Author: Abu Raef
The Role of Muslims in the Formation and Development of Sciences (Part 79)
In the Field of Language and Literature
The Westerners (especially Spanish poets) received a great influence from Arabic literature; the literature of chivalry, courage, metaphor, and beautiful and lofty imagination entered Western literature through Arabic literature, especially in Andalusia. The famous Spanish writer “Abániz” says: “Before the Arabs entered Andalusia and before the spread of their knights and heroes in the southern lands, Europe did not know chivalry and heroism, did not observe the etiquette related to it, and had no share of its bravery.” [1]
Imam Ibn Hazm of Andalusia (may Allah have mercy on him) and his famous book Tawq al-Hamamah (“The Ring of the Dove”), after the Islamic society came into contact with the Christian society, had a great influence on the poets of Spain and southern France, to the extent that the Arabic language became the language of the country and of the aristocratic gatherings. In many Christian principalities of Spain, Christian and Muslim poets would meet in the royal courts. An example of this is the Court of “Sancho,” which included thirteen Arab poets, twelve Christian poets, and one Jewish poet.
A manuscript from the era of “Alfonso the Tenth,” the king of Castile, has been found that depicts two traveling poets singing together while playing the lute—one Arab and one European. Moreover, European poets of that time were capable of composing poetry in Arabic. For this reason, “Henry Marrou” says: “The Arabic influence upon the civilization of the Roman peoples was not limited to the fine arts, where its impact was clear, but extended also to music and poetry.” [2]
The extent of the influence of Arabic literature upon Western writers of that time is also described by the Dutch Orientalist “Reinhart Pieter Dozy” in his book about Islam. Among what he mentions is a letter from a Spanish writer (Algharo), who was deeply saddened by the neglect of Latin and Greek and the turning of people toward the language of the Muslims. He says:
“The wise and the men of taste have been enchanted by the charm of Arabic literature; they have come to regard Latin as worthless and write only in the language of their masters. This saddened their contemporaries who possessed patriotic feelings or other concerns. He continues:
‘My fellow Christians are astonished by the Arabic poetry and tales, and they study the philosophical and legal works of the Muslims—not to refute them, but to adopt their eloquent Arabic style. Today (except for the clergy) who reads the Torah and the Gospel? Who pays attention to the books of the prophets and apostles? The new generation of intelligent Christians knows no literature or language other than Arabic. They devour Arabic books, collect huge libraries of them, and everywhere they sing praises of the Arabic treasures, while they disregard Christian books, claiming they are not worthy of attention. Alas! The Christians have forgotten their own language; today perhaps one person out of a thousand can write a letter to his friend in it, while in Arabic one finds many who express themselves excellently and even compose poetry more delicate and accurate than that of the Arabs themselves.’” [3]
Regarding the influence of Arabic on European languages, “Dieter Messner” says: “The Arabic influence as the language of the upper class upon the spoken languages of the Iberian Peninsula caused the Castilian, Portuguese, and Catalan languages to hold a special position among the Romance languages.”
The Arabic Influence was not confined to the Iberian Peninsula but became a medium for its transmission to other languages such as French as well. [4]
There is no need to list the Arabic words that entered European languages in various aspects of life; many of them have remained almost identical to their Arabic originals, such as: cotton, damask silk, musk, drink, jar, lemon, zero, and others.
According to Professor Makiyil, Europe owes its fictional literature to the Arab lands and to the Arab people who dwelled in the Arabian Najd of Syria; and a great or even the main part of it is owed to the active forces which distinguished medieval Europe in spirit and imagination from the world under its influence.5
The European story, in its origin, was influenced by the Arabic art of storytelling in the Middle Ages—such as Maqamat, heroic tales, and adventures of chivalry and love. The Thousand and One Nights, after being translated into European languages in the twelfth century, had a great influence in this field, to the point that more than three hundred editions of it have been published in all European languages until now. Some European critics believe that Gulliver’s Travels by Swift and Robinson Crusoe by Defoe were influenced by The Thousand and One Nights and by Hayy ibn Yaqzan by the Arab philosopher Ibn Tufayl (may Allah have mercy on him).6
In the year 1349 CE, Boccaccio wrote his stories under the title Decameron, modeled after The Thousand and One Nights. Shakespeare borrowed from it for his play All’s Well That Ends Well, and the German Lessing also drew from it for his play Nathan the Wise. Chaucer, the pioneer of modern poetry in the English language, was the greatest borrower from Boccaccio in his time; he met him in Italy and then composed his famous Canterbury Tales.7
Dante, in his book The Divine Comedy, which describes his journey to the other world, was influenced by Risalat al-Ghufran (“The Epistle of Forgiveness”) by al-Ma‘arri (may Allah have mercy on him) and The Description of Paradise by Ibn Arabi (may Allah have mercy on him). Dante resided in Sicily during the reign of Emperor Frederick II, who was interested in Islamic culture and the study of Arabic sources. Between him and Dante, there were discussions in the school of Aristotle, part of which was derived from Arabic sources. Dante had a significant knowledge of the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and from it he derived the story of Mi‘raj (the Ascension) and the description of the heavens.
Sigrid Hunke says: “There is great similarity between Dante and Ibn Arabi; Dante, nearly two hundred years after him, benefited from his analogies.” [8]
Petrarch lived in the age of Arabic culture in Italy and France, studying in the universities of Montpellier and Paris, both of which were based upon the works of the Arabs and their students in Andalusian universities. He says to his people: “How astonishing! Cicero was able to be an orator after Demosthenes, and Virgil was able to be a poet after Homer; why then could we not compose after the Arabs? We have equaled the Africans and all other peoples and sometimes surpassed them—except the Arabs. What folly and misguidance! What genius lies dormant and silent in Italy!”9
Thus, the Islamic civilization was a torch that illuminated the whole world of humanity in the field of language and literature.
continues…
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References
- From the Wonders of Our Civilization, p. 86.
- Darwish, Ahmad, The Theory of Comparative Literature and Its Manifestations in Arabic Literature, p. 176, Dar Gharib, Cairo, Egypt.
- From the Wonders of Our Civilization, p. 87.
- What Have Muslims Contributed to the World?, p. 713.
- From the Wonders of Our Civilization, p. 88.
- Riesler, Jack, The Arab Civilization, translated by Ghuneim Abdoon, p. 175, Al-Dar Al-Misriyah. No Date.
- From the Wonders of Our Civilization, p. 89.
- The Sun of the Arabs Shines Upon the West, p. 521.
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What Have Muslims Contributed to the World?, p. 715.
