The emergence of new forms of poetry in the Umayyad period

The emergence of new forms of poetry in the Umayyad period

Why did love poetry come to be?

There was a shift in the way of life of the Arabs during this time, moving from a nomadic lifestyle to more of an urban life.

And so there was more of an indulgence in things such as music and dancing. Poetry was adapted to become more musical and simpler

All these factors in turn, led to love poetry becoming popular

Introduction

Love poetry

• The Umayyad period, lasting from 661-750, was established by Muawiyyah bin Abi Sufyan
• It is the period in Islamic history immediately after the Early Islamic period

The ghazal was originally only the love prelude in the pre-Islamic qasidah, but became a full blown genre of poetry in this period

There came to exist two schools of ghazal poetry, the Hijazi school and the Udhri school

Hijazi

What was poetry like in early Islam?

Udhri

• This school of ghazal poetry was a school of realistic and sophisticated love poetry.
• The Hijazi poetry had nothing to do with serious love; it was all about having fun with many women.
• Music and partying often accompanied the Hijazi poems,

Despite a small decline in the early years of the Prophet's mission, poetry during this period had a status similar to that of pre-Islam, which was being a reflection of those times.

• Compared to the Hijazi school, the Udhri school was the idealized and pure school of love poetry.
• This school was more into serious love with only one person than having fun with many women.

Political poetry

Also reflecting the changing times, there came to be political poetry. The Umayyad period was a period with a lot of politics involved. There were several poets supporting various parties that had sprung up, such as the Kharijites and Zubayrids.

The three main political poets are Al-Akhtal, Jarir and Al-Farazdaq. Apart from the importance of their political poetry, there was also a phenomenon that took place which is as important. Naqa'id, or the exchange of political invectives, used to happen between the aforementioned three, ranging from attacks on their tribal enemies to personal attacks.

Done by:

Sharjeel Shahab 54584

Areeb Alvi 55577

Karan Mohan 49296

Poetry in the Umayyad period

The Umayyad period was the starting point for many new forms of poetry, among them being:

• Ghazal/love poetry
• Political poetry
• Oratory and pious poetry

Why political poetry came to be

Muawiyyah's overthrowing of the Caliph Ali, set the stage for the increased politics of the region. As a result of that, many new political parties came up, each supporting a different side. Poets had the opportunity to align themselves with any party, to great personal benefit.

This provided a platform for political poetry to thrive

Image by Tom Mooring