Hampton Webb Joe Hampton

Hampton WebbJoe Hampton

• Basis for later Arabic literature came from bedouin poetry

• This poetry was passed down orally between generations

• Many of these poems were qasida (odes)• Transition from oral to writing by the late 7th

century CE• Most celebrated poems from this early period

called mu’allaqat

• The Quran replaced the Arabic poetry as the central focus of study and reciting

• Poetry regained some prestige under Umayyads

• Al-Akhtal• Al-Farazdaq

• Persian was the most common language used in literature, but the caliph Abdul-Malik made Arabic the official language

Quran

• Golden age of Islamic Literature under Abbasids• Many works in other languages translated into Arabic• Great writers under Abbasid include:

• Al-Jahiz• Abu Al-Faraj• Mutanabbi• Al-Hamadhani• Al-Hariri• Ibn Khaldun• Al-Faralsi• Ibn Battuta

• Arabic language used for many things including: philosphy, mathematics, law, interpretations of the Quran, history, science, medicine, politics, poetry, prose etc.

• Ibn al-Muqaffa: convert to Islam who translated classical Persian works into Arabic

• Many forms of writing: satire, biography, poetry, maqamat, etc.

• Al-Jahiz: greatly developed Arabic Prose, more than 200 books on various subjects

• Al-Faraj: wrote Kitab al-Aghani ("The Book of Songs")

• Al-Mutanabbi: one of the greatest Arabic poets, very complex style

• Al-Hamadhani: invented the maqamat (“assemblies”) genre

• Al-Hariri: greatly improved and expanded maqamat

• Ibn Khaldun: The Muqaddimah; attempted to treat history as a science and outlined a philosophy for history in his writings

• Al-Faralsi: wrote philosophical and musical theory

• Ibn Battuta: wrote about the world based on his travels

Ibn Battuta

• Ibn Battuta wrote about almost all of the Muslim world

• Shows vastness of Islamic influence over World

• Maqamat influenced the Spanish picaresque style of writing

• European fabliaux were influenced by Arabic writing

• Some tales, like The Thousand and One Nights illustrated the social classes, especially the elite

• Allowed for expansion in all types of Islamic learning

• Helped spread and preserve many writings from many different languages and cultures

• Ibn Khaldun’s writings greatly influenced the way historians view events

• Tales from the One Thousand and One Nights are still told today even in Western culture and influenced the writing of some famous stories such as Gulliver’s Travels and Robinson Crusoe.

• Modern Arabic Literature still shows traits developed in the early stages of its growth

• Many works from other cultures were translated into Arabic. This allowed them to be preserved.

• Info• "Arabic Literature." Islam and Islamic History in Arabia and the Middle East. Islamicity. 6 Oct.

2008 <http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/ihame/ref5.htm>.• Yule, Henry. "Ibn Battuta." 6 Oct. 2008

<http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.1902encyclopedia.com/b/bat/ibn-battuta.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.1902encyclopedia.com/b/bat/ibn-battuta.html&h=407&w=376&sz=44&hl=en&start=3&usg=__pwp9zyhoqvd8wikdaeyxpcqd1dm=&tbnid=skjj5-oevjpd-m:&tbnh=125>.

• "Arabic Literature." Encyclopedia.com. 2008. The Columbia Encyclopedia. 7 Oct. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1e1-arabicli.html>.

• "Arabic Literature." Al-Bab.com. 30 Aug. 2005. 7 Oct. 2008 <http://www.al-bab.com/arab/literature/lit.htm>.

• Pictures• "Arabic Literature." Wikipedia. 6 Oct. 2008. 7 Oct. 2008

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/arabic_literature>. • "Al Mutanabbi." Alshindaga.com. 7 Oct. 2008

<http://www.alshindagah.com/sepoct2003/almutanabbi2.jpg>. • "Muslim Heritage." Picasa.com. 7 Oct. 2008

<http://lh3.ggpht.com/_duhmfvxgpms/rlxdl0bqjli/aaaaaaaaaxk/o3xfpqr8ago/2782_54.jpg>.