Qissat al-Adab fi al-Hijaz
- Author died
- 1432 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Kulliyyat al-Azhariyya
Qissat al-Adab fi al-Hijaz (The Story of Literature in the Hejaz) is a study of Arabic literature in the Hejaz during the pre-Islamic era, co-authored by Abd Allah Abd al-Jabbar and Muhammad Abd al-Mun'im Khafaji and published in 1958 CE .
Background and Purpose
The authors conceived the book as a specialized regional investigation, defining the Hejaz to include both the highland region and Tihamat al-Hijaz . They argued that previous scholarship had treated ancient Arabic literature collectively across the entire Arabian Peninsula without distinguishing the specific characteristics of distinct regions, such as the Hejaz, Najd, or Yemen . In their view, accurate and comprehensive assessments of Arabic literature required a detailed regional examination of its local environments .
The book emphasizes the role of the Hejaz as the cultural melting pot of the Arab nation, where dialects, customs, and ethics converged, and where the dialect of Quraysh helped standardize the Arabic language . The authors also framed the study of pre-Islamic Hejazi literature and culture as an essential prerequisite for understanding the literary environment of the prophetic era and the eloquence and inimitability of the Quran .
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into an extensive preliminary study followed by two main parts:
- Preliminary Survey (Tamhid): A 116-page geographic and anthropological overview describing the physical environment and settlements of the Hejaz (excluding Mecca and Medina) as well as the Mudari tribes inhabiting the region .
- Part One: An analysis of the external factors shaping Hejazi literature, covering political systems and governance, social structures, religious life, and intellectual trends .
- Part Two: A dedicated study of literary production in the pre-Islamic Hejaz. The prose section examines major figures, genres, and a chapter on maxims and proverbs (hikam wa-amthal) . The poetry section analyzes the question of authenticity and forgery (al-sihha wa-l-wad'), poetic themes and genres, poetic innovation, and music and singing .
The work concludes with an index registering the names of pre-Islamic Hejazi poets, highlighting figures who had previously received little attention in modern scholarship .
Publication
The book was printed by Dar Misr li-l-Tiba'ah in Cairo in 1958 CE . Alongside Abd al-Jabbar's later work al-Tayyarat al-Adabiyya fi Qalb al-Jazira al-Arabiyya (1959 CE), it is regarded as an early foundational reference for the modern literary historiography of the Arabian Peninsula .
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