Keywords
Arabic Poetry
Maqāmāt, Literary Criticism
How to Cite
Abstract
The Abbasid period (750–1258 AD), a period considered the peak of Islamic intellectual and cultural development. This study highlights three main aspects: (1) the innovation of the form and theme of poetry marked by the courage of poets such as Abū Nuwās, Bashshār ibn Burd, al-Buḥturī, al-Mutanabbī, and Ibn al-Rūmī in expressing social criticism, personal ambition, and the urban aesthetic of Baghdad; (2) the development of prose with the emergence of new genres such as the maqāmāt of al-Hamadhānī and al-Ḥarīrī, as well as the encyclopedic and scholarly works of al-Jāḥiẓ, Ibn Qutaybah, al-Tanūkhī, and al-Ṭabarī; (3) the birth of literary criticism and poetry theory pioneered by al-Jāḥiẓ, Ibn al-Muʿtazz, al-Qudāmah ibn Jaʿfar, and Ibn Rashīq, which emphasized the balance of aesthetics and moral values. The results of the study show that the renewal of Abbasid literature was born from the interaction of Baghdad's cosmopolitan culture, the influence of Persian and Greek traditions, and the patronage of the caliph on science. Abbasid literature was not only a forum for aesthetic expression, but also an instrument for social reflection, moral criticism, and intellectual development. Thus, this period became an important foundation for the birth of modern Arabic literary concepts.
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