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Şūfī Language and the Opening of Signification: al-Ḥallāj as an Example

Received: 12 December 2021    Accepted: 26 January 2022    Published: 16 February 2022
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Abstract

The present paper studies the use of the Şūfī al-Ḥusayn b. Manşūr al-Ḥallāj as a mask in modern Arabic poetry, specifically the influence this figure exerted on Adūnīs (‘Alī Aḥmad Sa’īd; b. 1930), ‘Abd al-Wahāb al-Bayyātī (1926-1999) and Şalāḥ ‘Abd al-Şabūr (1931-1981). It examines how these poets used al-Ḥallāj’s mask in order to express contemporary national, social and meta-poetical issues. The paper will also demonstrate the intentional use which these poets made of al-Ḥallāj’s sufferings and the story of his crucifixion. They turned him into a saint who died because he refused to give up his values and philosophies in order to express their own sufferings. Contemporary poets, thus, made al-Ḥallāj acquire a new spiritual dimension, quite different from his reputation in Muslim theology, where he had become a symbol of heresy, non-conformism and dissidence. The paper will show the various levels at which “Ḥallāj” thought can be used, whether as a mask and the tale of his execution or Şūfī expressions and ideas that have historically been associated with him

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 10, Issue 1)

This article belongs to the Special Issue The Woman as a Sufi Motif in Modern Arabic Poetry

DOI 10.11648/j.ijla.20221001.18
Page(s) 59-67
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Manşūr al-Ḥallāj, ‘Abd al-Wahāb al-Bayyātī, Şalāḥ ‘Abd al-Şabūr, Adūnīs or ‘Alī Aḥmad Sa’īd, and Mysticism

References
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[10] Ghālī, Wā’il, Poetry and Thinking: Adūnīs as an Example (Cairo: The General Egyptian Institute for the Book, 2001), 186, 185.
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  • APA Style

    Maḥmūd Na’āmneh. (2022). Şūfī Language and the Opening of Signification: al-Ḥallāj as an Example. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 10(1), 59-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20221001.18

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    ACS Style

    Maḥmūd Na’āmneh. Şūfī Language and the Opening of Signification: al-Ḥallāj as an Example. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2022, 10(1), 59-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20221001.18

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    AMA Style

    Maḥmūd Na’āmneh. Şūfī Language and the Opening of Signification: al-Ḥallāj as an Example. Int J Lit Arts. 2022;10(1):59-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20221001.18

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijla.20221001.18,
      author = {Maḥmūd Na’āmneh},
      title = {Şūfī Language and the Opening of Signification: al-Ḥallāj as an Example},
      journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
      volume = {10},
      number = {1},
      pages = {59-67},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20221001.18},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20221001.18},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20221001.18},
      abstract = {The present paper studies the use of the Şūfī al-Ḥusayn b. Manşūr al-Ḥallāj as a mask in modern Arabic poetry, specifically the influence this figure exerted on Adūnīs (‘Alī Aḥmad Sa’īd; b. 1930), ‘Abd al-Wahāb al-Bayyātī (1926-1999) and Şalāḥ ‘Abd al-Şabūr (1931-1981). It examines how these poets used al-Ḥallāj’s mask in order to express contemporary national, social and meta-poetical issues. The paper will also demonstrate the intentional use which these poets made of al-Ḥallāj’s sufferings and the story of his crucifixion. They turned him into a saint who died because he refused to give up his values and philosophies in order to express their own sufferings. Contemporary poets, thus, made al-Ḥallāj acquire a new spiritual dimension, quite different from his reputation in Muslim theology, where he had become a symbol of heresy, non-conformism and dissidence. The paper will show the various levels at which “Ḥallāj” thought can be used, whether as a mask and the tale of his execution or Şūfī expressions and ideas that have historically been associated with him},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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    AB  - The present paper studies the use of the Şūfī al-Ḥusayn b. Manşūr al-Ḥallāj as a mask in modern Arabic poetry, specifically the influence this figure exerted on Adūnīs (‘Alī Aḥmad Sa’īd; b. 1930), ‘Abd al-Wahāb al-Bayyātī (1926-1999) and Şalāḥ ‘Abd al-Şabūr (1931-1981). It examines how these poets used al-Ḥallāj’s mask in order to express contemporary national, social and meta-poetical issues. The paper will also demonstrate the intentional use which these poets made of al-Ḥallāj’s sufferings and the story of his crucifixion. They turned him into a saint who died because he refused to give up his values and philosophies in order to express their own sufferings. Contemporary poets, thus, made al-Ḥallāj acquire a new spiritual dimension, quite different from his reputation in Muslim theology, where he had become a symbol of heresy, non-conformism and dissidence. The paper will show the various levels at which “Ḥallāj” thought can be used, whether as a mask and the tale of his execution or Şūfī expressions and ideas that have historically been associated with him
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