The Qasīdah (Faryādnāma) Written to Bāyezid II by Andalusian Muslims

Year 2020, , 51 - 79, 30.06.2020

Ramazan Meşe

https://doi.org/10.18498/amailad.702964

Cited By: 1

Abstract

The civilization built by Muslims through eight centuries on Iberian Peninsula ended up by the collapse of the last Andalusian Islamic polity, Banu al-Ahmar in 898/1492. After this collapse, remaining Muslim population on the peninsula who were insulted by the new rulers called help from the powerful Muslim rulers from around the world. They conveyed this message of help via screaming (faryādnāma) poems to those Muslim leaders with messengers. In these qasīdas they pictured the oppression and the difficulty they faced. One of these qasīdas which are historical records, reached to the Ottoman sultan Bāyezid II and they asked help from him as well. Andalusians wrote two qasīdas. One of these was written before the collapse of Banu al-Ahmar (1238-1492) in order to inform the Sultan about the Christians’ attacks. The other was written because of the assimilation policy undertaken against Muslims after 1492. In this study, this latter qasīdah istighāsah will be examined. In introduction, history of Andalusia, Banu al-Ahmar’s collapse and the oppression faced by the remaining Muslims will be touched upon briefly. Then, the definition of qasīdah istighāsah will be given and the subject qasīdah will be studied with its Turkish translation given.

Summary

The Islamic domination that lasted for nearly eight centuries in Andalusia ended with the collapse of the last Andalusian Islamic State, Banu al-Ahmar, in 898/1492. After the fall of Banu al-Ahmar State, Christians tried to completely destroy the existence of Muslims in the peninsula. As a matter of fact, they followed a harsh and brutal attitude towards Muslims in order to reach their goals. With this policy of assimilation, they forced Muslims to change their religion, and prevented them from speaking their language, and intervened in their daily lives. They punished those who did not comply with the prohibitions they placed. In particular, they judged those who insisted on not changing their religion in the Inquisition courts. After this collapse, remaining Muslim population on the peninsula who were insulted by the new rulers called help from the powerful Muslim rulers from around the world. They conveyed this message of help via istighāsah (faryādnāma) poems. In these qasīdas they pictured the oppression and the difficulty they faced. One of these qasīdas which are historical records, reached to the Ottoman sultan Bāyezid II and they asked help from him as well. The Muslims of Andalusia sent a qasīdah istighāsah, composed of 105 couplets, to him in 906/1501 and asked him to come to the rescue of the Andalusian Muslims.

As a theme of poetry istighāsah is the request of the poet from his interlocutor for help due to the difficult situation he or his society is in. Although this theme is examined also under the title of marsiyya (elegiac poetry), when they are examined it is seen that they differ from the marsiyya for cities in terms of its content and structure. Therefore, they should be examined as two separate themes.

Andalusian Muslims wrote two qasīdah istighāsah to Bāyezid II. The first of these is the written because Christians occupied the state from all sides before the Banu al-Ahmar State collapsed. It is written by Abu'l-Bakâ al-Rundî and is evaluated under the theme of marsiyya as well. The second is written in 906/1501, which reveals the oppression and persecution of Muslims after their domination in Andalusia in 898/1492 ended completely. This one is a historical document. The expressions of the oppression and persecution faced by the Muslims in this last letter reveal difficult the severity of the events in that period. The knowledge of these letters written to Bāyezid II, on the one hand, provides us with the oppression and persecution faced by the Muslims at that time, on the other hand, the foundation of the political events of that period.

Banu al-Ahmar’s collapse and the oppression faced by the remaining Muslims will be touched upon briefly. Then, the definition of qasīdah istighāsah will be given and the subject qasīdah will be studied with its Turkish translation given.

Whether it is in our country or in the Arab world, there is no study that deals with the aforementioned qasīdah in detail and examines it under the subject of istighāsah. However, Azmi Yüksel the qasīdah has been translated under the title of “From Endülüs’ten II. Bayezid’a Yazılan Anonim Bir Şiir”and published in Belleten Journal in 1988. In addition, M. Faruk Toprak examined the subject of istighāsah as a separate theme of poetry in his article, “Endülüs Şiirinde İstiğâse”, published in Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi. In his study, Toprak examined some of the couplets by partially mentioning the aforementioned qasīdah. Shihâbuddîn al-Makkarî gives the full text of this qasīdah in his book “Azhâru’r-riyâd fi ahbâri al-Qâdî ʻİyâd”. Apart from this, its full text can also be found in "al-Dawlatu’l-‘Uthmâniyya –avâmil al-nuhûd wa asbâb al-sukût-" by Ali Muhammad Muhammead al-Sallâbî. It is also partially mentioned in some other sources dealing with the themes of istighāsah and marsiyya for cities, and in some historical sources that informing about the existence of such a qasīdah. 

The absence of a detailed study about this qasīdah has made it necessary to consider and evaluate it. This qasīdah, which is examined under the theme of istighāsah in Arabic poetry, presents the political events of the period in which it was written, but also gives information about the content and structure of the istighāsah poems. Therefore, this study, on the one hand, aims to complete the missing information about the political history of the period basing on such a historical document; on the other hand, it aims to provide information about the content of the content and structure of the istighāsah poems. 

In introduction, first, history of Andalusia, Banu al-Ahmar’s collapse and the oppression faced by the remaining Muslims will be touched upon briefly to prepare the ground for work. The biggest reason for the writing of the aforementioned qasīdah was that after the collapse of the Muslim state, the Muslims were subjected to persecutions as a result of being defenseless. Second, the poem of istighāsah will be evaluated as a theme of poetry. Third, after the etymological meaning of the word istighāsah is given, the poems written under the theme of istighāsah are being mentioned. In particular, some information is given about the theme of this poetry in Andalusia and the poets who wrote the poetry of under this theme. Fourth, I will provide an introductory information about the qasīdah composed of 105 couplets written to Bāyezid II. After all these, all couplets of the qasīdah will be translated into Turkish and evaluated. Information obtained from historical sources is also given about the events and situations that Muslims described in the qasīdah under evaluation.

It will be concluded that after the collapse of the last Andalusian Islamic state, Benu al-Ahmar, the Muslims who remained there asked for help from the Ottoman Empire and that they reported this request with an qasīdah istighāsah. It is observed that Muslims describe the difficult situation in which they lived in all details. Therefore, the attitude towards Muslims in Andalusia is observed with all its clarity at that time through this qasīdah istighāsah. In addition, the content and structure of the such poems written in that period will be revealed.

Keywords

Arabic Language and Literature, Andalusia, Istighāsah, Bāyezid II, Qasīdah

Endülüs Müslümanlarının II. Bayezid’e Yazdığı İstiğâse (Feryadname) Kasidesi

Abstract

İber yarımadasında yaklaşık sekiz asır boyunca Müslümanların oluşturmuş olduğu görkemli medeniyet, son Endülüs İslam Devleti Benî Ahmer’in 898/1492’de yıkılması ile son bulmuştur. Benî Ahmer Devleti’nin yıkılmasından sonra yarımadada kalan Müslümanlara karşı takınılan sert ve acımasız tavır karşısında yarımadadaki Müslümanlar, dönemin güçlü Müslüman devlet başkanlarından yardım istemişlerdir. Bu yardım taleplerini de istiğâse (feryadname) kasideleri yazarak elçi vasıtasıyla bu devlet başkanlarına iletmişlerdir. Bu kasidelerde içinde bulundukları zor durumu dile getirip maruz kaldıkları baskı ve zulmü tasvir etmişlerdir. Tarihi bir belge niteliğinde olan bu kasideler Osmanlı Devleti padişahlarından II. Bayezid’e da ulaşmış ve ondan yardım talep edilmiştir. Endülüslüler II. Bayezid’e iki istiğâse kasidesi yazmıştır. Bunların birincisi henüz Benî Ahmer Devleti (1238-1492) yıkılmadan önce Hıristiyanların dört bir taraftan devleti işgal etmelerinden dolayı yazılan istiğâse kasidedir. İkincisi ise Benî Ahmer Devleti’nin yıkılmasından sonra Müslümanların maruz kaldığı asimilasyon politikasından dolayı yazılan istiğâse kasidesidir. Bu çalışmada Endülüs’te son Müslüman devleti olan Benî Ahmer Devleti düştükten sonra Endülüs Müslümanların Osmanlı Padişahı II. Bayezid’e yazdıkları istiğâse kasidesi değerlendirilecektir. Tarihi bir vesika olan bu kasideye geçmeden önce girişte Endülüs tarihinden, son Endülüs Müslüman Devleti Benî Ahmer’in yıkılışı ve bundan sonra Endülüs’te kalan Müslümanların yaşadıkları Hıristiyan baskılarından kısaca bahsedilecektir. Daha sonra istiğâse şiiri tarif edilerek söz konusu kaside tercümesi yapılarak değerlendirilecektir.

Keywords

Arap Dili ve Edebiyatı, Endülüs, İstiğâse, II. Bayezid, Kaside

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