Reflections of Socio-Cultural Alienation in Abbasid-Era Poetry: A So-ciological Analysis Based on the Cases of Ebü’l-‘Atâhiyye, İbnü’r-Rûmî, and Mütenebbî
Year 2025,
Issue: 14, 563 - 595, 15.09.2025
Dr.mohammed Yaseen
Abstract
This article examines the theme of existential alienation in Abbâsî-id-era Arabic poetry through the works of three major poets, each exemplifying a distinct dimension of alienation. The study focuses on the introspective and ascetic verses of Abū al-ʿAtāhiyya as expressions of psychological alienation, the socially engaged and often disillusioned poetry of Ibn al-Rūmī as a voice of political alienation, and the proud, morally reflective oeuvre of al-Mutanabbī as an embodiment of ethical alienation. Through a close reading of representative poems and a comparative analysis of these poets’ lives and contexts, the research illuminates how feelings of estrangement and disconnection were articulated in a period renowned for its cultural and intellectual achievements. The scope of the inquiry spans personal laments, social commentary, and moral philosophizing in verse, highlighting the importance of alienation as a literary and existential motif in the Abbasid era. The purpose of this study is to enrich our understanding of classical Arabic poetry by revealing how each poet’s unique approach to alienation contributes to a multifaceted portrait of human experience. Methodologically, the article employs a qualitative analysis that combines literary criticism with historical contextualization, providing an interpretation grounded in the poets’ own milieu and idiom.
Ethical Statement
This article is not derived from any thesis or dissertation. The author declares full adherence to academic and ethical principles throughout all stages of the research. The study contains no instances of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, redundant publication, salami slicing, unjustified authorship, or any similar ethical misconduct.
Supporting Institution
Supporting Institution: This study was not financially or academically supported by any institution or organization.
Thanks
Dear Editor-in-Chief,
I extend my profound gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Editorial Board of Mevzu – Journal of Social Sciences for granting me the opportunity to have my article evaluated and published in such a distinguished academic platform, renowned both locally and internationally. This gracious opportunity is an honor that enriches my academic journey and serves as a meaningful encouragement for further scholarly pursuit.
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Abū al-Qāsim, Abd al-Hādī Aḥmad. “The Poetry of Abū Al-ʿAtāhiyya in the Balance of Classical Criticism.” Al-
Andalus Journal for Human and Social Sciences 1/58 (2022), 81–110. https://doi.org/10.35781/1637-000-058-
003
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Abu-’l-Faraǧ al-Iṣfahānī, ʿAlī Ibn-al-Ḥusain - ʿAbbās, Iḥsān. Kitāb al-Aġānī. Bairūt: Dār Ṣādir, 1st Ed., 2008.
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Al-Enazi, Anoud. Academic Journal of Research and Scientific Publishing. “Ma-nifestations of Alienation in
Contemporary Arabic Poetry: A Critical Analytical Study” 6/66 (October 5, 2024), 211–223.
https://doi.org/10.52132/Ajrsp/v6.66.8
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Al-Falahi, Ahmed Ali. Alienation in Arabic Poetry in the Seventh Century A.H. Amman: Ghidaa Publishing and
Distribution House, 1st Ed., 2013.
-
Ali Shahouri, Fatima. “Alienation and Symbolism Between Heritage and Personal Experience in the Poetry of
Izzeddin al-Manasra.” Haramoon Platform (blog), August 20, 2023. https://haramoon.com/370434/
-
Al-Jabri, Mohammed Abed. The Arab Ethical Mind: A Critical and Analytical Study of Value Systems in Arab
Culture. 1 Volume. Beyrut: Center for Arab Unity Studies, 1st Ed., 2001.
-
Al-Shudifat, Safaa - Al-Harahsheh, Ahmad. “The Sign of Silence in the Pri-son Poetry in the Abbasid Era until
the End of the Fourth Century AH. ‘A Semiotic Stylistic Study in Selected Cases.’” Arts and Social Sciences
Series 3/1 (June 12, 2024), 79–108. https://doi.org/10.59759/art.v3i1.552
-
Alwan, Baqir Jalwi. “The Impact Of The Environment On The Poets Of The First Abbasid Era، (Images And
Meaning).” Researcher Journal For Isla-mic Sciences 2 (2021). https://doi.org/10.37940/RJIS.2021.2.1.4
-
Arslan, Adnan. “Literary Analysis of Al-Mutanabbī’s Ode: Ab‘Ad Na’y al-Malīḥa al-Bakhal.” Ordu İlahiyat 4
(March 28, 2025), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.70674/oi.1596150
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‘Atahiyah, Ebû İshak al-. Commentary on the Diwan of Abu Al-‘Atahiyah. 1 Volume. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub
al-‘Ilmiyyah, 4th ed., 2004.
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BAYIR, Muhammed Emin. Mütenebbî ve Şiirlerinde Gazel Unsurları. İstanbul: Ark Kitapları - Özgü Yayınları, 1st
Ed., 2023.
-
Bin Ziyan, Salim Jilti. “The Psychology of Ibn al-Rumi in the Critique of al-Aqqad and al-Mazni and Its Impact
on His Poetry: A Comparative Study” 10/1 (May 2, 2020), 182–193.
-
Darwīsh, Muḥyī al-Dīn. Dīwān Dīk Al-Jinn al-Ḥimṣī. Damascus: Arab Writers Union (Ittiḥād al-Kuttāb al-ʿArab),
1st Ed., 2004.
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Deeb, Thaer. “‘On Exile: Its Names, Pleasures, and Sorrows,.’” Awan Media Platform. Accessed April 13, 2025.
https://www.awanmedia.net/article/8266
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Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. London: Pluto Press, 1st Ed., 2002.
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Fayṣal, Shukri. Abū Al-‘Atāhiyah: His Poetry and Accounts. 1 Volume. Da-mascus University Press, 1st Ed., 2009.
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Fromm, Erich. Escape from Freedom. New York: Avon Books, 1969.
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Fromm, Erich. The Sane Society. Abingdon, Oxon: Taylor and Francis, 2nd ed., 2012.
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Güleç, Serdar Cihan. “Margaret Larkin. Al-Mutanabbī: Voice of the Abbasid Poetic Ideal.” Abant İzzet Baysal
Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi. https://doi.org/10.33931/dergiabant.1259866
-
Hāshimī, Ahmed al-. The Jewels of Eloquence: On Meaning, Expression, and Rhetorical Embellishment. 1
Volume. UK: Hindawi Foundation, First Edi-tion., 2019.
-
Husri, Sati‘ al-. Studies on Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah. 1 Volume. United Kingdom: Hindawi Foundation, 1st Ed.,
2021.
-
Hussein, Yusuf. “Manifestations and Motivations of Psychological and So-cial Alienation in Al-Mutanabbī’s
Poetry.” Journal of the Faculty of Arts, Benha University 28/1 (April 1, 2012), 1–34.
https://doi.org/10.21608/jfab.2012.53395
-
Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari, Izz al-Din. Al-Lubab Fi Tahdhib al-Ansab. 1 Volume. Baghdad: Al-Muthanna Library, 1st
Ed., 2004.
-
Ibn Khaldun, Abd al-Rahman. The Muqaddimah. 3 Volume. Damascus: Dar Ya‘rub, 1st Ed., 2004.
-
Ivaz, Rajab Ibrahim Ahmed. “Psychological Alienation: An Inquiry into the Poetry of Ibn al-Rūmī.” Faculty of
Arabic Language, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’azzam Shah International Islamic University 30/118 (July 1, 2019),
109–132. https://doi.org/10.21608/sjam.2018.146380
-
Mohammed Mahmoud Al Mashaykh - Mohammed Issa Al Hourani. “The Dualism of Death and Life in the
Elegy of Ibn Alromi to His Mother – Stylistics Study.” Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences 3/5 (May 30,
2019), 9. https://doi.org/10.26389/AJSRP.M120119
-
Nassar, Hussein. The Dīwān of Ibn al-Rūmī. 11 Volume. Cairo, Egypt: Gene-ral Egyptian Book Organization
Press, Third Revised Edition., 2003. http://archive.org/details/Diwan_Ibn_Rumi
-
Omar, Yasmina Muhammad Mahmoud. “The Characteristics of Poetry in the Abbasid Era.” Wadi Al-Nil
Journal for Studies and Research – Issue 8 1/1 (2015), 39.
-
Rashid, al-Essa - Khrais, Sura M. “The Poet Glorifies His Poetry: AL-Mutanabbi and Shakespeare as a Model.”
International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature 4 (September 1, 2015), 206–213.
https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.5p.206
-
Said, Edward W. Reflections on Exile and Other Essays. Cambridge, Massac-husetts: Harvard University Press,
Fourth printing., 2003.
-
Said, Edward William. Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lec-tures. 1 Volume. New York:
Pantheon Books, 1st Ed., 1994.
-
Seeman, Melvin. “On The Meaning of Alienation.” American Sociological Review 24/6 (December 1959), 783.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2088565
-
Severcan, Şefaettin. Din-Siyaset İlişkisi-3 Abbasiler Dönemi. Fecr Yayın Gru-bu, 1st Ed., 2024.
https://doi.org/10.70458/fcr.9786257879408
-
Shak‘a, Mustafa al-. Poetry and Poets in the Abbasid Era. 1 Volume. Beirut: Dar al-‘Ilm li’l-Malayin, 6th Ed., 2011.
http://archive.org/details/1507pdf_201912
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Stetkevych, Suzanne Pinckney. “Abbasid Panegyric: Badīʿ Poetry and the Invention of the Arab Golden Age.”
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 44/1 (January 2, 2017), 48–72.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2016.1180236
-
Suwaylem, Ahmed. Poets and Power. 1 Volume. Cairo: Dar Al-Shorouk Pub-lishing House, 1st Ed., 2003.
-
Tahir, Zhilwan - Nuri, Abdulwahed Jalal. “Comparative Perspectives on Societal Decline: Ibn Khaldun,
Toynbee, and Hegel.” HISTORICAL: Jo-urnal of History and Social Sciences 3/4 (January 17, 2025), 431–446.
https://doi.org/10.58355/historical.v3i4.163
-
Tillich, Paul. The Courage to Be. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980.
-
Walter, M. Fontanini. “Paul Tillich and the Genesis of Existential Psycho-logy.” Kaleidoscope History 14/28
(2024), 219–261. https://doi.org/10.17107/KH.2024.28.13
-
Zahrani, Jum‘ah bint Safar bin Sa‘id al-. Man in the Perspective of Ibn Al-Rumi and al-Mutanabbi: Between
Praise and Criticism. Saudi Arabia: Umm al-Qura University, PhD Dissertation, 2003.
Ebü’l-‘Atâhiyye, İbnü’r-Rûmî ve Mütenebbî Örneğinde Abbâsî Dönemi Şiirlerinde Sosyo-Kültürel Yabancılaşmanın Yansımaları -Sosyolojik Bir İnceleme
Year 2025,
Issue: 14, 563 - 595, 15.09.2025
Dr.mohammed Yaseen
Abstract
Bu çalışma, Abbasî dönemi Arap şiirinde görülen sosyo-kültürel yaban-cılaşma konusunu, her biri farklı bir boyutta ele alan Ebu'l-‘Ebü’l-‘Atâhiyye, İbnü’r-Rûmî ve Mütenebbî’nin şiirleri üzerinden ele almaktadır. Araştırma; Ebu’l-‘Atahiyye’nin, psikolojik yabancılaşmayı ifade eden tefekkür ve mür-tedilik unsurlarını taşıyan beyitleri, İbnü’r-Rûmî, çoğunlukla siyasi yabancı-laşmayı dile getiren toplumsal şiirleri ile ahlaki yozlaşmanın bir yansıması olarak Mütenebbî'nin şiirlerini farklı boyutları ile ortaya koymaktadır. Ça-lışmada, seçilen şiirler titizlikle incelenmiş, ele alınan şairlerin hayatları ile bulundukları sosyo-kültürel çevre karşılaştırmalı olarak analiz edilmiş ve bilim edebiyat ve kültürel açıdan doruk noktasında olan bu dönemde sosyo-kültürel yabancılaşma ele alınmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında; toplumsal bağla-rın, ahlaki felsefenin ve ağıt gibi unsurların şiirdeki yansımaları ele alınmış, Abbasî dönemde sosyo-kültürel yabancılaşmanın edebiyat üzerindeki önemi vurgulanmıştır. Makalenin temel amaçlarından biri de her bir şairin ele alı-nan konuya yönelik özgün yaklaşımının, insan faktörü üzerindeki katkıları-nı ortaya çıkararak klasik Arap şiiri bağlamında bilgi birikimini zenginleş-tirmektir. Çalışma metot olarak; edebi eleştiri ile tarihsel yaklaşımı harman-layan nitel bir analiz yöntemine dayanmakta olup şairlerin bulundukları çevre ve kullandıkları dilin ışığında sağlam temellere dayalı yorumlar sunmaktadır.
References
-
Abdul Latif, Luqman bin Usman Imam. “Abu Al-‘Atahiyyah’s Perspective on Religious Moderation in Arabic Poetry.” Jurnal Al Bayan: Jurnal Ju-rusan Pendidikan Bahasa Arab 16/1 (June 23, 2024), 185. https://doi.org/10.24042/albayan.v16i1.22026
-
Abu al-‘Ala’al-Ma‘arri, Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah. Ebü’t-Tayyib al-Mutenabbî. Al-Lami‘ al-‘Aziz Sharh-Diwan al-
Mutanabbî. 1 Volume. Riyadh: King Fa-isal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, 1st edition., 2008.
-
Abū al-Qāsim, Abd al-Hādī Aḥmad. “The Poetry of Abū Al-ʿAtāhiyya in the Balance of Classical Criticism.” Al-
Andalus Journal for Human and Social Sciences 1/58 (2022), 81–110. https://doi.org/10.35781/1637-000-058-
003
-
Abu-’l-Faraǧ al-Iṣfahānī, ʿAlī Ibn-al-Ḥusain - ʿAbbās, Iḥsān. Kitāb al-Aġānī. Bairūt: Dār Ṣādir, 1st Ed., 2008.
-
Al-Enazi, Anoud. Academic Journal of Research and Scientific Publishing. “Ma-nifestations of Alienation in
Contemporary Arabic Poetry: A Critical Analytical Study” 6/66 (October 5, 2024), 211–223.
https://doi.org/10.52132/Ajrsp/v6.66.8
-
Al-Falahi, Ahmed Ali. Alienation in Arabic Poetry in the Seventh Century A.H. Amman: Ghidaa Publishing and
Distribution House, 1st Ed., 2013.
-
Ali Shahouri, Fatima. “Alienation and Symbolism Between Heritage and Personal Experience in the Poetry of
Izzeddin al-Manasra.” Haramoon Platform (blog), August 20, 2023. https://haramoon.com/370434/
-
Al-Jabri, Mohammed Abed. The Arab Ethical Mind: A Critical and Analytical Study of Value Systems in Arab
Culture. 1 Volume. Beyrut: Center for Arab Unity Studies, 1st Ed., 2001.
-
Al-Shudifat, Safaa - Al-Harahsheh, Ahmad. “The Sign of Silence in the Pri-son Poetry in the Abbasid Era until
the End of the Fourth Century AH. ‘A Semiotic Stylistic Study in Selected Cases.’” Arts and Social Sciences
Series 3/1 (June 12, 2024), 79–108. https://doi.org/10.59759/art.v3i1.552
-
Alwan, Baqir Jalwi. “The Impact Of The Environment On The Poets Of The First Abbasid Era، (Images And
Meaning).” Researcher Journal For Isla-mic Sciences 2 (2021). https://doi.org/10.37940/RJIS.2021.2.1.4
-
Arslan, Adnan. “Literary Analysis of Al-Mutanabbī’s Ode: Ab‘Ad Na’y al-Malīḥa al-Bakhal.” Ordu İlahiyat 4
(March 28, 2025), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.70674/oi.1596150
-
‘Atahiyah, Ebû İshak al-. Commentary on the Diwan of Abu Al-‘Atahiyah. 1 Volume. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub
al-‘Ilmiyyah, 4th ed., 2004.
-
BAYIR, Muhammed Emin. Mütenebbî ve Şiirlerinde Gazel Unsurları. İstanbul: Ark Kitapları - Özgü Yayınları, 1st
Ed., 2023.
-
Bin Ziyan, Salim Jilti. “The Psychology of Ibn al-Rumi in the Critique of al-Aqqad and al-Mazni and Its Impact
on His Poetry: A Comparative Study” 10/1 (May 2, 2020), 182–193.
-
Darwīsh, Muḥyī al-Dīn. Dīwān Dīk Al-Jinn al-Ḥimṣī. Damascus: Arab Writers Union (Ittiḥād al-Kuttāb al-ʿArab),
1st Ed., 2004.
-
Deeb, Thaer. “‘On Exile: Its Names, Pleasures, and Sorrows,.’” Awan Media Platform. Accessed April 13, 2025.
https://www.awanmedia.net/article/8266
-
Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. London: Pluto Press, 1st Ed., 2002.
-
Fayṣal, Shukri. Abū Al-‘Atāhiyah: His Poetry and Accounts. 1 Volume. Da-mascus University Press, 1st Ed., 2009.
-
Fromm, Erich. Escape from Freedom. New York: Avon Books, 1969.
-
Fromm, Erich. The Sane Society. Abingdon, Oxon: Taylor and Francis, 2nd ed., 2012.
-
Güleç, Serdar Cihan. “Margaret Larkin. Al-Mutanabbī: Voice of the Abbasid Poetic Ideal.” Abant İzzet Baysal
Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi. https://doi.org/10.33931/dergiabant.1259866
-
Hāshimī, Ahmed al-. The Jewels of Eloquence: On Meaning, Expression, and Rhetorical Embellishment. 1
Volume. UK: Hindawi Foundation, First Edi-tion., 2019.
-
Husri, Sati‘ al-. Studies on Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah. 1 Volume. United Kingdom: Hindawi Foundation, 1st Ed.,
2021.
-
Hussein, Yusuf. “Manifestations and Motivations of Psychological and So-cial Alienation in Al-Mutanabbī’s
Poetry.” Journal of the Faculty of Arts, Benha University 28/1 (April 1, 2012), 1–34.
https://doi.org/10.21608/jfab.2012.53395
-
Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari, Izz al-Din. Al-Lubab Fi Tahdhib al-Ansab. 1 Volume. Baghdad: Al-Muthanna Library, 1st
Ed., 2004.
-
Ibn Khaldun, Abd al-Rahman. The Muqaddimah. 3 Volume. Damascus: Dar Ya‘rub, 1st Ed., 2004.
-
Ivaz, Rajab Ibrahim Ahmed. “Psychological Alienation: An Inquiry into the Poetry of Ibn al-Rūmī.” Faculty of
Arabic Language, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’azzam Shah International Islamic University 30/118 (July 1, 2019),
109–132. https://doi.org/10.21608/sjam.2018.146380
-
Mohammed Mahmoud Al Mashaykh - Mohammed Issa Al Hourani. “The Dualism of Death and Life in the
Elegy of Ibn Alromi to His Mother – Stylistics Study.” Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences 3/5 (May 30,
2019), 9. https://doi.org/10.26389/AJSRP.M120119
-
Nassar, Hussein. The Dīwān of Ibn al-Rūmī. 11 Volume. Cairo, Egypt: Gene-ral Egyptian Book Organization
Press, Third Revised Edition., 2003. http://archive.org/details/Diwan_Ibn_Rumi
-
Omar, Yasmina Muhammad Mahmoud. “The Characteristics of Poetry in the Abbasid Era.” Wadi Al-Nil
Journal for Studies and Research – Issue 8 1/1 (2015), 39.
-
Rashid, al-Essa - Khrais, Sura M. “The Poet Glorifies His Poetry: AL-Mutanabbi and Shakespeare as a Model.”
International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature 4 (September 1, 2015), 206–213.
https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.5p.206
-
Said, Edward W. Reflections on Exile and Other Essays. Cambridge, Massac-husetts: Harvard University Press,
Fourth printing., 2003.
-
Said, Edward William. Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lec-tures. 1 Volume. New York:
Pantheon Books, 1st Ed., 1994.
-
Seeman, Melvin. “On The Meaning of Alienation.” American Sociological Review 24/6 (December 1959), 783.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2088565
-
Severcan, Şefaettin. Din-Siyaset İlişkisi-3 Abbasiler Dönemi. Fecr Yayın Gru-bu, 1st Ed., 2024.
https://doi.org/10.70458/fcr.9786257879408
-
Shak‘a, Mustafa al-. Poetry and Poets in the Abbasid Era. 1 Volume. Beirut: Dar al-‘Ilm li’l-Malayin, 6th Ed., 2011.
http://archive.org/details/1507pdf_201912
-
Stetkevych, Suzanne Pinckney. “Abbasid Panegyric: Badīʿ Poetry and the Invention of the Arab Golden Age.”
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 44/1 (January 2, 2017), 48–72.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2016.1180236
-
Suwaylem, Ahmed. Poets and Power. 1 Volume. Cairo: Dar Al-Shorouk Pub-lishing House, 1st Ed., 2003.
-
Tahir, Zhilwan - Nuri, Abdulwahed Jalal. “Comparative Perspectives on Societal Decline: Ibn Khaldun,
Toynbee, and Hegel.” HISTORICAL: Jo-urnal of History and Social Sciences 3/4 (January 17, 2025), 431–446.
https://doi.org/10.58355/historical.v3i4.163
-
Tillich, Paul. The Courage to Be. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980.
-
Walter, M. Fontanini. “Paul Tillich and the Genesis of Existential Psycho-logy.” Kaleidoscope History 14/28
(2024), 219–261. https://doi.org/10.17107/KH.2024.28.13
-
Zahrani, Jum‘ah bint Safar bin Sa‘id al-. Man in the Perspective of Ibn Al-Rumi and al-Mutanabbi: Between
Praise and Criticism. Saudi Arabia: Umm al-Qura University, PhD Dissertation, 2003.