According to Fuat Sezgin, the Transition and Originality of Old Arabic Poetry
Musa AlakIn the history of Arabic literature, poets are divided into four groups: “Cahiliyyun”, “Muhadramun”, “Mutaqaddimun/ Islamiyyun”, “Muwalladun/Muhdasun”. Poems of the first two groups are considered as evidence in all “language sciences”, unanimously, and “religious sciences”, which are based on linguistics in many aspects. Due to the abovementioned position, since the second half of the nineteenth century, a number of suspicions have been sought by some orientalists and their followers in the Islamic world. They made various claims about the authenticity of the old Arabic poetry, as well as the reliability of the Qur’an and the hadiths. Shortly after, it was revealed by the experts in the Islamic world and some orientalists that the allegations were unfounded. And a relevant literature has been produced. Fuat Sezgin discussed the subject in Chapter 1 of Volume 2 of his book Tārīh al-Turāth al-Arabī (German original: Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums [GAS]). In the second Chapter, he introduced 282 poets who lived in the period up to 50/670, and divided them into various groups and determined the literature about his poems. In this study, first of all, with the view of Fuat Sezgin, the claims will be identified, and their answers will be given. Then, a small chronological list of relevant literature will be presented.
Fuat Sezgin’e Göre Eski Arap Şiirinin Intikali ve Orijinalliği
Musa AlakArap edebiyatı tarihinde şâirler, “Câhiliyyûn”, “Muhadramûn”, “Mütekaddimûn/İslâmiyyûn” ve “Müvelledûn/Muhdesûn” olmak üzere dört tabakaya ayrılır. Bunlardan ilk iki tabakanın şiirleri, ittifakla bütün “dil ilimleri”nde -ve dolayısıyla pek çok hususta dil ilimlerine dayanan “din ilimleri”nde- şâhid/delil olarak kabul edilir. Bu “temel” mesabesindeki konumundan dolayı olsa gerek, 19. Yüzyılın ikinci yarısından itibaren bazı müsteşrikler ve onların İslâm dünyasındaki takipçileri tarafından, Kur’ân-ı Kerîm ve hadîs-i şeriflerin güvenilirliği konusunda olduğu gibi, eski Arap şiirinin (özellikle ilk iki tabakanın şiirlerinin) intikali ve orijinalliği konusunda da çeşitli iddialar ileri sürülerek birtakım şüpheler oluşturulmaya çalışılmıştır. Üzerinden çok zaman geçmeden konunun İslâm dünyasındaki uzmanları ve bazı müsteşrikler tarafından bu iddialar ele alınarak mesnedsizliği ortaya konmuş ve konuyla ilgili bir literatür meydana getirilmiştir. Fuat Sezgin de Târîhu’t-türâsi’l-Arabî (Almanca aslı: Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums [GAS]) adlı eserinin şiire ayırdığı 2. cildinin 1. cüz’ündeki giriş bölümlerinde konuyu ele almış; 2. cüz’ünde ise 50/670 yılına kadarki dönemde yaşamış olan 282 şâiri çeşitli gruplara ayırarak tanıtmış ve şiirleriyle ilgili literatürü tespit etmiştir. Bu çalışmada önce, Fuat Sezgin’in bakışıyla, iddialar tespit edilerek cevapları verilecek; ardından konuyla ilgili literatürün küçük bir kronolojik listesi sunulmaya çalışılacaktır.
In the history of Arabic literature, poets are divided into four categories: 1- Câhiliyyûn: Poets who lived before Islam, such as Imruulkays (d. around 540) and A‘shâ (d. 7/629?). 2- Muhadramûn: Poets who lived in both the pre-Islamic and Islamic period, such as Lebîd (d. 40/660 or 41/661) and Hassân b. Sâbit (d. 60/680?). 3- Mutekaddimûn/ Islâmiyyûn: Poets who lived in the first period of Islam, such as Ferezdak (d. 114/732?) and Carîr (d. 114/732?). 4- Muvelledûn/Muhdesûn: Poets who lived in the period between the previous era and present, such as Bashshâr b. Burd (d. 167/784) and Ebû Nuvâs (d. 198/813?). Of these, the poems of the first two categories are accepted as witness/evidence in all “linguistic sciences” and consequently in the “religious sciences,” which, in many cases, are based upon the linguistic sciences.
Perhaps due to its position as the “foundation,” following the second half of the 19th century, suspicion was tried to be created by making certain claims about the reliability of the Quran and the Hadith, as well as the transmission and the originality of ancient Arabic poetry (especially the poems from the first two eras) by some Orientalists and their followers among the Islamic world. Shortly after, the subject of this claim was handled by the experts in the Islamic world and Orientalists, and revealed to be baseless, and literature was created on the subject.
Fuat Sezgin, in the third introduction of the second volume, first part of his Târîhu’tturâsi’l-Arabî (Original in German: Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums [GAS]) has discussed the subjects of the transmission and the originality of the ancient Arabic poetry, as a response to the negative claims put forth, after summarizing the various positive and negative views put forth on the subject between the years of 1864-1956, summarized mostly in chronological order, under the title “Transmission and originality of Jahiliyyah and Sadru’l-Islâm poetry.” 4. In the introduction, he analyzed the “Research sources of Jahiliyya and Sadru’l-Islam poetry” by separating the sources into six groups: a) Shâir Dîvân’s, b) Qabîla dîvân’s, c) Poetry books, d) Literature books, e) Bayit and Qıt’a journals and f) Tabakāt books. In the second part of this volume, he introduced 282 poets, who lived in the period up to the year of 50/670, by dividing them into various groups and identified the literature discussing their work.
The negative ones among the “views concerning the transmission and the originality of ancient Arabic poetry” that Fuat Sezgin alludes to in his introduction, while containing some minor differences, are essentially based upon the presupposition that “ancient Arabic poetry had, until the 2nd(8th) century, been transmitted only orally, not being put into writing”, and has been stated in this simple comparison:
First Hypothesis: Ancient Arabic poetry was only transmitted orally.
Second Hypothesis: Information transmitted only orally cannot be trusted.
Conclusion: Ancient Arabic poetry is unreliable.
For such a claim/conclusion to be valid, of course, his hypotheses must be true. Therefore, Fuat Sezgin responded to the first hypothesis by separating the “transmission of ancient Arabic poetry” into certain categories, displaying the fact that “ancient Arabic poetry was not only transmitted orally but on the contrary, writing was increasingly used even in the Jahiliyyah period;” and stated the conclusions he reached on the subject of “the originality of ancient Arabic poetry,” thus completing the third introduction.
In this study, first of all, the views put forward about “the transmission and originality of ancient Arabic poetry” between 1864-1956 will be summarized in chronological order, in Fuat Sezgin’s point of view; and then, the subject of “transmission and originality of ancient Arabic poetry,” which Fuat Sezgin discussed as a response to negative claims put forth, will be conveyed as systematically as possible.
In the second part of the study, a small “chronological reading list” was prepared to help those who want to do their research on the subject of “transmission and originality of ancient Arabic poetry.” The studies which Fuat Sezgin himself used were primarily added to the list. In addition, the literature before and after Fuat Sezgin, which can be accessed through other studies on the subject, was also added to the list.
