Factors and Reasons Behind Disappearance of Arab Women in Arabic Literature from the Classical Era to the Modern One
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ISSN 1923-1555[Print] Studies in Literature and Language ISSN 1923-1563[Online] Vol. 10, No. 6, 2015, pp. 1-6 www.cscanada.net DOI: 10.3968/7029 www.cscanada.org Factors and Reasons Behind Disappearance of Arab Women in Arabic Literature From the Classical Era to the Modern One Ali Mohammad Alshhre[a],* [a]Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Languages & Translation, King Khalid Alshhre, A. M. (2015). Factors and Reasons Behind Disappearance University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. of Arab Women in Arabic Literature From the Classical Era to the *Corresponding author. Modern One. Studies in Literature and Language, 10(6), 1-6. Available from: http://www.cscanada.net/index.php/sll/article/view/7029 Received 18 February 2015; accepted 12 May 2015 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/7029 Published online 26 June 2015 Abstract This article is about the reasons and the factors that INTRODUCTION mainly led to many terrible effects on Arab women Each nation has its own identity and culture; every diminution in Arabic literature, such as the tribal country consists of many cultural and literary elements conflicts, Umayyad caliphate and its battle against that, valuably and respectfully, form and depict its Abbasids caliphate after death of Muhammad, marrying civilization throughout history all over the world. women for pleasure and treating them as a sexual Literature can be canonic part to render cultures and tool, in the Arabian Peninsula beginning from the pre- civilizations; many lands have wonderful kinds of Islamic era to the modern era of Arabic literature. literature, which is composed of poetry, drama, and Furthermore, it also clarifies many women situations fiction, such as English literature, Persian literature, and during those eras and their participations in many Arabic literature. One of those large nations is Arabic different events in battles by healing the injured people, nation that has its huge legacy and glory which gave helping their husbands in order to stop Muhammad’s Arabic literature its peachy identity. Arabic literature teachings and his tradition regardless paying attention is affected by the geological features of the Arabian to pursue education and learn poetry due these chippy Peninsula, that “[were consisting] of two Arab peoples, reasons, resulting in many bad education and increasing the nomadic Bedouin tribes, who subsisted through a level of analphabetism quickly in addition to their wandering sheepherding and goatherding existence, and situations during the great engagement which happened the settled Hejazi caravans traveled across the Middle between Umayyad dynasty and Abassids dynasty. East” (T. Barnstone & W. Barnstone, 2003, p.227); and It also elucidates how technology and revolution of described its people there as information in the twentieth century, as well as after the second world war, led to many great results on Arab the nomads of Arabs, owners of great flocks and herds, have wandered to and fro upon this territory [the Arabian Peninsula]” women’s appearance, lately, especially in Saudi Arabia and “moving their camps of black camel’s hair cloth tents in media, press, drama, journalism and their involutions withersoever the grass grows or a ting rill of water tinkles (Huart, on developing Arabic literature including all its literary 1902, p.2); forms as well as their contributions of children literature this explicates how hard and ambitious area of land that appearance during the twentieth century. even puts its mark on its people, which lately affected Key words: Elegy (marthiyah); Free verses and Arabic literature. After “overthrowing [and spifflicating] poems (qasida); Hija (a poem for criticising someone); the great Persian Empire of the Sasanians” (Ibid.), many Pre- Islamic epoch ( Jahiliyah) Arab poets, including Imru’ Al-Qais, Samaw’al Ibn 1 Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture Factors and Reasons Behind Disappearance of Arab Women in Arabic Literature From the Classical Era to the Modern One ‘Adiya, Al-Nabigha, Tarafa, Zuhayr, and Antar, wrote p.9) which gave its dwellers many hard and harsh qualities poems on epic battles, love, and courage; besides, Jewish influencing even their language, culture, and dealing with and Christian poets made an outstanding contribution in each other toughly. On the other hand, Huart described the Arabic poetry by writing poems about bravery. So, Huart geographical features of the Arabian Peninsula as a described “the Arab of the Desert is a man of courage, range after range of grey serrated mountain peaks; southward, at all events…. The Arab tribes [furthermore] associated again, huge plains, stretching to endless horizon, and strewn themselves with them [the Jewish and Christian poets], with blackish pebbles; and, last of all, the sandy desert, tingled they began to chant verses, and the greatest of their poets with all… which made it for so long a time a land of mystery. was Samuel” (p.3, 29). Over and above drawing wars (Ibid., p.1) against the Persian Empire as apocalyptic ones, there were Therefore, power in dealing with other was created many great tribal wars between the Arab tribes only for because of their desert environment that made them typifying braveness and for retaliation as well, resulting in to grapple with each other in a herculean situation. many gore and massacres and creating many great social Moreover, their desert environment obligated Arab turbulences between many different tribes and clans in the men to give orders to their wives in misbehaved ways, Arabia. What is more, many Arab tribes were important, accordingly, preventing them to act freely due to their for raising Arabic poetry by saying verses of a poem in an “geographical factors and sheer distances… to create oral way, and illustrious for contending men who betrayed real and psychological barriers” (Ibid., p.9). Therefore, or robbed them; as Huart stated that, “Thamudites, an they suffered psychologically and their participations Arab tribe, numbered fighting men who brandished were limited on saying elegies (marthyiah) about one’s lances and rode that pachyderm whose conquest was death. For example, Al- Khansa, also called Tumadir bint held by Buffon to be a noble thing…. The Bedouin was Amr, was noted for her elegies on her brother mourning a robber too, a bandit, a brigand” (p.3). Arabic literature his decease in a conflict, and beginning her poem with passed over many eras; setting out from classical Arabic a promulgation of the tragedy and the dead hero name: literature, also christened pre- Islamic period, to modern “When night draws on, remembering keeps me wakeful Arabic literature, including poetry which “was from / And hinders my rest with grief upon returning / For the Desert; for the towns were too much preoccupied Sakhr…” (Ibid., pp.1-3) as well as there were other with commercial matters to give literature any chance female poets such as Mahd al- Aadiyya, Afira bint Abbad, of growth” and “fragments of poems relating to Hija” is Laila bint Lukaiz, Jalila bint Murra, Umama bint Kulaib, considered “the most remnants of this primitive Arabic and Juhaifa Addibabiyya . If any Arab woman at that time poetry” (Ibid., p.7), epic literature, fiction literature, and participated in another situation, she might be humiliated non- fiction literature. As antecedently cleared that, Arabic and “suffered great injustice, unfair treatment and were literature plays a critical office in performing the Arabic exposed to humiliation of all kinds…. More humiliation civilization throughout history and allowing many poets was even applied to women, in that she herself could be to say poetry and participating in many literary occasions Women were treated like material items of this world” except women which their role was limited on writing (Mousa, 2012, pp.153-54). In conclusion, the environment and stating elegies (marthiyah), which is the usance of of the Arabian Peninsula, considered as a primary reason mourning and praising over the dead by female lamenters, and cause resulting in many societal and psychological beginning the elegiacal poem with a proclamation and barriers that limited the appearance of the Arab women ending it with words of advice for the tribe (Allen, 2000, only in poems of elegies, bore on its dwellers to treat their p.94). Consequently, Arab women generally were barely wives unjustly and unequally increasing a higher level of seen in the pre- Islamic era, especially in the Arabian literacy and education, too; not like the other Arab poets Peninsula, and played a weak role in Arabic literature, their “ extent… during the earlier centuries of the Arabic beginning from the classical era to the modern one, due heritage – at least those whose works have come down to to many factors and reasons behind their little continuous us – is overwhelmingly male” (Allen, 2009, p.70). disappearance in Arabic literature and other occasions all Women, in the pre- Islamic period, were over its epochs. forbidden to remarry if a husband divorce them. Women had no right then to choose, or even consent, to their marriage. Man, on the other hand, had the freedom to acquire as many wives as so ANALYSIS desired, with no set limit. (Mousa, 2012, p.154) During the pre- Islamic era, the Arabian Peninsula They were used, after their divorce or if her husband died, had hard, difficult clime, ensuing in desert culture and as moveable goods for bartering. Even they civilization, which affected behavior of its people—men, women, children, and elders—largely; aside from “the were not entitled to inherit from their parents, husband or other relatives [even a low percent] because Arabs believe inheritance other primary [the Red Sea and sand on its beaches are should only be granted to those who could ride a horse, fight, the basic geographical features of the Arabian Peninsula] gain war booties and help protect the tribe and territory. (Ibid., geographical feature of the region is mountains” (Ibid., p.153).