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Hass Ān Ibn Thābit, a True Mukhad

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Hass Ān Ibn Thābit, a True Mukhad HASS ĀN IBN TH ĀBIT, A TRUE MUKHADRAM : A STUDY OF THE GHASS ĀNID ODES OF H ASS ĀN IBN TH ĀBIT A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Arabic By Jennifer Hill Boutz, M.A. Washington, DC July 2009 Copyright 2009 by Jennifer Hill Boutz All Rights Reserved ii HASS ĀN IBN TH ĀBIT, A TRUE MUKHADRAM : A STUDY OF THE GHASS ĀNID ODES OF H ASS ĀN IBN TH ĀBIT Jennifer Hill Boutz Thesis Advisor: Irfan Shahîd, Ph.D. ABSTRACT The seventh-century Madinan poet H ass ān ibn Th ābit is best known for his role as poet laureate of the Prophet Muh ammad. His poetry composed in defense of Muh ammad and the nascent religion of Islam has been widely studied, and it is in this context that Hass ān appears in Arabic literary history. This dissertation argues that in addition to his role as an exemplar of poetry in the service of Islam, H ass ān can be viewed as a true mukhad ram . The mukhad ram ūn (singular: mukhad ram ) were a class of poets whose lives spanned both the pre-Islamic and the Islamic periods. To appreciate H ass ān’s identity as a transitional figure, the poet’s pre-Islamic compositions must be examined in greater depth. Prior to the rise of Islam, H ass ān served as the primary court poet to the Ghass ānids, a sedentary, Christian kingdom located in modern-day Syria and Jordan. This study analyzes H ass ān’s twenty-six Ghass ānid poems and fragments. Although many of the selected poems date from the pre-Islamic period, several were composed near the end of H ass ān’s life when he nostalgically recalled his youth in the company of the Ghass ānids. The method of analysis utilized in this dissertation relies on close reading and in-depth textual analysis of selected verses and poems. This study reveals H ass ān to be a pioneer in the urbanization of Arabic poetry and a precursor to the poets of the later ‘Abb āsid caliphate who replaced the desert imagery and motifs prevalent in pre-Islamic poetry with themes more appropriate to their urban iii environments. Hass ān’s compositions demonstrate not only a familiarity with the urban landscape of the Ghass ānids but also a clear disdain for the pastoral lifestyle of the Arab nomads. Hass ān’s urbanism is one illustration of his status as a mukhad ram . This study also examines the wine lyric in Hass ān’s Ghass ānid poetry. The poet’s verses in praise of wine date from both the pre-Islamic and the Islamic periods and are further evidence of Hass ān’s embodiment of the mukhad ram predicament. iv Acknowledgements Special thanks to my mentor Irfan Shahîd whose encyclopedic knowledge of Arabic poetry and groundbreaking research on the Ghass ānids and pre-Islamic Arabia inspired this study and guided its progress. I am indebted to the critical eye and excellent advice of Barbara Stowasser and the warm support, encouragement, and literary expertise of Amin Bonnah. Many thanks to my colleagues and friends at Georgetown University who provided suggestions, edited drafts, and motivated me throughout the writing process, particularly Katrien Vanpee, Nancy Farley, and the staff of the department of Arabic and Islamic Studies. I am immensely grateful to have had constant encouragement of my family. I especially thank my husband Gary for his steadfast support. v Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix General Notes...................................................................................................................... x Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 The Mukhad ram ūn...................................................................................................... 1 Hassan and the Ghass ānids ......................................................................................... 7 Methodology............................................................................................................. 15 Part I: Poetic Context ..................................................................................................... 20 Introduction to Part I..................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 1: H ass ān, the Poet: The Life of H ass ān ibn Th ābit.................................... 22 1.1 H ass ān in the Jāhil ī Period ............................................................................. 22 1.2 Classical Accounts on H ass ān’s Personality................................................... 26 1.3 H ass ān in the Islamic Period........................................................................... 30 1.4 H ass ān After the Death of the Prophet ........................................................... 40 Chapter 2: H ass ān’s Literary and Intellectual Milieu: The Ghass ānids ................... 45 2.1 The Near East on the Eve of Islam ................................................................. 45 2.2 Ghass ānid History and Relationship to the Byzantine Empire....................... 49 2.3 The Ghass ānids and Christianity .................................................................... 51 2.4 Sources on the Ghass ānids and the Myth of Nomadism................................. 54 2.5 The Ghass ānids as a Sedentary Dynasty......................................................... 56 Chapter 3: Review of the Literature on H ass ān........................................................ 61 3.1 Sources on Jāhil ī History and Literature ........................................................ 62 3.2 Classical Sources on H ass ān........................................................................... 67 3.3 Modern Arabic Sources on H ass ān................................................................. 70 3.4 Modern Western Sources on H ass ān .............................................................. 74 Chapter 4: H ass ān, the Poetry................................................................................... 76 4.1 History of the Dīwān....................................................................................... 76 4.2 Authenticity..................................................................................................... 78 4.3 Divisions within the Poetry............................................................................. 87 vi Part II: Poetry Analysis, The Impact of Ghass ānid Life on H ass ān’s Poetry ........... 99 Introduction to Part II.................................................................................................... 99 Chapter 1: H ass ān’s Preference for Urban over Pastoral Life................................ 100 1.1 Quality of Life: “H ij āz is the Nursling of Hunger and Misery” ................... 101 1.2 Terrain........................................................................................................... 105 1.3 Praise of the Sedentary Lifestyle .................................................................. 108 1.4 Poem 90 ........................................................................................................ 111 1.5 Prose Accounts.............................................................................................. 115 Chapter 2: Urban Terminology in H ass ān’s Ghass ānid Poetry .............................. 117 2.1 Location and Lexicon in Jāhil ī Poetry.......................................................... 117 2.2 Castles and Fortified Structures.................................................................... 118 2.3 Religious Buildings....................................................................................... 125 2.4 Structures Associated with Burial................................................................. 135 2.5 Other Lofty or Monumental Structures......................................................... 137 Chapter 3: Hass ān and the Nas īb ............................................................................ 144 3.1 The Traditional Nas īb ................................................................................... 145 3.2 H ass ān and the At l āl...................................................................................... 147 3.3 H ass ān and Ab ū Nuw ās ................................................................................ 149 3.4 Nas īb as Elegy............................................................................................... 153 3.5 H ass ān as a Traditionalist ............................................................................. 157 3.6 Place Names in H ass ān’s Nas īb.................................................................... 159 Chapter 4: The Wine Lyric as an Element of Urbanism......................................... 162 4.1 H ass ān as a Wine Poet of the Jāhil īya .......................................................... 162 4.2 Praise of Wine............................................................................................... 164 4.3 Effects of Wine ............................................................................................. 169 4.4 Descriptions of Drinking Gatherings............................................................ 173 4.5 Wine as a Symbol of Sophistication............................................................. 177 Conclusion to Part II ..............................................................................................
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