An Overview of the Love and Marriage Life of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walīd II: A Love Poet
Murat Serdar, Sami Okan KöseThe feeling of love and the institution of marriage have a long history and are among the most fundamental elements of an individual’s private life. While the love and marriage lives of ordinary people are not necessarily a matter of curiosity, the private lives of historical figures have always attracted attention. One such figure was al-Walīd II, the eleventh caliph of the Umayyads (A.H. 125–126/M. 743–744). al-Walīd II was an individual who intensely experienced the feeling of love, as shown in his expressive and beautiful poems for every woman with whom he had a relationship. For example, al-Walīd II’s marriage to Sa’de (his first wife) was based on his father’s political and social gain. However, his marriage to Salmā (Sa’de’s sister) was the product of a rare type of love between a caliph and a woman. Meanwhile, his love for a concubine named Sufrā, his efforts to win her, and the poems he recited for this purpose are quite remarkable. Therefore, this study examines the love and marriage life of al-Walīd II in order to determine how these aspects indirectly affected his political and social life.
Bir Aşk Şairi Olan Emevî Halifesi II. Velîd’in Aşk ve Evlilik Hayatına Genel Bir Bakış
Murat Serdar, Sami Okan KöseAşk duygusu ve evlilik müessesi; bir hayli eski bir tarihe sahip olmakla beraber bireyin özel hayatını oluşturan en temel unsurlar arasında yer almaktadır. Tarihte herhangi bir iz bırakmamış olan kişilerin aşk ve evlilik gibi özel hayatları pek merak konusu olmaz iken, tarihe bir şekilde yön vermiş veya tarihte adından herhangi bir biçimde söz ettirmiş olan tarihi şahsiyetlerin özel hayatları her daim ilgi çekmiştir. Bu şahsiyetlerden birisi Emevîlerin on birinci halifesi olan II. Velîd’dir (H.125-126/M. 743-744). II. Velîd özellikle aşk duygusunu yoğun olarak yaşamış bir şahsiyettir. II. Velîd’in ilk eşi olan Sa‘de ile yaptığı evliliği babasının isteği ve bu isteğin arkasında yatan siyasi ve sosyal nedenlerden dolayı gerçekleşmiştir. Fakat Sa‘de’nin kız kardeşi olan Selmâ ile olan evliliği, bir halifenin bir kadına duyduğu eşi benzerine az rastlanan türden bir aşkın ürünüdür. Öte yandan Süfrâ ismindeki cariyeye olan aşkı, Süfrâ’yı elde etme çabası ve bu uğurda söylediği şiirler de bir hayli dikkat çekicidir. Bu çalışmada, birliktelik yaşadığı her kadın için etkileyici ve güzel şiirler okumakla ünlenen II. Velîd’in, aşk hayatı ve yaptığı evlilikler ele alınacaktır. Bu suretle II. Velîd’in hem aşk ve evlilik hayatının aydınlatılması hem de aşk ve evlilik hayatının dolaylı yönden siyasi ve sosyal hayatını ne şekilde etkilediğinin tespit edilmesi amaçlanmaktadır.
al-Walīd II was one of the most marginal heads of state or caliphs in the history of the Umayyads. In terms of his character, he attached great importance to women, drinking, music, singers, poetry, and entertainment for the majority of his life. In other words, he made them the focal points of his life. However, since more serious matters (e.g., religion and state affairs) were obstacles to his enjoyment, he simply did not bother with such issues. This attitude was closely related to his upbringing. For example, al-Walīd II was raised in a prosperous and luxurious environment, in which his mother, (Zaynab) Umm al-Hajjāj bint Muhammad, advised her husband, Yazīd b. ‘Abd al-Malik II, to basically spoil the child, creating the foundation for his reckless character devoid of seriousness. Although he eventually became the head of state, the pages of history mainly include narratives about his personal/private life, instead of his political/administrative actions.
Overall, there are two issues about al-Walīd II’s private life that are strikingly important: his love and marriage life. In this regard, al-Walīd II was not only in love with several women, but he also formally married them. In fact, al-Walīd II married three women who were not concubines, but free women. Their names, in order of their marriages, are: 1) Sa’de bnt. Sa’d b. Khalid b. Amr b. Sa’d ‘Uthman b. Affan; 2) tika bnt. ‘Uthman b. Muhammad b. ‘Uthman b. Muhammad b. Abū Sufyān b. Harb; and 3) Salmā bnt. Sa’id b. Khalid b. Amr b. Sa’id ‘Uthman b. Affan. Apart from these, there is mention of a Christian woman named Sufrā who entered the life of al-Walīd II and became passionately involved with him. However, there is no information regarding whether she married him.
The first notable aspect about al-Walīd II’s marriage to Sa’de is that he was relatively young at the time. This marriage was also based on his father’s need for social and political gain, and to preserve the unity of the Umayyad family. As for Sa’de’s lineage, it dated back to the saint (caliph) ‘Uthman, who was a member of the Umayyad clan. In this regard, many caliphs arranged such marriages based on similar reasons/purposes. However, al-Walīd II’s marriage to Sa’de ended because of his infidelity. Namely, after seeing Salmā (Sa’de’s sister) and immediately falling in love with her, he divorced Sa’de. Interestingly, although al-Walīd II asked Salmā’s father for her hand in marriage, he did not receive a favorable response. Then, in his attempt to remarry Sa’de, he expressed his sorrow and regret through poems, after which she informed him that she had already married someone else.
The woman whom Walīd II married after Sa’de was tika bnt. ‘Uthman b. Muhammad b. ‘Uthman b. Muhammad b. Abū Sufyān b. Harb. This marriage was neither a love-based nor a political marriage, but one to simply fill the emotional void caused by Sa’de and Salmā. Eventually, al-Walīd II’s first and most important wish after becoming a caliph was to marry Salmā. Having failed to do so while he was the heir apparent, al-Walīd II asked for Salmā’s hand again upon taking the caliphate throne, after which his request was granted. At this point, al-Walīd II’s love for Salmā was one that was unmatched. In a sense, he became blind to anything but Selmā, and recited beautiful poems to show that she was the most precious thing in his life. He even mentioned that he could have Salmā become a head of state, that she had a status similar to pilgrimage and kumrah for him, and that he saw her as a “moon.” Meanwhile, the poems he recited to her had increased his reputation as a poet. In sum, Salmā turned al-Walīd II into a man of love and a poet of love. Subsequently, Sufrā, whom al-Walīd II did not marry, but fell in love with at first sight, did not initially return al-Walīd II’s love. However, Sufrā fell in love with al-Walīd II after he recited beautiful poems for her. Moreover, he was willing to burn in hell for Sufrā and abandon prayer, which was unheard of at the time. Such actions indicate that al-Walīd II was simply created for feeling love and reciting poetry.
As a natural consequence of his personal characteristics, al-Walīd II preferred to live life according to extremes, especially in regard to love and marriage. Therefore, this study examines al-Walīd II’s love and marriage life, with specific focus on his poetic language in situations that were important to him. It also sheds light on the private life of al-Walīd II, indirectly enabling us to gain insights into the characteristics of the caliphs who sat on the throne toward the fall of the Umayyads. It also reveals how important it is in research on any historical figure to examine the basic elements of the individual’s private life.
