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Sīra Shaʿbiyya
''Sīra shaʿbiyya'' is a genre in Islamic literature consisting of long heroic narrative. The ''sīra''s are generally historical fictions, using historical settings, characters and events and focussing on military exploits. They are typical written in '' sajʿ'' (rhymed prose) interspersed with poetry. They are very long. In written form, they are 2000–6000 pages in printed editions. In oral performance, sessions may stretch out over a year. The Arabic term ''sīra shaʿbiyya'' was coined by Arab folklorists in the 1950s to denote what is otherwise called "popular epic" or "popular romance". In the manuscripts, most examples of the genre bear titles containing either the word ''sīra'' (biography) or '' qiṣṣa'' (novel). The earliest evidence of specific compositions of the type comes from the twelfth century, although the tradition probably stretches back to the first centuries of Islam. The earliest surviving manuscripts of recorded ''sīra''s date to the fifteenth century ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Literary Genre
A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from more abstract, encompassing classes, which are then further sub-divided into more concrete distinctions. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, and even the rules designating genres change over time and are fairly unstable. Genres can all be in the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a genre such as satire, allegory or pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only as a subgenre (see below), but as a mixture of genres. Finally, they are defined by the general cultural movement of the historical period in which they were composed. History of genres Aristotle The concept of genre began in the works of Aristotle, who applied biological concepts to the classification of literary genres, or, as he called them, "species" (eidē). These classifications are mainl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darius II
Darius II ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ), also known by his given name Ochus ( ), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 423 BC to 405 or 404 BC. Artaxerxes I, who died in 424 BC, was followed by his son Xerxes II. After a month and half Xerxes II was murdered by his brother Sogdianus. His illegitimate brother, Ochus, satrap of Hyrcania, rebelled against Sogdianus, and after a short fight killed him, and suppressed by treachery the attempt of his own brother Arsites to imitate his example. Ochus adopted the name Darius (Greek sources often call him Darius ''Nothos'', "Bastard"). Neither the names Xerxes II nor Sogdianus occur in the dates of the numerous Babylonian tablets from Nippur; here effectively the reign of Darius II follows immediately after that of Artaxerxes I. Historians know little about Darius II's reign. A rebellion by the Medes in 409 BC is mentioned by Xenophon. It does seem that Darius II was quite dependent on hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dhāt Al-Himma
''Delhemma'' or ''Sirat Delhemma'' ("Tale of Lady Delhemma") is a popular epic of the Arabic literature regarding the Arab–Byzantine wars of the Umayyad and early Abbasid periods. Title variations The full name of the work, as given in its 1909 edition, is ''Sīrat al-amīra Dhāt al-Himma wa-waladihā ʿAbd al-Wahhāb wa ’l-amīr Abū Muḥammad al-Baṭṭāl wa-ʿUḳba shaykh al-ḍalāl wa-Shūmadris al-muḥtāl'',Canard (1991), p. 233 or "The Life of '' amira'' Dhat al-Himma, mother of Abd al-Wahhab, and of ''amir'' Abu Muhammad al-Battal, the master of error Uqba and of astute Shumadris".Dadoyean & Parsumean-Tatoyean (1997), p. 51 The work is known by a series of other titles after the main personnages, including ''Sīrat Dhāt al-Himma wa-l-Baṭṭāl'' ("Tale of Dhāt al-Himma and al-Battal") and simply ''Sīrat Delhemma''.Canard (1961), p. 158 Plot In its 1909 Cairo edition, the tale comprises 70 sections in seven volumes and 5,084 pages. The subject matter of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ḥamza Ibn ʿAbd Al-Muṭṭalib
Ḥamza ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ( ar, حمزة بن عبد المطلب; 568 – 625)Muhammad ibn Saad. ''Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir'' vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). ''The Companions of Badr''. London: Ta-Ha Publishers. was a foster brother, companion and paternal uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was martyred in the Battle of Uhud on 22 March 625 (3 Shawwal 3 hijri). His '' kunyas'' were "Abū ʿUmāra" () and "Abū Yaʿlā" (). He had the by-names '' Asad Allāh'' (, "Lion of God") and ''Asad al- Janna'' (, "Lion of Heaven"), and Muhammad gave him the posthumous title ''Sayyid al- Shuhadāʾ'' (). Early life Ibn Sa'd basing his claim on al-Waqidi states that Hamza was reportedly four years older than Muhammad. This is disputed by Ibn Sayyid, who argues: "Zubayr narrated that Hamza was four years older than the Prophet. But this does not seem correct, because reliable hadith state that Thuwayba nursed both Hamza and the Prophet." Ibn Sayyid con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sīrat Amīr Ḥamza
The ''Hamzanama'' ( Persian/ Urdu: ''Hamzenâme'', Epic of Hamza) or ''Dastan-e-Amir Hamza'' (Persian/Urdu: ''Dâstâne Amir Hamze'', "Adventures of Amir Hamza") narrates the legendary exploits of Amir Hamza, or Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, an uncle of Muhammad. Most of the stories are extremely fanciful, "a continuous series of romantic interludes, threatening events, narrow escapes, and violent acts". The ''Hamzanama'' chronicles the fantastic adventures of Hamza as he and his band of heroes fight against the enemies of Islam. The stories, from a long-established oral tradition, were written down in Persian, the language of the courts of Persianate societies, in multiple volumes presumably in the era of Mahmud of Ghazni. In the West, the work is best known for the enormous illustrated manuscript commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar about 1562. The text augmented the story, as traditionally told in dastan performances. The dastan (storytelling tradition) about Amir Hamz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basus War
The Basus (or Basous) War (often written al-Basus War; ''ḥarb al-basūs'') was a 40-year conflict between two cousin tribes in Arabia of Late Antiquity which was started by the killing of a camel owned by woman named Al Basus under the proteciton of her brother in law Mura The Taghlib and Bakr tribes fought for roughly forty years (from 494-534 CE), locked in a perpetual cycle of vengeance. In parts of the Arab world today, the Basus War has been incorporated into an aphorism warning people against vendettas.The Detailed History of Arabs Prior to Islam by Jawad Ali, Baghdad University 1993 The story The story happened long before the Islamic era in Arabia, the start of the 40-year war was when a woman called Al-Basous, went to visit her niece, Jalila bint Murrah, along with her nephew, Jassas ibn Murrah, all of them belonged to the tribe of Bakr. Jalila was married to Kulayb, the leader of the Taghleb tribe, who was known to be extremely protective of his property and land. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ʿAntara Ibn Shaddād
Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Absi ( ar, عنترة بن شداد العبسي, ''ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād al-ʿAbsī''; AD 525–608), also known as ʿAntar, was a pre-Islamic Arab knight and poet, famous for both his poetry and his adventurous life. His chief poem forms part of the '' Mu'allaqāt'', the collection of seven "hanging odes" legendarily said to have been suspended in the Kaaba. The account of his life forms the basis of a long and extravagant romance. Life ʿAntarah was born in Najd in Arabia. His father was Shaddād al-ʿAbsī, a respected warrior of the Banu Abs under their chief Zuhayr. His mother was an Ethiopian woman named Zabeebah. Described as an "Arab crow" (''al-aghribah al-'Arab'') owing to his dark complexion,ʿAntarah grew up a slave as well. He fell in love with his cousin ʿAblah, but could not hope to marry her owing to his position. He also gained the enmity of his father's wife Shammeah. He gained attention and respect for himself by his rema ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sīrat ʿAntar
Al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya (), commonly shortened to Sīrah and translated as prophetic biography, are the traditional Muslim biographies of Muhammad from which, in addition to the Quran and Hadiths, most historical information about his life and the early period of Islam is derived. Etymology In the Arabic language the word ''sīra'' or ''sīrat'' ( ar, سيرة) comes from the verb ''sāra,'' which means to travel or to be on a journey. A person's ''sīra'' is that person's journey through life, or biography, encompassing their birth, events in their life, manners and characteristics, and their death. In modern usage it may also refer to a person's resume. It is sometimes written as "seera", "sirah" or "sirat", all meaning "life" or "journey". In Islamic literature, the plural form, ''siyar'', could also refer to the rules of war and dealing with non-Muslims. The phrase ''sīrat rasūl allāh'', or ''as-sīra al-nabawiyya'', refers to the study of the life of Muhammad. The term ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sayf Ibn Dhi Yazan
Abū Murra Sayf bin Dhī Yazan al-Ḥimyarī ( ar, سيف بن ذي يزن) was a semi-legendary Himyarite king of Yemen who lived between 516 and 578 CE, known for ending Axumite rule over Southern Arabia with the help of the Sassanid Empire. To reconquer Yemen, Sayf asked Khosrau I king of the Sasanian Empire to help him fight the Aksumites. According to Al-Masudi Sayf dialogued with the Sassanid king about racial tensions between white and black: Khosrau agreed and sent 800 men with Wahriz as their leader. Masruq ibn Abraha, king of Yemen, confronted the army but lost in the battle. The Sasanians advanced to conquer San'a, however, Sayf was instated as King on the understanding that he would send taxes to Khosrau. He was later stabbed to death by Ethiopian servants, and the Sassanians reconquered Yemen and Vahriz was instated as Governor of Yemen, alongside Sayf's son. Popular culture Prophet Muhammad's grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib met Sayf in his palace in Ghamadan. Say ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
