Criticisms of Abu't-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi’s Poetry (The Example of Abu'l-Hasan al-Jurjānī)

Nevin Karabela; Adnan Öztürk

Article Details

Criticisms of Abu't-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi’s Poetry (The Example of Abu'l-Hasan al-Jurjānī)

Authors:

Nevin Karabela | Adnan Öztürk

Publisher:

Süleyman Demirel University

Main Topics:

Arap Dili ve Belagatı

Journal:

Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Issue 52, pp.72-97

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001320816

pISSN:

2602-2346

Keywords:

Abstract:

 The life of a poet is important in terms of contributing to the recognition of his poetry, poetic themes and poetic language. For this reason, the article on the criticism of Abu al-Ṭayyib al-Muṭanabīs poetry begins with a brief biography of Abu al-Ṭayyib al-Muṭanabī, the most well-known and controversial poet of the Abbasid period. al-Muṭanabīs travels, his connections with emirs and rulers, which were prominent in his life story and influenced the development of his poetry, were mentioned. By reflecting his extreme self-confidence in his poetry, he reveals that he is an ambitious poet and clearly emphasizes in his own language that he has a high-level literary approach to poetry. al-Muṭanabī, who managed to make a name for himself in every era due to his poetic talents, considered himself worthy of high positions throughout his life and strived to achieve them. His high expectations often resulted in disappointments. All this has increased the criticism and evaluations directed at him by critics and writers with different points of view. These criticisms are mostly about his poetry, poetic language, poetic themes, whether his poetry is original or not, and so on. However, some critics have been quite unfair, biased and prejudiced by personalizing beyond the limits of criticism, exaggerating the points they find flawed, and sometimes using insulting expressions. The general framework of the article is based on the criticisms of al-Muṭanabīs poetry and poetic language that started in the classical period and continued for a long time. In this context, the views of well-known critics and writers who criticized al-Muṭanabī over a period of about two and a half centuries from the end of the fourth century Hijri are briefly mentioned. The focus of the article is on the criticisms and evaluations of Abul-Hasan Alī b. Abd al-Abd al-Abd al-Aziz al-Jurjānī, who stands out with his objective and scientific views among those who criticized al-Muṭanabīs poetry and poetic language. Before moving on to al-Jurjānīs criticisms of al-Muṭanabbi, the characteristics of al-Muṭanabbis poetic language are mentioned. Then, the authors and critics who criticized or evaluated him are classified according to their views. Some of these views are completely negative towards al-Mutanabbi, some are neutral, and some are completely positive. Some of those who have expressed an opinion on al-Muṭanabī have written books dedicated to him, while others have mentioned him in a specific section of their works. In this context, the views of al-Sāhib b. Abbād, Abu Ali Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. al-Muzaffar al-Hātimī, Ibn Wajī al-Tinnīsī, Abu Sad al-Amīdī, Ibn Jinnī, Abū Mansūr al-Seālibī, Ibn al-Asīr, Ibn Rashīq al-Qayravānī, and Abul-Ḥasan al-Jurjānī stand out among those who evaluated and criticized al-Muṭanabbi. Some of the figures who criticized al-Muṭanabī were his contemporaries, while others lived in later periods. We will discuss the views of Abul-Hasan al-Jurjānī, who tried to find the middle way among al-Muṭanabīs critics with his impartial attitude, his cautious approach to plagiarism in poetry, and his moderate perspective in his work entitled al-Wasāta bayna al-Muṭanabī wa Husūmih. We will only briefly touch upon the views of other critics.

 The life of a poet is important in terms of contributing to the recognition of his poetry, poetic themes and poetic language. For this reason, the article on the criticism of Abu al-Ṭayyib al-Muṭanabīs poetry begins with a brief biography of Abu al-Ṭayyib al-Muṭanabī, the most well-known and controversial poet of the Abbasid period. al-Muṭanabīs travels, his connections with emirs and rulers, which were prominent in his life story and influenced the development of his poetry, were mentioned. By reflecting his extreme self-confidence in his poetry, he reveals that he is an ambitious poet and clearly emphasizes in his own language that he has a high-level literary approach to poetry. al-Muṭanabī, who managed to make a name for himself in every era due to his poetic talents, considered himself worthy of high positions throughout his life and strived to achieve them. His high expectations often resulted in disappointments. All this has increased the criticism and evaluations directed at him by critics and writers with different points of view. These criticisms are mostly about his poetry, poetic language, poetic themes, whether his poetry is original or not, and so on. However, some critics have been quite unfair, biased and prejudiced by personalizing beyond the limits of criticism, exaggerating the points they find flawed, and sometimes using insulting expressions. The general framework of the article is based on the criticisms of al-Muṭanabīs poetry and poetic language that started in the classical period and continued for a long time. In this context, the views of well-known critics and writers who criticized al-Muṭanabī over a period of about two and a half centuries from the end of the fourth century Hijri are briefly mentioned. The focus of the article is on the criticisms and evaluations of Abul-Hasan Alī b. Abd al-Abd al-Abd al-Aziz al-Jurjānī, who stands out with his objective and scientific views among those who criticized al-Muṭanabīs poetry and poetic language. Before moving on to al-Jurjānīs criticisms of al-Muṭanabbi, the characteristics of al-Muṭanabbis poetic language are mentioned. Then, the authors and critics who criticized or evaluated him are classified according to their views. Some of these views are completely negative towards al-Mutanabbi, some are neutral, and some are completely positive. Some of those who have expressed an opinion on al-Muṭanabī have written books dedicated to him, while others have mentioned him in a specific section of their works. In this context, the views of al-Sāhib b. Abbād, Abu Ali Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. al-Muzaffar al-Hātimī, Ibn Wajī al-Tinnīsī, Abu Sad al-Amīdī, Ibn Jinnī, Abū Mansūr al-Seālibī, Ibn al-Asīr, Ibn Rashīq al-Qayravānī, and Abul-Ḥasan al-Jurjānī stand out among those who evaluated and criticized al-Muṭanabbi. Some of the figures who criticized al-Muṭanabī were his contemporaries, while others lived in later periods. We will discuss the views of Abul-Hasan al-Jurjānī, who tried to find the middle way among al-Muṭanabīs critics with his impartial attitude, his cautious approach to plagiarism in poetry, and his moderate perspective in his work entitled al-Wasāta bayna al-Muṭanabī wa Husūmih. We will only briefly touch upon the views of other critics.

 The life of a poet is important in terms of contributing to the recognition of his poetry, poetic themes and poetic language. For this reason, the article on the criticism of Abu al-Ṭayyib al-Muṭanabīs poetry begins with a brief biography of Abu al-Ṭayyib al-Muṭanabī, the most well-known and controversial poet of the Abbasid period. al-Muṭanabīs travels, his connections with emirs and rulers, which were prominent in his life story and influenced the development of his poetry, were mentioned. By reflecting his extreme self-confidence in his poetry, he reveals that he is an ambitious poet and clearly emphasizes in his own language that he has a high-level literary approach to poetry. al-Muṭanabī, who managed to make a name for himself in every era due to his poetic talents, considered himself worthy of high positions throughout his life and strived to achieve them. His high expectations often resulted in disappointments. All this has increased the criticism and evaluations directed at him by critics and writers with different points of view. These criticisms are mostly about his poetry, poetic language, poetic themes, whether his poetry is original or not, and so on. However, some critics have been quite unfair, biased and prejudiced by personalizing beyond the limits of criticism, exaggerating the points they find flawed, and sometimes using insulting expressions. The general framework of the article is based on the criticisms of al-Muṭanabīs poetry and poetic language that started in the classical period and continued for a long time. In this context, the views of well-known critics and writers who criticized al-Muṭanabī over a period of about two and a half centuries from the end of the fourth century Hijri are briefly mentioned. The focus of the article is on the criticisms and evaluations of Abul-Hasan Alī b. Abd al-Abd al-Abd al-Aziz al-Jurjānī, who stands out with his objective and scientific views among those who criticized al-Muṭanabīs poetry and poetic language. Before moving on to al-Jurjānīs criticisms of al-Muṭanabbi, the characteristics of al-Muṭanabbis poetic language are mentioned. Then, the authors and critics who criticized or evaluated him are classified according to their views. Some of these views are completely negative towards al-Mutanabbi, some are neutral, and some are completely positive. Some of those who have expressed an opinion on al-Muṭanabī have written books dedicated to him, while others have mentioned him in a specific section of their works. In this context, the views of al-Sāhib b. Abbād, Abu Ali Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. al-Muzaffar al-Hātimī, Ibn Wajī al-Tinnīsī, Abu Sad al-Amīdī, Ibn Jinnī, Abū Mansūr al-Seālibī, Ibn al-Asīr, Ibn Rashīq al-Qayravānī, and Abul-Ḥasan al-Jurjānī stand out among those who evaluated and criticized al-Muṭanabbi. Some of the figures who criticized al-Muṭanabī were his contemporaries, while others lived in later periods. We will discuss the views of Abul-Hasan al-Jurjānī, who tried to find the middle way among al-Muṭanabīs critics with his impartial attitude, his cautious approach to plagiarism in poetry, and his moderate perspective in his work entitled al-Wasāta bayna al-Muṭanabī wa Husūmih. We will only briefly touch upon the views of other critics.

 Bir şairin hayatı, onun şiiri, şiir temaları ve şiir dilinin tanınmasına katkı sağlaması bakımından önemlidir. Bu sebeple Ebut-Tayyib el-Mütenebbînin şiirine yöneltilen eleştirileri ele alan makaleye Abbasi döneminin hem çok tanınan hem de çok tartışmaya ve edebi çatışmaya yol açan şairi Ebut-Tayyib el-Mütenebbînin biyografisine kısaca yer verilerek başlanmıştır. Mütenebbînin hayat hikayesinde öne çıkan ve şiirinin gelişmesine etki eden seyahatlerinden, emirler ve yöneticilerle olan bağlantılarından söz edilmiştir. O, kendine olan aşırı özgüvenini şiirlerine yansıtarak iddialı bir şair olduğunu dile getirmekte ve şiirde üst düzey bir edebi yaklaşıma sahip olduğunu vurgulamaktadır. Şiirsel yetenekleri sebebiyle her devirde kendinden söz ettirmeyi başaran Mütenebbî hayatı boyunca kendini yüksek makamlara layık görmüş ve bunlara ulaşmak için çaba sarf etmiştir. Onun bu yüksek beklentileri çoğu zaman hayal kırıklığıyla sonuçlanmıştır. Bütün bunlar farklı bakış açılarına sahip eleştirmenler ve yazarlar tarafından ona yöneltilen tenkitleri ve değerlendirmeleri çoğaltmıştır. Bu eleştiriler çoğunlukla onun şiiri, şiir dili, şiirsel temaları, şiirinin özgün olup olmadığı vb. konularla ilgilidir. Ancak bazı eleştirmenler tenkit sınırlarını aşan kişiselleştirmeler yaparak, sadece kusurlu buldukları hususları abartılı bir biçimde ele alarak, bazen de hakarete varan ifadeler kullanarak oldukça insafsız, taraflı ve önyargılı davranmışlardır. Makalenin genel çerçevesini klasik dönemde Mütenebbînin şiirine ve şiir diline yöneltilen eleştiriler oluşturmaktadır. Bu bağlamda hicri dördüncü yüzyılın sonlarından itibaren yaklaşık iki buçuk asırlık süreçte Mütenebbîye eleştiri yönelten tanınmış eleştirmenler ve yazarların görüşlerinden kısaca bahsedilmiştir. Makalenin odak noktasında ise Mütenebbînin şiirine ve şiir diline eleştiri yöneltenler arasında objektif ve bilimsel sayılabilecek görüşleriyle öne çıkan Ebül-Hasan Alî b. Abdilazîz el-Kâdî el-Cürcânînin el-Vesâta beynel-Mütenebbî ve Husûmih adlı eserindeki eleştirileri ve değerlendirmeleri oluşturmaktadır. el-Cürcânînin Mütenebbî hakkındaki tenkitlerine geçmeden önce Mütenebbînin şiir diline ait genel özelliklerden söz edilmiştir. Ardından onunla ilgili tenkit veya değerlendirme yapan yazarlar ve eleştirmenler görüşlerine göre tasnif edilmiştir. Söz konusu görüşlerin bazısı Mütenebbîye tamamen olumsuz yaklaşmakta, bir kısmı tarafsız tavır takınmakta ve diğer bazısı da tamamen olumlu yaklaşmaktadır. Mütenebbîyle ilgili görüş beyan edenlerin bir kısmı onunla ilgili müstakil kitaplar yazmış, diğer bir kısmı ise eserlerinin içinde belirli bir bölümde ondan ve şiirmden bahsetmiştir. Bu bağlamda Mütenebbîye değerlendirme ve tenkit yönelten birçok isim arasında es-Sâhib b. Abbâd, Ebû Ali Muhammed b. el-Hasan b. el-Muzaffer el-Hâtimî, İbn Vekî et-Tinnîsî, Ebû Sad el-Amîdî, Ebül-Feth Osmân İbn Cinnî, Ebû Mansûr es-Seâlibî, Ebül-Hasan İzzüddîn İbnül-Esîr, İbn Raşîk el-Kayravânî ve Ebul-Hasan el-Kâdî el-Cürcânînin görüşleri dikkat çekmektedir. Tenkit yönelten şahsiyetlerden bazısı Mütenebbînin çağdaşı olmakla birlikte diğer bir kısmı ondan sonraki dönemlerde yaşamıştır. Bu makalede Mütenebbîyi eleştirenler arasında tarafsız tavrı, şiirde intihal konusuna ihtiyatlı yaklaşımı ve ılımlı bakış açısıyla orta yolu bulmaya çalışan Ebul-Hasan el-Cürcânînin el-Vesâta adlı eserindeki görüşleri ele alınacaktır. Diğer eleştirmenlerin görüşlerine ise kısaca değinilecektir.

Article Details

Criticisms of Abu't-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi’s Poetry (The Example of Abu'l-Hasan al-Jurjānī)

Authors:

Nevin Karabela | Adnan Öztürk

Publisher:

Süleyman Demirel University

Main Topics:

Arap Dili ve Belagatı

Journal:

Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Issue 52, pp.72-97

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001320816

pISSN:

2602-2346

al-Mutanabbi

Criticism

Poetry

Plagiarism

Abu

al-Wasāta bayna al-Mutanabbi wa HusūmihMütenebbî

Eleştiri

Şiir

İntihal

Ebu’l-Hasan el-Cürcânî

el-Vesâta beyne’l-Mütenebbî ve Husûmih

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Nevin Karabela | Adnan Öztürk

Publisher: Süleyman Demirel University

Main Topics: Arap Dili ve Belagatı

Journal: Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Issue 52, pp.72-97

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2024

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001320816

pISSN: 2602-2346

Issues

Authors:

Nevin Karabela | Adnan Öztürk

Publisher:

Süleyman Demirel University

Main Topics:

Arap Dili ve Belagatı

Journal:

Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Issue 52, pp.72-97

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001320816

pISSN:

2602-2346