ARABI AN

LI TERATURE
ARABIAN GEOGRAPHY:
- Between the Persian Gulf and Red Sea
- Has 13 provinces
- Composed primarily of desert
- Has a governor each region appointed by
the King
- Land square area of 1.96 million square
kilometers (756,981 square miles)
- One fourth the size of US
- The capital is Riyadh
Largest City:
Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Al-Ahsa,
Ta'if, Dammam, Khamis, Mushait,
Brief history of Saudi Arabia

- Arabs originated on the descendants of tribes and

lived along the Persian Gulf coast

- Arab Peninsula is also the homeland of Islam

- Islam is the world's largest religion

- Muhammad founded Islam

- Two holy pilgrimage cities are Mecca and Medina

- Arabic is their language

- By 1517 the Ottoman empire dominated

- Qur'an is the sacred scripture of Islam

CULTURE & BELIEFS:
CLOTHING:

~ For women, full length body cover ; abayah,jilbob,

and veil ; hijab or chador (Sign of respect for
Muslim modesty laws)

~ For men, traditional flowing robes, blue jeans, t-

shirts and western business suits

FOOD:

Alcohol consumption – nightlife is forbidden and

under the law

Eating pork – considered unclean and prohibited.

FAMILY:

- Large extended families live together and

nepotism is encouraged, but it still depends if the
family members agree.
STORY TELLING:

- Another favourite form of artistic expression,

but in keeping with Islamic law, guidelines
govern public performances and artist can't make
“graven images.” Hand lettered Qur'an are
considered sacred art that's to be respected and
kept safe for generations.
HOLIDAYS:

Ramadan – Holiest season of the Muslims and

marks fasting
FOUR TYPES OF MUSLIMS:
 1. SUNNI – 80%
 2. SHITE – 10-16%
 3. SUFIS
 4. BAHA
THREE TYPES OF MUSLIMS

1. Secularists – Muslims who do not have a

knowledge of the contents of the Qur'an and
only know a verse or two to justify enjoying
their life such as “Wealth and children are the
adornment of the life of this world” (Surat Al-
Kahf 18:46)

2. Moderates – They know the Qur'an but seek

to make their faith relevant to modern life.
They try to reconcile the contradicting verses
in the Qur'an in such a way that Muslims may
 3. Fundamentalists – Those who want to apply
the more extreme verses of the Qur'an to the
letter. These verses came to Muhammad after
he was strong militarily and after he realized
that Christians and Jews were not becoming
followers of his new religion. Muhammad's
anger in the following Quranic verses , which
abrogate the nice verses in the Qur'an, is the
root of violence which saturates and captures
the minds of these fundamentalists Muslims:
~ The prophet Muhammad urges Muslims to
fight in the cause of Allah
~ The Qur'an commands Muslims not to
befriend Jews and Christians
~ The Qur'an declares that Muslims who fight
and die in battle are promised forgiveness and
a sexual luxurious life in Paradise.
~ The Qur'an commands Muslims to terrorize
and torture and kill anyone who disobeys
Allah and the Prophet Muhammad
~The Qur'an declares that Allah loves those
who fight in His cause
~The Qur'an commands Muslims to convert
non Muslims to Islam by force
LITERATURE :
- A written Arabic literature began to be known with the
collect of Qur'an in 17th century A.D
, the Arabian language soon became a major world
language.
- The Arabian possessed a highly developed poetry,
composed of recitation and transmitted from
generations.
- The most famous examples are the elaborated odes or
qasdahs of Mu'allagat, beginning with those of
Imru'Alqais
- These poems reflected and praised the customs and
values of the desert environment in which they arose.
- The earliest known literature emerged in northern
Historical Periods:
~ Ummayad Period ( A.D. 661-750)
- Arabic prose literature was limited primarily to
grammatical treatise, commentaries on the
Qur'an , and compiling of stories about Muhammad
and his companions.
Ummayad poets:
> Al-Akhtal
> Al- Farazdaq
> Dhu Rumma
> Jarir
POETIC FORMS:
- love lyrics (Ghazals), wine songs, hunting
~ Abbasid Empire (750- 1258)

- The greatest period of development and

achievement

- Persian influences contributed significantly to

this development, translations from Persian ( Ibn
al-Muqaff') led a new refinement in Arabic prose
called Adab, often add with poetry and
utilizing rhyme prose ( saj') the style of Qur'an.

Greatest masters of Adab:

> Al jahiz

> Al Hariri
New poets:

> Abu Nuwas – used the Arabic language with

greater freedom and imagination.

> Al-Maarri and Al-Mtanabi- regarded as the

greatest among them

Outstanding authors:

> IBN ISHAQ – Author of Mohammad's life

> Rabja of Bastra and Sufi poetess

> ABU NUEVAS – The greatest Arab lyricist

~ Modern Period

- During the centuries of Ottoman Turkish

domination Arabic literature fall into decline,
not until mid 19th century it was revived by
intellectual movement known as Nahdah
(reawakening), originated in Syria and spread to
Egypt.

- Arabic writers of the past hundred years have

been extremely versatile, most of their works is
characterized by strong concern for social issues.

Outstanding recent Arabic novelists, dramatists

and essayists:

> Tawfig al-Hakim

The Qur'an

- Sacred scripture of Islam

- The actual words of god revealed by
Muhammad
- Contains 114 chapters or suras and divided
into 6,236 verses or ayah
- Termed as the glorious and wonderful,
describes the absolute truth, healing mercy,
light and guidance of god to people's everyday
lives
- Has a great contribution to Arabian literature
- Revealed from god to Muhammad through the
Arabian Nights (One thousand and
One Nights)
- A collection of Middle eastern and South Asian
stories and folktales compiled in Arabic, during
the Islamic Golden age.
- The common throughout the editions of the
Nights is the initial frame story of the ruler
Shahryar meaning “king” or “sovereign” and his
wife Scheherazade, meaning “noble lineage”
- Some editions contain only a few hundred nights,
while others include 1,001 or more.
- The bulk of the text is in prose, although the
verse is occasionally used for songs and riddles
and to express heightened emotion.
Synopsis:

The main frame story concerns Shahryar, whom the narrator

calls a “Sasanian King” ruling in India and China. He was shocked to
discover that his brother's wife is unfaithful; discovering his own
wife's infidelity has been even more flagrant, he has her executed,
but in his bitterness and grief decides that all women are the same.
Shahryar begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute
each one the next morning, before she has a chance to dishonor
him. Eventually the vizier, whose duty is to provide them cannot find
any more virgins. Scheherazade, the vizier's daughter, offer herself
as the next bride and her father reluctantly agrees. On the night of
their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the King a tale, but does
not end it. The King was curious about how the story ends, is thus
forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the conclusion.
The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins a new
one, and the King is eager to hear the conclusion of this tale,
postpones her execution once again. So it goes on for 1,001 nights.
The Lady and Her Five Suitors

A lady's lover is put into jail. To get him out she invites all the
important people of state to her house. The kazi, Wali, Wazir and the King
are tricked into her home as they all desire her. She gets the Wali write a
release note for her lover. They are put into a cabinet because each time
they fear the next one to be lady's husband. The carpenter is locked up
because he has a dispute with the lady over the size of the cabinet. The
lady leaves the city with her lover. The five suitors are released by the
neighbours after urinating on each other.

The daughter of a merchant loves a man when her husband is away. One
day this man is cast into prison because of a quarrel he had. The woman
clads herself in the most beautiful clothes and goes to magistrate. She
brings a paper to testify against the imprisonment of her brother. The
magistrate immediately falls in love with her.
 He will let him go if she comes to his house, but she invites the Wali
to hers, and he accepts. Then she goes to the Kazi telling of a Wali
who as imprisoned her brother. The Kazi falls inl ove with her and
promises her to let her brother go. She also invites him to her house.
Then she goes to the Wazir, asking for the release of her brother.
The Wazir wants to have his will on her and he is also invited to her
home. Finally she goes to the King of the city. After telling her story,
he is pierces with the arrows of love. He invites her to his palace, but
she says he would do much more honour entering her home. The
lady goes to a carpenter to ask him to make a cabinet with a five
compartments, each with s door for locking up. Next, she lets four
gowns be dyed and prepares some food and drinks for her suitors.

The Kazi comes first to her house and he put on one of the gowns.
After a while there is a tapping on the door and the lady says it is her
husband and takes the Kazi to the lowest compartment to hide him.
When she opens the door there is the Wali.
 She asks him to write a letter to free her brother. He is asked to put
him on the second gown. Then there is another tapping on the door
and again she says it is her husband. The Wali is put into the second
compartment. When she opens the door it is the Wazir, they play a
little bit with each other and he is given the third gown. Then there is
another knock on the door. She puts the Wazir in the third
compartment and opens the door. The King has arrived and after
some talk desires her. His rich robes are exchanged for the fourth
gown. But another knocking is at the door. She again says it is her
husband and locks the King up in the fourth compartment. The
carpenter enters the house. She tells him the top compartment is too
small. The carpenter disagrees and to prove himself, he goes into the
fifth compartment, upon which she closes it. Then the lady goes to
the treasurer with the letter that the Wali wrote to release her lover.
Then, they both leave the city.
 Meanwhile, the five men in the cabinet stayed for three days
without food and drink. They cannot hold their water so they
urinate over each other. When they complain they know who
the others are in the cabinet, except for the King, because he
remains silent. Then the neighbours break into the house to
see what is going on in the house. When they see the cabinet
with the voices coming out they fear there is a Jinni inside it
and want to set the thing on fire. But the Kazi screams not to.
They were released and shown in the attires the lady prepared
for them.