Abd al-Salam Ibn Raghbân al-Kalbi al-Himsî ( ar, (عبد السلام بن رغبان الكلبي الحمصي (

777 777 may refer to: * 777 (number), a number * AD 777, a year of the Julian calendar * 777 BC, a year in the 8th century BC * Boeing 777, a commercial jet airliner :* Boeing 777X, the newer generation of the Boeing 777. Art and entertainment Alb ...

–

849 __NOTOC__ Year 849 (Roman numerals, DCCCXLIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Battle of Ostia: A Saracen Arab fleet from Sardi ...

), known as Dik al-Jinn ( ar, ديك الجن), is an

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

poet during the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

, who is famous for his love for a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

woman named "Ward", and the fact that he never left his native city,

Homs Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...

. He was a Shia Muslim.

Biography

Abd al-Salam was born in 777 CE in

, to a family descended from Banu Kalb. Two theories are presented in order to explain his nickname "Dik al-Jinn" (

Cock Cock or cocks most commonly refers to: * Cock (bird) or rooster, a male of any bird species * Cock (slang), a slang term for the penis Cock or cocks may also refer to: Names * Cock (surname) * Cocks (surname) Places * Cocks Glacier, Ross Dep ...

al-Jinn Al-Jinn ( ar, الجن, “The Jinn”) is the 72nd chapter (sūrah) of the Quran with 28 verses ( āyāt). The name as well as the topic of this chapter is jinn. Similar to angels, the jinn are beings invisible to the naked human eye. In the Q ...

): * He would have been nicknamed so, because of his eyes whose green color evoked the plumage of the cock. * For the funeral elegy poem (

Rithā' Rithā’ ( ar, رثاء) is a genre of Arabic poetry corresponding to elegy or lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. La ...

) which he composed for a cock served to him during a

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

. Although the classic Arab criticism did not pay much attention to him, Dik al-Jinn remained famous for his debauchery and his love of wine that drove him to squander his fortune, and especially for the love he brought to "Ward", a Christian (later convert to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

) from

; and "Bakr", a friend (probably another lover). Dik al-Jinn murdered both Ward and Bakr in a crisis of passionate love. It seems that Dik al-Jinn inherited a large sum of money from his father, and that he would have lived on this nest egg, squandering it for his pleasures. He thus aroused the jealousy and disapproval of his cousin, "Abu Tayyib", who then made Dik al-Jinn believe that Ward and Bakr were dating one another. Being mad and jealous, Dik al-Jinn killed them both. Later on, he learned the truth and cried the rest of his life in funeral elegies that some critics, such as "Ibn Rashiq" recognize as models of their kind. He is considered one of the masters of the poet Abu Tammam.

Poetry style

Dik al-Jinn departs, like his contemporary Abu Nuwas, standards of ancient poetry from Pre-Islamic qasida and its range of Bedouin themes. Leaving aside the long verses generally preferred by poets of the classical style, such as

Tawil ''Ṭawīl'' ( ar, طويل, literally 'long'), or ''al-Ṭawīl'' (), is a meter used in classical Arabic poetry Arabic poetry ( ar, الشعر العربي ''ash-shi‘ru al-‘Arabīyyu'') is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present kn ...

, Dik al-Jinn composed above all on the basit, kamil, and khafif meters. His diwan consists mainly of fragments and short pieces of amorous poetry (

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

) and elegies addressed to "Ward". Another great part of his poetry is devoted to the love of wine. He also left some long pieces of praise (madîh) and a famous satire (hijâ') addressed to his cousin "Abu Tayyib". His diwan has been collected by Sheikh Muhammad al-Samâwî, who was the first to gather his works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jinn, Dik 777 births 849 deaths People from Homs Shia Muslims 8th-century Arabic poets 8th-century Arabic writers Folklore characters Poets from the Abbasid Caliphate 9th-century Arabic poets 8th-century Arabs 9th-century Arabs