Islamic Literature Poetry

Islamic literature indicate in our life now confusion identity about Islam as a religion, to be more considerable after many years of distortion, the Quran is the only subject we have and the last source we could refuge, so we can choose our decision in right way .But when the poetry have to get a position and situation in Islam, and make a relation that made conflicts in between the book of God and the human being thought.

In my final paper, I will discuss particular about the definition of Islamic literature, and what is the distinction between Quran and poetry in Islam and how Quran deny the poetry in some cases. The Islam could be religion care about the content of this religion or emphasize about the form of the style and spirituality worship, But Islam have the both of features in way of explanation the benefits of the nation. Poetry has very strong relation with the culture of the nation and kind of tool to build up this culture, poetry created to describe the culture with all it’s aspects in terms of Muslim families, and the heritage of societies, and to discuses the cases of Islam.

Islamic Literature:-

It’s the objective means of artistic expression of human; it’s the universe spiritual from Islamic perspective. It’s kind of background of human Islamic nation to balance and to express the features of all aspects of religion arts, it’s related to practice the human spirituality in Islam, therefore, we as Muslims we need this type of background to have religion security and more safety to our history and hall Islamic nation. Islamic literature it’s the main activity and responsibility for Muslims in terms of nation and lives before God (Almighty). It connecting to what I’ve read in the *(Islamic Art), reading in the class, part (Literature) page 87 ” Literature provides an all important field for the under standing of the relation between Islamic art and spirituality. Because, the Islamic revelation is based upon the word that has been revealed as a sacred book “.The human needs tool to build the citizen and societies to create the identity of Muslim in Islam and to define, which called Islamic Literature, in all world aspects of Muslim. Islamic literature has huge responsibility to save Muslim nation from the current situation of ordeal and Muslims humans of letters are leaders in this area. Islamic Literature is the established fact when Islam was rising of the dawn of Islam; which derives its themes from divine revelation and prophetic guidance and extends through ages to the present age to share in calling to the way of Allah, and fighting the enemies of Islam and the perverted ones.

Literary language generally has the strongest link in evolution through history of art and poetry, the evolution of techniques. The whole languages are full of historic races and irrational and arbitrary classifications, and interspersed with historical events and memories and repercussions, it is very short and embedding. Because of the poetry extensions in diverse cultures, the language tends to use words licentious dimensions.

The relation between human Islamic Literature and the Quraan:-

It’s manly to produce the identity of Islam as a huge relation to the book of God (Quraan), when God sent the prophet Mohammed as messenger to the nation of people, in that moment the Literature of Islam began to start, it’s totally related to our prophet in terms of learning, advises, and the morality of Muslims. And it ends with the results of wars and defending of Muslim literature, in addition of that relation, the Quran contain all the features of Islam as an order of God, with many stories had happened to prophets of Islam to let Muslims take the advantages and benefits of the results. The Quraan support the Literature of Islam to increase and progress, which means that the book gave the Literature all the basics and roots to build the literature world in Islam direction. Quraan came as sacred written book, and the Islamic literature care about the language of the book and how it’s written, how to understand the (Kalam of Allah), and how it’s spirituality understandable, that what the Islamic literature contain.

I asked my D.r Birol Baskan in the International Affairs program, at Qatar University about:

“What are the concrete features of Islamic literature that reflect this anchoring in the Qur’an?”

He said:

“Thematically, the Qur’an very much influenced Islamic poetry. First, especially, when it comes to praising Allah, the Prophet and the Sahabah… this is more pronounced in poetry about the Prophet.. in surah al Ahzab, the Qur’an says in meaning, Allah and his angels say ‘salat’ on the Prophet, oo Muslims you too say ‘salat’ on him.. The praising of Allah and his angels of not only the Prophet but also of the sahabah influenced the islamic poetry a lot.. of course, the poets wrote a lot about other topics… but, there developed a special type of poetry, called na’at, dedicated fully to praising the Prophet… probably, the nicest na’at belonged to Fuzuli, Muhammed bin Suleiman, who wrote in Turkish and Persian: Su Kasidesi… excellent excellent excellent…

Second, these special poems have also been used extensively in Sufi music in the form of hymns… Even now there is a huge hymn music industry, the core topics related to the Prophet. there also developed a tradition of ‘mawlid,’ a long and popular poem recounting the life of the Prophet… the ‘mawlid’ recitation is undertaken in different occasions, like, in funerals, in marriages, etc.  it is also a form of entertainment, imagining the times when there was no internet or television..

Third, some Qur’an stories also became a common theme in Islamic literature… the most famous one is the story of Yusuf and Zuleyha, which became a folk tale… inspired by the Qur’an, this story is often described as the most beautiful story. a lot has been written on this story..

In terms of style and poetic expression, I really do not know how the Qur’an influenced islamic poetry… In turkish and persian, this is really difficult to assess because the Qur’an is in Arabic. Hence, the Qur’anic style and expression might have influenced Arap poems, but I am not in a position to assess that.”

He mentioned many historical events that helped the reasons of poetry came involved and has a purpose to reach it in the Quran. And Islamic poetry had been very clearer impact in the history through these ages like in Persian. He also mentioned about the special occasions in Islam, because the celebration in Islam is not forbidden, In Islam we have 2 event to celebrate (العيدين) and (mawlid), which in these event we might use the poetry and music to celebrate and draw the smile meaning on to children faces event the young or old ages.

Islamic Literature is for all Muslims and for all nations whom have the same identity and characteristics, which reflects the background of the Islam as a religion, and as people, regardless the different denomination races and languages. Islamic Literature reflect the concept of man life the universes, as a concrete bases for a complete literary and criticism theory vividly that seen in Islamic Literary products through the all successive centuries. Islamic Literature denies disturbing the chance to sever or cut the relations between the old and new Literature under the pretext of modernization and development. It obviously understood that it’s related to the root of the old one. In addition, Islamic Literature is more integral in all aspects that cannot be considered without goes hand in hand with the content. Islamic Literature can be described as a fixable art, it can be modern literary arts and is keen to present them to people purified from all contradiction with religion of Allah, and enriched with good values and sage directions of Islam. Every art in a religion must use tool to be formal and known, The Arabic is language of the Islamic Literature, which rejects and fights dialects. Faith is the essential link among all members, to make this relation as strong as enough to be, which conceder as a special relation keeps all Muslims connected to each other in addition to unity of principles and objectives they are committee to.

It’s form or content?

Islamic Literature it can make the Islam more understood in terms of (form &content). “Gbreel’ who asked Mohammed to read the book, when Mohammed was worshiping in (Hra’) cave, which started by word ‘ Eqrae’ ‘ its means (read), we can see here the order of Islam to learn how to read the book, not only the book, all the knowledge of the religion, how to understand our target of live with God, how to study the criteria of the religion as content religion or form. Islam as a religion, imply how it’s form? And how it’s content? But which one of them is stronger than the other?

The Islamic Literature is content more than form, which avoids Islam to be materialistic; in other meaning, Islam cares about Muslims live and all aspects to practice the religion as faith in terms of prayers, worshiping,, these all to make connection between God and Muslim, making relation in Islam is more clearer that Islam is content, we as Muslims content to be in this religion because we all accept this in order to be saved and walking in the right way, we are trusted that God is the only God who has the power to control this world, he is one God no other Gods with him, we also sure that this is the right religion to seek the truth and humanity equality, Islamic literature imply many aspects dealing with real life, spiritual dealing, in another meaning God in his book of Islam explained every thing such events happened and how it will be the future, and he gave us many stories that’s really happened before in way to understand and believe God. God in the Quran specific every thing we should obey to make the religion easy to practice with comfortable worship, talking about how the Muslim should obey God, what are manly the things that Muslim should be fare from which God deny them. To be clearer, God didn’t forbid any thing with out reason, when God deny eating pork, he didn’t make it forbidden for nothing, but God said that there is bad thing in this animal and you as a Muslim should obey me because this might kill you or give you disease (negative side effect), and that with every thing that God made it forbidden in Islam. Islam cares about how the Muslim will use the rules of God without punishment, the duty of our prophet is to delivered the message of God to the nation, that refer to guide people to the other side of world, من حياة الضلال إلى حياة النور, it means from the darkness to the lightness world, that god want us to be saved and with right direction of religion, this is what makes Islam as religion more content of the target to this religion, this transformation might be the basics level, it describe the religion as content side more than form. When the Islam is form, it will be no matter of making the Muslims increasing every day around the world, it will be related to seek the reputation of being the best religion beside on the other religion. It’s not supposed to be form religion, therefore, to be really fair faith more than cheating.

How Islam in Quran denies the poetry:-

قال الله سبحانه وتعالى في كتابه (والشعراء يتبعهم الغاوون *ألم ترى أنهم في كل واد يهيمون*وأنهم يقولون مالايفعلون *إلا الذين أمنوا وعملوا الصالحات وذكروا الله كثيرا وانتصروا من بعد ماظلموا)

As the book of God imply that the poetry is type of speech and the Muslim should avoid being wrong or should not lost the right way of using the poetry. In the poetry there are certain of ways to say poetry, like vituperate, commendation, satire…etc. But God consider that there is exception for the poetry, who use the poetry as something will not be done or gives lies for people to gain money or reputations, that is not allowed in Islam, because Islam as religion want to gain the truthness of the destiny, truth of believing God in all aspects, in this verse of the chapter in Holy Koranالشعراء 224-227 , God mentioned that the poets said something unbelievable and not understandable, and the people believe them, God accuse the poets in the pre-Islamic period, whom rejected the Islam and fight the prophet Mohamed through their poetry, Also God emphasized that we shouldn’t follow them. The opposite with the poets whom express their felling to something deserve, for example for God, or prophet, fight the enemy of Islam and to show for them the guiltlessness of the all accusation, that what Quran imply and want us to see the right direction of poetry.

The Holy Prophet Position, is derived from the Qoran was impressed and he taste that good poetry, when he listening to the lyrics “Ka’b bin Zuheir” impressed by “Thapa” Aberdeen dishonest. Roy and that the Prophet PBUH sat on the “Al-Khazraji” is not only one who felt “Fastncd bin Qais” as saying “al-Khatib” reached

أجا لدهم يوم الحديقة حاسرا كأن يدي بالسيف مخراق لاعب

Any fragmentation messenger of God and said: It was “Kaise”? Mentioned? (Seeking truth) has witnessed a steady bin “Qais”. Believe me, will demand a moral prophet in poetry. A group of them hired poets and urging Muslims to defend their religion and that to seek the hands of poetry is to make a weapon to defend by saying: What prevents those who insist God and his Messenger cents to insist their weapons and called the holy Prophet poet “Hassan Bin Thabet” to defend Creed, religion and spelling idolaters where named “Hassan Bin Thabet” poet of the Prophet saying

قال الله: قد أرسلت عبد يقول الحق إن نفع البلاء

شهدت به فقوموا صدقوه فقلتم: لا نقوم ولا نشاء

فمن يهجو الرسول منكم ويمدحه وينصره سواء

*(Arabic source)

The poetry and Culture:-

Witness the current integration of our human culture in all its aspects, and reflections on the human sciences in a manner never known before. Culture is no longer confined to the area of knowledge without the other, but has been expanded cultural contents became including all forms of life and systems formed through history, also includes language, beliefs, behavior, patterns, ethical principles, music, and art. It appears that the effects of integration in the remarkable aspects of culture, focusing on the effectiveness of humanity side, with deep reflection in the currents of contemporary poetry. So the contemporary poet demands that the literately, a broad culture; because contemporary poetry an attempt to fit with human culture and modern elaboration, determining the position of contemporary rights. It’s true that the poet has never been isolated from culture throughout history, but he has experience which is the most important source of his art.

Arab heritage: that we will see multiple confiscate references part which is of the broad sense of culture. If the culture includes all those contents, the heritage can be confined in time that they ever knows people to put boundaries between each other in time was described as a (modern period).

The aspects of this heritage: are multiple and branched. There are facts and the popular ritual, and there are legendary and historical facts, facts are religious, including the thoughts and ideas and behavioral methods. Then there is public knowledge and experiences related to time passed never come again. It also could expand one’s counting all the kinds of sciences different from that heritage, which did not leave a nation like him before, this situation with the Arabs.

It’s related to what I’ve read in part (Literature) of *(Islamic Art) (reading in the class) page 90: “The relation between traditionally poetry and logic is to be found precisely in this metaphysical nexus which binds them together” he mentions that there is tool which is the poetry, to connect the traditional aspects to human life in way of development uses of this poetry through all these periods and historical events which made the poetry.

Personal opinion:

Islam as a religion, want to cover all aspects in human life, but when it comes to the credibility, Islam will stop it as soon as possible.

In my opinion I see that Islam content more than form, as I indicate in the paper, it’s more aware in every single detail in Muslims life, its form and content to describe the holly Quran as sacred book, although the Islam cares about the art in terms of architecture, calligraphy, pottery, ……, but Islam emphasizing manly on the message of God, What God want from Prophet Mohamed to delivered, in which way, why God made all these consequences for use, because we deserve it and we should know the reasons of this part, we must know that Islam is more trustiest and no one can deny it or rejected, in order to increase the quantity of nation in Islam, and be more wide able.

The references

• (Islamic Art) reading in the class

• (Arabic source) speech of Prophet ”story” http://www.islamonline.net/Arabic/index.shtml

• D.r Birol Baskan’s opinion