ARABIAN ARABIAN LITERATURE LITERATURE

ARABIAN GEOGRAPHY: - Between the Persian Gulf and Red Sea- Has 13 provinces - Composed primarily of desert - Has a governor each region appointed

by the King- Land square area of 1.96 million square

kilometers (756,981 square miles)- One fourth the size of US - The capital is Riyadh Largest City:

Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Al-Ahsa, Ta'if, Dammam, Khamis, Mushait, Buraidah, Khobar

Brief history of Saudi Arabia

- Arabs originated on the descendants of tribes and lived along the Persian Gulf coast

- Arab Peninsula is also the homeland of Islam

- Islam is the world's largest religion

- Muhammad founded Islam

- Two holy pilgrimage cities are Mecca and Medina

- Arabic is their language

- By 1517 the Ottoman empire dominated

- Qur'an is the sacred scripture of Islam

- One of the wealthiest nations in the world

CULTURE & BELIEFS: CLOTHING:

~ For women, full length body cover ; abayah,jilbob, and veil ; hijab or chador (Sign of respect for Muslim modesty laws)

~ For men, traditional flowing robes, blue jeans, t-shirts and western business suits

FOOD:

Alcohol consumption – nightlife is forbidden and under the law

Eating pork – considered unclean and prohibited.

Lunch – is the day's meal

FAMILY:

- Large extended families live together and nepotism is encouraged, but it still depends if the family members agree.

STORY TELLING:

- Another favourite form of artistic expression, but in keeping with Islamic law, guidelines govern public performances and artist can't make “graven images.” Hand lettered Qur'an are considered sacred art that's to be respected and kept safe for generations.

HOLIDAYS:

Ramadan – Holiest season of the Muslims and marks fasting

FOUR TYPES OF MUSLIMS: 1. SUNNI – 80% 2. SHITE – 10-16% 3. SUFIS 4. BAHA

THREE TYPES OF MUSLIMS

1. Secularists – Muslims who do not have a knowledge of the contents of the Qur'an and only know a verse or two to justify enjoying their life such as “Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world” (Surat Al-Kahf 18:46)

2. Moderates – They know the Qur'an but seek to make their faith relevant to modern life. They try to reconcile the contradicting verses in the Qur'an in such a way that Muslims may tolerate Jews and Christians living among them. They emphasize the verses that came to the Prophet Muhammad when he was weak militarily and in need of the support of Jews and Christians.

3. Fundamentalists – Those who want to apply the more extreme verses of the Qur'an to the letter. These verses came to Muhammad after he was strong militarily and after he realized that Christians and Jews were not becoming followers of his new religion. Muhammad's anger in the following Quranic verses , which abrogate the nice verses in the Qur'an, is the root of violence which saturates and captures the minds of these fundamentalists Muslims:

~ The prophet Muhammad urges Muslims to fight in the cause of Allah

~ The Qur'an commands Muslims not to befriend Jews and Christians

~ The Qur'an commands Muslims to fight Jews and Christians

~ The The Qur'an commands Muslims to fight non – Muslims until they exterminate all other religions and Islam would be the only religion in the world.

~ The Qur'an declares that Muslims who fight and die in battle are promised forgiveness and a sexual luxurious life in Paradise.

~ The Qur'an commands Muslims to terrorize and torture and kill anyone who disobeys Allah and the Prophet Muhammad

~ The Qur'an declares that Allah loves those who fight in His cause

~ The Qur'an commands Muslims to convert non Muslims to Islam by force

LITERATURE : - A written Arabic literature began to be known

with the collect of Qur'an in 17th century A.D, the Arabian language soon became a major world

language. - The Arabian possessed a highly developed

poetry, composed of recitation and transmitted from generations.

- The most famous examples are the elaborated odes or qasdahs of Mu'allagat, beginning with those of Imru'Alqais

- These poems reflected and praised the customs and values of the desert environment in which they arose.

- The earliest known literature emerged in northern Arabia in 500 AD and took the form of poetry which as recited aloud, memorized and handed down from generations.

- It began to be written down towards the end of the 7th century

Historical Periods: ~ Ummayad Period ( A.D. 661-750) - Arabic prose literature was limited primarily to grammatical treatise, commentaries on the Qur'an , and compiling of stories about Muhammad and his companions. Ummayad poets: > Al-Akhtal > Al- Farazdaq > Dhu Rumma > Jarir POETIC FORMS: - love lyrics (Ghazals), wine songs, hunting poems

~ Abbasid Empire (750- 1258)

- The greatest period of development and achievement

- Persian influences contributed significantly to this development, translations from Persian ( Ibn al-Muqaff') led a new refinement in Arabic prose called Adab, often add with poetry and utilizing rhyme prose ( saj') the style of Qur'an.

Greatest masters of Adab:

> Al jahiz

> Al Hariri

- An inventive type of folk literature exemplified in “The Thousand One Nights” drew upon the recitaions of wandering storytellers called rawis.

New poets:

> Abu Nuwas – used the Arabic language with greater freedom and imagination.

> Al-Maarri and Al-Mtanabi- regarded as the greatest among them

Outstanding authors:

> IBN ISHAQ – Author of Mohammad's life

> Rabja of Bastra and Sufi poetess

> ABU NUEVAS – The greatest Arab lyricist

~ Modern Period

- During the centuries of Ottoman Turkish domination Arabic literature fall into decline, not until mid 19th century it was revived by intellectual movement known as Nahdah (reawakening), originated in Syria and spread to Egypt.

- Arabic writers of the past hundred years have been extremely versatile, most of their works is characterized by strong concern for social issues.

Outstanding recent Arabic novelists, dramatists and essayists:

> Tawfig al-Hakim

> Nobelist NgaguibMahfouz, Taha Husayn

> Poets Ihiya Abu Madi, Adonis, Ahmad Shawqi, Abu Shadi and Abbas al Aqqad

The Qur'an The Qur'an - Sacred scripture of Islam- The actual words of god revealed by Muhammad- Contains 114 chapters or suras and divided into 6,236 verses or ayah- Termed as the glorious and wonderful, describes the absolute truth, healing mercy, light and guidance of god to people's everyday lives- Has a great contribution to Arabian literature - Revealed from god to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over a peiod of 23 years and view the Qur'an as god's final revelation to humanity - The central theme is monotheism

Arabian Nights (One thousand and One Nights) - A collection of Middle eastern and South Asian stories and folktales compiled in Arabic, during the Islamic Golden age. - The common throughout the editions of the Nights is the initial frame story of the ruler Shahryar meaning “king” or “sovereign” and his wife Scheherazade, meaning “noble lineage” - Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more.- The bulk of the text is in prose, although the verse is occasionally used for songs and riddles and to express heightened emotion. - Most of the poems are single couplets or quatrains, although some are longer.

Synopsis:

The main frame story concerns Shahryar, whom the narrator calls a “Sasanian King” ruling in India and China. He was shocked to discover that his brother's wife is unfaithful; discovering his own wife's infidelity has been even more flagrant, he has her executed, but in his bitterness and grief decides that all women are the same. Shahryar begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute each one the next morning, before she has a chance to dishonor him. Eventually the vizier, whose duty is to provide them cannot find any more virgins. Scheherazade, the vizier's daughter, offer herself as the next bride and her father reluctantly agrees. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the King a tale, but does not end it. The King was curious about how the story ends, is thus forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the conclusion. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins a new one, and the King is eager to hear the conclusion of this tale, postpones her execution once again. So it goes on for 1,001 nights.

The Lady and Her Five Suitors

A lady's lover is put into jail. To get him out she invites all the important people of state to her house. The kazi, Wali, Wazir and the King are tricked into her home as they all desire her. She gets the Wali write a release note for her lover. They are put into a cabinet because each time they fear the next one to be lady's husband. The carpenter is locked up because he has a dispute with the lady over the size of the cabinet. The lady leaves the city with her lover. The five suitors are released by the neighbours after urinating on each other.

The daughter of a merchant loves a man when her husband is away. One day this man is cast into prison because of a quarrel he had. The woman clads herself in the most beautiful clothes and goes to magistrate. She brings a paper to testify against the imprisonment of her brother. The magistrate immediately falls in love with her.

He will let him go if she comes to his house, but she invites the Wali to hers, and he accepts. Then she goes to the Kazi telling of a Wali who as imprisoned her brother. The Kazi falls inl ove with her and promises her to let her brother go. She also invites him to her house. Then she goes to the Wazir, asking for the release of her brother. The Wazir wants to have his will on her and he is also invited to her home. Finally she goes to the King of the city. After telling her story, he is pierces with the arrows of love. He invites her to his palace, but she says he would do much more honour entering her home. The lady goes to a carpenter to ask him to make a cabinet with a five compartments, each with s door for locking up. Next, she lets four gowns be dyed and prepares some food and drinks for her suitors.

The Kazi comes first to her house and he put on one of the gowns. After a while there is a tapping on the door and the lady says it is her husband and takes the Kazi to the lowest compartment to hide him. When she opens the door there is the Wali.

She asks him to write a letter to free her brother. He is asked to put him on the second gown. Then there is another tapping on the door and again she says it is her husband. The Wali is put into the second compartment. When she opens the door it is the Wazir, they play a little bit with each other and he is given the third gown. Then there is another knock on the door. She puts the Wazir in the third compartment and opens the door. The King has arrived and after some talk desires her. His rich robes are exchanged for the fourth gown. But another knocking is at the door. She again says it is her husband and locks the King up in the fourth compartment. The carpenter enters the house. She tells him the top compartment is too small. The carpenter disagrees and to prove himself, he goes into the fifth compartment, upon which she closes it. Then the lady goes to the treasurer with the letter that the Wali wrote to release her lover. Then, they both leave the city.

Meanwhile, the five men in the cabinet stayed for three days without food and drink. They cannot hold their water so they urinate over each other. When they complain they know who the others are in the cabinet, except for the King, because he remains silent. Then the neighbours break into the house to see what is going on in the house. When they see the cabinet with the voices coming out they fear there is a Jinni inside it and want to set the thing on fire. But the Kazi screams not to. They were released and shown in the attires the lady prepared for them.