Абу ат-Таййиб аль-Мутанабби: Жизнь и творчество великого арабского поэта

Arab poet (c. 915 – 965)

Abū al Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al Ḥusayn al Mutanabbī al Kindī (أبو الطيب أحمد بن الحسين المتنبّي الكندي; c. 915 – 23 September 965 AD) from Kufa, Abbasid Caliphate, was a famous Abbasid era Arabian poet at the court of the Hamdanid emir Sayf al Dawla in Aleppo, and for whom he composed 300 folios of poetry. His poetic style earned him great popularity in his time and many of his poems are not only still widely read in today's Arab world but are considered to be proverbial. He started writing poetry when he was nine years old. He is well known for his sharp intelligence and wittiness. Among the topics he discussed were courage, the philosophy of life, and the description of battles. As one of the greatest, most prominent and influential poets in the Arabic language, much of his work has been translated into over 20 languages worldwide. His great talent brought him very close to many leaders of his time, whom he extolled in return for money and gifts. His political ambitions, however, ultimately soured his relations with his patrons and his egomania may have cost him his life when the subjects of some of his verse attacked him.

Al Mutanabbi was born in the Iraqi city of Kufah in 915. His father claimed descent from the South Arabian tribe of Banu Ju'fa. His last name, Al Kindī, was attributed to the district he was born. Owing to his poetic talent, and claiming predecession of prophet Saleh, al Mutanabbi received an education in Damascus, Syria. When Shi'ite Qarmatians sacked Kufah in 924, he joined them and lived among the Banu Kalb and other Bedouin tribes. Learning their doctrines and dialect, he had many followers, and even claimed to be a Nabi (نَـبِي, Prophet)—hence the name Al Mutanabbi ("The Would be Prophet"). He led a Qarmatian revolt in Syria in 932. After its suppression and two years of imprisonment by the Ikhshid governor of Hims, he recanted in 935 and became a wandering poet. During this period he began writing his first known poems. Political ambition to be a Wali led al Mutanabbi to the courts of Sayf al Dawla and Abu al Misk Kafur but in this ambition he failed.

Al Mutanabbi lived at the time when the Abbasid Caliphate started coming apart and many of the states in the Islamic world became politically and militarily independent. Chief among those states was the Emirate of Aleppo. He began to write panegyrics in the tradition established by the poets Abu Tammam and al Buhturi. In 948 he joined the court of Sayf al Dawla, the Hamdanid poet prince of northern Syria. Sayf al Dawla was greatly concerned with fighting the Byzantine Empire in Asia minor, where Al Mutanabbi fought alongside him. During his nine years stay at Sayf al Dawla's court, Al Mutanabbi wrote his greatest and most famous poems, panegyrics in praise of his patron that rank as masterpieces of Arabic poetry. During his stay in Aleppo, Al Mutanabbi found himself at odds with many scholars and poets in Sayf al Dawla's court, including Abu Firas al Hamdani, a poet and Sayf al Dawla's cousin. In addition, Al Mutanabbi lost Sayf al Dawla's favor because of his political ambition to be Wāli. The latter part of this period was clouded with intrigues and jealousies that culminated in al Mutanabbi's leaving Syria for Egypt, then ruled in name by the Ikhshidids.

Al Mutanabbi joined the court of Abu al Misk Kafur after parting ways with Sayf al Dawla. Kafur mistrusted Al Mutanabbi's intentions, claiming them to be a threat to his position. Al Mutanabbi realized that his hopes of becoming a statesman were not going to bear fruit and he left Egypt in c. 960. After he left, he heavily criticized Abu al Misk Kafur with satirical odes.

In 957 Mutanabbi left Aleppo, making his way to Egypt and the court of the Abu al Misk Kafur. In 960 the poet left Egypt, penning several satires about Kafur. He traveled to Baghdad but was killed resisting thieves before reaching the city.

Ibn Jinni the grammarian (c. 941/2—1001/2) wrote a commentary on al Mutanabbi's poetry titled Al Fasr ('The Explanation'). The poet philosopher Abu Al Alaa al Marri has also written a book of exegesis on Al Mutanabbi's poetry. Al Marri, himself an accomplished poet, would usually refer to al Mutanabbi affectionately as "our poet". Encyclopædia Britannica states: "He gave to the traditional qaṣīdah, or ode, a freer and more personal development, writing in what can be called a neoclassical style that combined some elements of Iraqi and Syrian stylistics with classical features."

In 1932, Mutanabbi Street, a bookselling street market of Baghdad, was named after al Mutanabbi to honor him who, at the time, was very well known in the region. The narrow car free street is full of booksellers and book stores and it's one kilometer long. At the entrance of the street is an arch adorned with the poet's quotes and on the end of it is a statue of al Mutanabbi that overlooks the Tigris River. Over time, al Mutanabbi Street evolved into a symbol of intellectual freedom, attracting writers, artists, and diverse dissenting voices from across the country.