyah, Abu Nuwas
Name four neoclassical poets:
Abu tammam, Abu at-tayyib, Ahmad al-mutannabi, ala alma’arri.
What are the main differences between the modernist and neoclassical poets in the abbasid period:
the modernist schools were made up of non-arab or half-arab poets, and they were inspired by their own unique circumstances style
Abu Nawas (d. 810):
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):
Abu Tayyib al-Mutanabbi (d.965):
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.”
Abu al-‘Ala’ al-Ma‘arri (d. 363/973):
He wrote three major collections of poetry:
- Saqt al-Zand (written in early life);
- al-Dir‘iyyat;
- 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.
Al-Ma’ari is known for wishing the following verse to be his epitaph:
This wrong was by my father done
To me, but never by me to one!
Sufi poetry
Sufism is Islamic mysticism
Rabi’a Al-’Adawiya from Basra (d.801)
Al-Hallaj (d. 922)
Ibn al-Farid (d. 1235)
Ibn ‘Arabi (d. 1280)
Rabi’a al-’Adawiya (d.185/801)
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.
Ibn ‘Arabi (d. 1240 in Muslim spain)
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.
