The Role of Ibn 'Abd Rabbih in Literally Culture - Paper Example

Introduction

Ibn 'Abd Rabbih (Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Rabbih) was born in Cordova Spain in the year 860 to 940 (Salahi, 2001). He descended from Hisham his family members and were clients of the Umayyads. He was a Moorish poet and writer commonly known for his book Al- 'Iqd-Farid (The Unique Necklace) (Rabbih, 2006). Ibn 'Abd Rabbih was highly regarded for his learning and eloquence, which he gathered from the extensive education of Islamic studies of Fiqh, Hadith and Qur'anic commentary, linguistics, poetry, history, and literature. He also had a deep interest in music, and because of his adverse knowledge as a poet and a prose writer, he was regarded as the ultimate authority in literature and a leading poet throughout the Maghrib (Salahi, 2001).

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Ibn 'Abd Rabbih's vast knowledge in religious education enabled him to distinguish what was permissible in the society and what was not. He was also privileged to be in the entourage of Prince Abdaullah and Abdurrahman An-Nassir where he wrote superb poems praising their characters and qualities of the princes (Salahi, 2001). His experience both in the entourage and working in the courts enabled him to write fine prose about leadership and how rulers should treat the ruled. This is what inspired him to write the chapter of The Book of the Pearl on the Ruler as his first chapter in his book. His widely known work is Al- 'Iqd-Farid (The Unique Necklace) and it is divided into 25 sections, or as he describes it, a necklace made of 25 fine jewels, 12 pairs and a larger middle one as section 13 (Rabbih, 2006). In the context of behavior, the book is considered to be an adab (a prescribed code of etiquette, acceptable morals, and good manners) with each jewel full of proverbs, poetry, anecdotes, and fine prose.

Since Ibn Abd Rabbih did not travel to the Eastern parts like most scholars did to read, his book received a lot of criticism. Some critics also argued that his book lacked creativity as it was a selection of previous works of poetry and prose. The wonderful mosque of Cordoba inspired Muslim poets such as Ibn 'Abd Rabbih to compose entertaining poetry and prose full of the cultural life of the Moorish Spain and Maghrib (Salahi, 2001). His book presents the cultural, political and social aspects of Andalus society. Ibn 'Abd Rabbih died at the age of 81 years.

Contribution to Prose and Poetry

In the pre-Islamic days, poetry and fine prose were passed by word because of the high rates of illiteracy. According to Landau, as the Muslim state developed, poetry and fine prose thrived, and this led to the compilation of different source materials in the form of literary anthologies. These literary anthologies were based on religious grounds aimed to refine character and rectify bad behaviors. These works were based on religious texts from the Qur'an. Qur'an was neither considered to be poetry nor prose but inimitable (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). It, however, used features of saj also known as the rhyming prose that used forms of poetic expressions.

The concept of adab led to the rise of modern prose literature through the compilation of famous collections of earlier predecessors in a single unit that focused on the literary genres of poetry and fine prose (Civilization, 2018). In the book Al- 'Iqd-Farid (The Unique Necklace), Ibn 'Abd Rabbih extensively used religious texts from Qur'an, and it is one of the earlier selections of adab work (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). He relied on pre-existing oral and written works of his earlier predecessors in composing his book Al- 'Iqd-Farid (The Unique Necklace). This led to much criticism from critics claiming that anthologies always lack originality because the voice, creativity, and personality of the authors are not felt (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). Ibn 'Abd Rabbih disregarded such claims by authoritatively asserting that the novelty of the work should be based on his authorial decisions, his selection for materials to write about and the style of writing he adopts to reach his audience. In fact, writing excellence was measured by how precise and accurately the scholars copied the statements of earlier predecessors. He further stated that it was difficult selecting a speech of earlier works than actually composing one, and he is only following the precedents set by wise men.

Al- 'Iqd-Farid (The Unique Necklace) as an adab work, presents the Arab culture (Civilization, 2018). Since he was an Andalusi jurist and panegyrist, his audience seems to be the people in power, the rulers. For instance, in the Book of the Pearl, he speaks about a leader's duty to be just to his subjects, and how the subjects ought to obey him. The diverse sources such as the extracts from Qur'an, the cultures of Arabia and other nations, the letters of earlier Muslims and Caliphs give the book multiple narrative voices (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). Ibn 'Abd Rabbih's skills to write the different texts in a single narrative unit to meet the demands of his audience who were the people in power, and to pass his well crafted message shows how skilled his authorial hand is, and his creativity.

The Umayyads rulers and the society of Andalusi were guided by the religious texts and the rule of law, and thus, such works of composing and writing works that embedded religion was given to men such as Ibn 'Abd Rabbih (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). His extensive knowledge in the religious fields, poetry, and fine prose made him a perfect fit for that job. He thus contributed to the formation of specific cultural and social behaviors that established the code of conduct among the rulers and their subjects. In his writing, he reflects that the direct quotations from the Qur'an greatly influenced how he wrote and what he wrote. The texts from the Qur'an not only gave the book a suitable source of authority for religious beliefs and expected standards of morality, but it was an attempt to prove that Andalusi society was also an Islamic society (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). Apart from the treaties and speeches, little prose literature was written, and Ibn 'Abd Rabbih gave rise to fine prose through his exquisite style of writing by using texts from Qur'an and merging them with the earlier works of his predecessors. Most of the rising prose literature was associated with religious compositions, and so there was a need to use direct quotes from religious books such as the Qur'an.

In his book, through poetry and prose, Ibn Abd Rabbih tries to impose a religious culture on the Andalusi society. Through the quotations of the Qur'an, he identifies a hierarchy of knowledge putting the texts of the Qur'an above the worldly knowledge, making religious traditions as a suitable authority for religious sources, and the highest source of morality (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). There is also a distinct divine voice that is ranked above the narrative, human voice.

Ibn 'Abd Rabbih also stresses the need to practice taqlid (imitation) through hadiths which imitate the teachings of earlier predecessors (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). The motivation to write in hadith was to preserve the Islamic knowledge. According to Landau, hadiths were also important in the pronouncements of the law books because it was essential to quote what Prophet Muhammad said or did. Hadiths were the second primary source of both legal and behavioral code of ethics after the Qur'an. The need to compose such books to include the traditions required of them by Prophet Muhammad led to the rise of fine prose as a style used for writing these texts (Al-Sha'ar, 2017). In compiling Al- 'Iqd-Farid (The Unique Necklace), he had the opportunity to show case his vast knowledge of the Qur'an and religious traditions giving him a voice and a moral standing to influence those in power and the general audience. He was promoted to coveted seats making him have a say and help in the construction of the political, social and religious paradigms of the society.

The Book of the Pearl on the Ruler

The Book of the Pearl on the Ruler is a chapter in the Al- 'Iqd-Farid (The Unique Necklace) (Toral-Niehoff). This book is a work of a selection of the earlier works of poetry and fine prose, and it is hard to tell the voice of the author. The author Ibn 'Abd Rabbih hardly speaks directly to the reader, which makes it hard to establish his intention and meaning. The author in the introduction of each chapter adopts the role of a compiler. However, this does not make the chapter lack creativity, but it rather summarizes the utterances of wise men and earlier works of poetry and prose (Toral-Niehoff). The contents and the message of the chapter are designed in an intellectual sense in structure and organization of the text, which includes the standard procedure deployed in the selection of the works summarized.

The chapter talks about the moral conduct expected from those in power over their subjects, the moral standing of the entourage and those in authority (Toral-Niehoff). It was considered one of the earliest mirrors of the princes in that the princes could rule over their subjects, but the scholars could rule over the princes (Forster et al., 2015). In the pre-modern Islamic culture, rulers surrounded themselves with scholars because they believed scholars were wise enough to give them directions on how to handle matters and rule over their people (Toral-Niehoff). The society was deemed to be a sapientalist society where knowledge was the key factor for social status and a prerequisite for leadership (Toral-Niehoff). Thus, The Book of the Pearl on the Ruler entails the universalism of adab in the form of poetry, and fine prose drew from different sources and scholars and put together in a single narrative.

The chapter entails two major factors that are religion and worldly matters (Toral-Niehoff). The ruler is responsible for bridging the gap between God and the people. The ruler regulates the relations between people by setting and formulating law and order and taking into consideration God's religion. There is a thin line between the functions of a ruler and that of the Qur'an in that a ruler is a tool that conveys God's rules on the people. Ibn 'Abd Rabbih tries to put the divine voice of God before the human voice to clearly distinguish the hierarchy (Toral-Niehoff). Throughout the chapter, he teaches about the morals of the leader in terms of sovereignty, justice, and servitude and his duties both to God and the people. He describes the leader as sultan, the one who is chosen by God to reign over his subjects.

Through direct quotations of the Qur'an, Ibn 'Abd Rabbih emphasizes on the ruler's duties over his subjects in implementing what is right and shunning what is wrong and the citizen's duty to obey such rules (Toral-Niehoff). The chapter reminds the audience that obeying their rulers is equivalent to obeying God and disobeying them is similar to disobeying God. Further citations from the hadiths support this notion as it associates obedience to authority with obedience to God. This chapter was relevant to the Andalusi society because of the adverse ethnic groups that were resistant to the authority and unwilling to give their allegiance because of the differences between the Umayyad emirs and the caliphs of Baghdad (Toral-Niehoff). Obedience was important for the unity of the community. Rulers were expected to serve their rather than engage in material pleasures.

Ibn 'Abd Rabbih concludes in the chapter by claiming that the political authority of the ruler is part of the divine order ordained by God. The moral responsibility to obey the ruler reflects the moral obligation to respect God's authority, although one is only accountable to God (Toral-Niehoff). The ruler is mandated to take care of the ruled like his own children, and in return, he is entitle...