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Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani

December 18, 2023

"al-Hamadani" redirects here. For people with similar names, see Hamadani (surname). For other uses, see Hamadani (disambiguation).

Badi' al-Zamān al-Hamadāni or al-Hamadhāni (Arabic: بديع الزمان الهمذاني التغلبي‎; 969–1007) was a medieval Arab man of letters born in Hamadan, Iran. He is best known for his work the Maqamat Badi' az-Zaman al-Hamadhani, a collection of 52 episodic stories of a rogue, Abu al-Fath al-Iskandari, as recounted by a narrator, 'Isa b. Hisham. His Arabic name translates into "The Wonder of the Age".

Maqamat Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani
Maqamat Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani

Life edit

Very little is known about Al-Hamadani’s early life and primary sources are very limited. The main biographical account comes from the Persian scholar, ath-Thalibi, and most later biographies are derived from that.[1] According to al-Hamadani’s own account, he was of Arabic descent and his family had some education, but scholars have disputed these bare facts.[2] He was probably born and educated in Hamadan, Iran.[3]

More is known about Al-Hamadani’s adult life. In 380/990, al-Hamadhani, then aged 22, left his native city and began travelling to the various centres of learning. At the time, scholarly travel was an accepted practice for young, educated Arabic men. His first stop was at Rayy, possibly to meet up with his former mentor, Ahmed Ibn Faris (ref: Prendergast gives the instructor’s name as Abdul Husain ibn Faris; See https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.50447/page/n17). There he came under the patronage of Dihkhuda Abu Aid Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Isma (d. 410/1019). He next travelled to Jurjan where he began writing maqamat and where his literary talents found a receptive audience.[4]

In 383/992, he travelled to Khorasan, Nishapur, then under Samanid rule, and an established centre of literature. His experience of Khorasan was mixed. He was robbed several times by highwaymen, losing all of his possessions. However, his literary output became more prolific. He was in competition with al-Khawrizmi and eventually fell out with him. In Nishapur, he achieved great fame and his reputation spread throughout the region.[5]

After Nishapur was conquered by the Ghaznavids he departed the region and returned to his travels. On the road, he stopped at Sarakhs, Tus and Marw. Some early sources, such as the Persian scholar, ath-Thalibi, suggest that Al-Hamadani also visited Sijistan and Ghazna. However, very little is known of such travels and reliable evidence is thin, leading scholars to caution that, as al-Hamadani’s fame grew, such visits became the stuff of legend.[6]

In 383/993, he stopped at Zaranj, where he was received at the court of the Saffarid ruler, Abu Ahmad Khalaf ibn Ahdmad. Al-Hamadani’s intentions were to eulogise the ruler, for which he was well rewarded.[7]

His movements, following his sojourn in Zaranj, are obscure. He eventually settled in Bushanj, near Herat where he married into the Abu-‘Ali Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Khushnami, a local noble family and spent his final years . His literary output declined during his period of residency at Herat.[8] After he settled in Herat, he came under the protection of Abu'l-Hasan Isfaraini, who was the vizier of Mahmud of Ghazni, the sultan of the Ghaznavid dynasty. He died at Herat, at the age of forty. He was renowned for a remarkable memory and for fluency of speech, as well as for the purity of his language.[9]

His letters were first published at Constantinople (1881), and with commentary at Beirut (1890); his maqamas at Constantinople, and with commentary at Beirut (1889). Selected letters have been published in works, such as Silvestre de Sacy's edition of six of the maqamas with French translation and notes in his Chrestomathie arabe, vol. iii. (2nd ed., Paris, 1827). A specimen of the translated letters can be found A. von Kremers Culturgeschichte des Orients, ii. 470 sqq (in German).[9]

Literary work edit

Al-Hamadani wrote poetry and many of his letters have survived. He is generally regarded as the originator of the genre known as ‘’maqama"(sing) or ‘’maqamat’’ (pl).[10][11] Al-Hamadani’s maqama made use of anecdotes collected in the 9th century by earlier writers, such as al-Jahiz and al-Taniikhi, but had a narrator introduce the anecdote.[12]

Al-Hamadani’s innovation was to apply saj' (an ornate form of rhymed prose), to the retelling of secular anecdotes.[13] Until that time, saj’ had been confined to religious and political works.[14][15] The form was subsequently imitated by other Arabic poets and writers. A century later, the writer, Al-Hariri of Basra elevated the maqamat into a major literary art form.[16]

Al-Hamadani’s Maqama made use of anecdotes collected in the 9th century by earlier writers, such as al-Jahiz and al-Taniikhi, but had a narrator introduce the anecdote.[17] Al-Hamadani’s innovation was to apply saj’, to the retelling of secular anecdotes.[13] Until that time, saj’ had been confined to religious and political works.[18]

A total of 52 of al-Hamadani’s maqama have been preserved in manuscripts. Each maqama is a complete story, but maqama are often presented in a collection with an overarching theme. Each story has two main characters, the narrator, (usually Isa ibn Hisham) and a protagonist, (usually Abu I-Fath of Alexandria, who is a rogue and a trickster). Other characters, often historical characters, are introduced in different stories. The anecdotes, presented in al-Hamadani’s maqamat played into a growing interest in the activities of Arabic low-life, especially beggars, tricksters and criminals.[19]

The maqama follows a loose structure of seven parts, namely (1) Isnad, (2) general introduction, (3) link (4) episode (the core of the narrative), (5) recognition scene, (6) envoi and (7) finale.[20]

Stylistically, maqama employ Saj', a highly polished and elaborate prose. Parts of the narrative may be written in verse, while other parts are written in unrhymed, literary prose. Most of the verse used by al-Hamadhani was borrowed from notable poets.[21]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Hämeen-Anttila, J., Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 , p 15
  2. ^ Hämeen-Anttila, J., Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 , pp 16-20
  3. ^ Lewis, B., ed. (1986). Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol 3 (Photomechan. repr. ed.). Leiden [u.a.]: Brill [u.a.] p. 106. ISBN 9004081186.
  4. ^ Hämeen-Anttila, J., Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 , pp 20-21; Prendergast, W.J., The Maqamat Of Badi Al Zaman Al-hamadhani, (1915), 1973, pp 3-4, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.50447/page/n19
  5. ^ Hämeen-Anttila, J., Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002, pp 21-24; Prendergast, W.J., The Maqamat Of Badi Al Zaman al-Hamadhani, (1915), 1973, pp 5-6, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.50447/page/n19
  6. ^ Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002, pp 27-28
  7. ^ Hämeen-Anttila, J., Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 , pp 28-29
  8. ^ Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002, pp 29-30; ; Prendergast, W.J., The Maqamat Of Badi Al Zaman Al-hamadhani, (1915), 1973, p. 6, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.50447/page/n19
  9. ^ a b   One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hamadhānī". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 868–869.
  10. ^ Beeston, A. F. L. (1971). "The Genesis of the Maqāmāt Genre". Journal of Arabic Literature. 2: 1–12. JSTOR 4182866.
  11. ^ Nicholson, R., A Literary History of the Arabs, Project Gutenberg edition, 2011, pp 329-30 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37985/37985-h/37985-h.htm#Page_329
  12. ^ Ozaki, K., "Maqama as a Courtroom Play- Disguised Hero, Duped Judge", Orient, Vol. XVll 2007, p. 128
  13. ^ a b Roxburgh, David J. (2013). "In Pursuit of Shadows: Al-Hariri's Maqāmāt". Muqarnas. 30: 171–212. JSTOR 42751920.
  14. ^ Beeston, A.F.L., "Al-Hamadhani, al-Hariri and the maqamat Genre" in: Julia Ashtiany, Gerald Rex Smith, T. M. Johnstone, Julia Bray, University of Cambridge, J. D. Latham, R. B. Serjeant, Cambridge University Press, María Rosa Menocal, Raymond P. Scheindlin and Michael Sells, Abbasid Belles Lettres, Cambridge University Press, 1990, pp 126-127; Nicholson, R., A Literary History of the Arabs, Project Gutenberg edition, 2011, pp 329-30 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37985/37985-h/37985-h.htm#Page_329
  15. ^ Beeston, A. F. L. (1971). "The Genesis of the Maqāmāt Genre". Journal of Arabic Literature. 2: 1–12. JSTOR 4182866.
  16. ^ Hamilton, M., Representing Others in Medieval Iberian Literature, Springer, 2007, p. 37
  17. ^ Ozaki, K., "Maqama as a Courtroom Play- Disguised Hero, Duped Judge", Orient, Vol. XVll 2007, p. 128
  18. ^ Beeston, A.F.L., "Al-Hamadhani, al-Hariri and the maqamat Genre" in: Julia Ashtiany, Gerald Rex Smith, T. M. Johnstone, Julia Bray, University of Cambridge, J. D. Latham, R. B. Serjeant, Cambridge University Press, María Rosa Menocal, Raymond P. Scheindlin and Michael Sells, Abbasid Belles Lettres, Cambridge University Press, 1990, pp 126-127
  19. ^ Prendergast, W.J., The Maqamat Of Badi Al Zaman Al-hamadhani, (1915), 1973, p. vii https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.50447/page/n9
  20. ^ Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002, pp 45-50
  21. ^ Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002, pp 54-55

Sources edit

  • The Maqámát of Badí‘ al-Zamán al-Hamadhání.
  • BADĪʿ-AL-ZAMĀN HAMADĀNĪ, Encyclopedia Iranica

External links edit

 
Arabic Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Al-Hamadhani
  • The Maqámát of Badí‘ al-Zamán al-Hamadhání English translation at sacred-texts.com

Further reading edit

Hämeen-Anttila, J., ‘’Maqama: A History of a Genre’’, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 (especially see pp 15-65 for a discussion of al-Hamadhani’s ‘’Maqamat’’.)

December 18, 2023
badi, zaman, hamadani, hamadani, redirects, here, people, with, similar, names, hamadani, surname, other, uses, hamadani, disambiguation, badi, zamān, hamadāni, hamadhāni, arabic, بديع, الزمان, الهمذاني, التغلبي, 1007, medieval, arab, letters, born, hamadan, i. al Hamadani redirects here For people with similar names see Hamadani surname For other uses see Hamadani disambiguation Badi al Zaman al Hamadani or al Hamadhani Arabic بديع الزمان الهمذاني التغلبي 969 1007 was a medieval Arab man of letters born in Hamadan Iran He is best known for his work the Maqamat Badi az Zaman al Hamadhani a collection of 52 episodic stories of a rogue Abu al Fath al Iskandari as recounted by a narrator Isa b Hisham His Arabic name translates into The Wonder of the Age Maqamat Badi al Zaman al HamadaniMaqamat Badi al Zaman al Hamadani Contents 1 Life 2 Literary work 3 See also 4 References 5 Sources 6 External links 7 Further readingLife editVery little is known about Al Hamadani s early life and primary sources are very limited The main biographical account comes from the Persian scholar ath Thalibi and most later biographies are derived from that 1 According to al Hamadani s own account he was of Arabic descent and his family had some education but scholars have disputed these bare facts 2 He was probably born and educated in Hamadan Iran 3 More is known about Al Hamadani s adult life In 380 990 al Hamadhani then aged 22 left his native city and began travelling to the various centres of learning At the time scholarly travel was an accepted practice for young educated Arabic men His first stop was at Rayy possibly to meet up with his former mentor Ahmed Ibn Faris ref Prendergast gives the instructor s name as Abdul Husain ibn Faris See https archive org details in ernet dli 2015 50447 page n17 There he came under the patronage of Dihkhuda Abu Aid Muhammad ibn Mansur al Isma d 410 1019 He next travelled to Jurjan where he began writing maqamat and where his literary talents found a receptive audience 4 In 383 992 he travelled to Khorasan Nishapur then under Samanid rule and an established centre of literature His experience of Khorasan was mixed He was robbed several times by highwaymen losing all of his possessions However his literary output became more prolific He was in competition with al Khawrizmi and eventually fell out with him In Nishapur he achieved great fame and his reputation spread throughout the region 5 After Nishapur was conquered by the Ghaznavids he departed the region and returned to his travels On the road he stopped at Sarakhs Tus and Marw Some early sources such as the Persian scholar ath Thalibi suggest that Al Hamadani also visited Sijistan and Ghazna However very little is known of such travels and reliable evidence is thin leading scholars to caution that as al Hamadani s fame grew such visits became the stuff of legend 6 In 383 993 he stopped at Zaranj where he was received at the court of the Saffarid ruler Abu Ahmad Khalaf ibn Ahdmad Al Hamadani s intentions were to eulogise the ruler for which he was well rewarded 7 His movements following his sojourn in Zaranj are obscure He eventually settled in Bushanj near Herat where he married into the Abu Ali Al Husayn ibn Muhammad al Khushnami a local noble family and spent his final years His literary output declined during his period of residency at Herat 8 After he settled in Herat he came under the protection of Abu l Hasan Isfaraini who was the vizier of Mahmud of Ghazni the sultan of the Ghaznavid dynasty He died at Herat at the age of forty He was renowned for a remarkable memory and for fluency of speech as well as for the purity of his language 9 His letters were first published at Constantinople 1881 and with commentary at Beirut 1890 his maqamas at Constantinople and with commentary at Beirut 1889 Selected letters have been published in works such as Silvestre de Sacy s edition of six of the maqamas with French translation and notes in his Chrestomathie arabe vol iii 2nd ed Paris 1827 A specimen of the translated letters can be found A von Kremers Culturgeschichte des Orients ii 470 sqq in German 9 Literary work editAl Hamadani wrote poetry and many of his letters have survived He is generally regarded as the originator of the genre known as maqama sing or maqamat pl 10 11 Al Hamadani s maqama made use of anecdotes collected in the 9th century by earlier writers such as al Jahiz and al Taniikhi but had a narrator introduce the anecdote 12 Al Hamadani s innovation was to apply saj an ornate form of rhymed prose to the retelling of secular anecdotes 13 Until that time saj had been confined to religious and political works 14 15 The form was subsequently imitated by other Arabic poets and writers A century later the writer Al Hariri of Basra elevated the maqamat into a major literary art form 16 Al Hamadani s Maqama made use of anecdotes collected in the 9th century by earlier writers such as al Jahiz and al Taniikhi but had a narrator introduce the anecdote 17 Al Hamadani s innovation was to apply saj to the retelling of secular anecdotes 13 Until that time saj had been confined to religious and political works 18 A total of 52 of al Hamadani s maqama have been preserved in manuscripts Each maqama is a complete story but maqama are often presented in a collection with an overarching theme Each story has two main characters the narrator usually Isa ibn Hisham and a protagonist usually Abu I Fath of Alexandria who is a rogue and a trickster Other characters often historical characters are introduced in different stories The anecdotes presented in al Hamadani s maqamat played into a growing interest in the activities of Arabic low life especially beggars tricksters and criminals 19 The maqama follows a loose structure of seven parts namely 1 Isnad 2 general introduction 3 link 4 episode the core of the narrative 5 recognition scene 6 envoi and 7 finale 20 Stylistically maqama employ Saj a highly polished and elaborate prose Parts of the narrative may be written in verse while other parts are written in unrhymed literary prose Most of the verse used by al Hamadhani was borrowed from notable poets 21 See also editMaqamat Badi al Zaman al Hamadhani Arabic literature Arabic miniatureReferences edit Hameen Anttila J Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 p 15 Hameen Anttila J Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 pp 16 20 Lewis B ed 1986 Encyclopedia of Islam Vol 3 Photomechan repr ed Leiden u a Brill u a p 106 ISBN 9004081186 Hameen Anttila J Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 pp 20 21 Prendergast W J The Maqamat Of Badi Al Zaman Al hamadhani 1915 1973 pp 3 4 https archive org details in ernet dli 2015 50447 page n19 Hameen Anttila J Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 pp 21 24 Prendergast W J The Maqamat Of Badi Al Zaman al Hamadhani 1915 1973 pp 5 6 https archive org details in ernet dli 2015 50447 page n19 Jaakko Hameen Anttila Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 pp 27 28 Hameen Anttila J Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 pp 28 29 Jaakko Hameen Anttila Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 pp 29 30 Prendergast W J The Maqamat Of Badi Al Zaman Al hamadhani 1915 1973 p 6 https archive org details in ernet dli 2015 50447 page n19 a b nbsp One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Hamadhani Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 12 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 868 869 Beeston A F L 1971 The Genesis of the Maqamat Genre Journal of Arabic Literature 2 1 12 JSTOR 4182866 Nicholson R A Literary History of the Arabs Project Gutenberg edition 2011 pp 329 30 https www gutenberg org files 37985 37985 h 37985 h htm Page 329 Ozaki K Maqama as a Courtroom Play Disguised Hero Duped Judge Orient Vol XVll 2007 p 128 a b Roxburgh David J 2013 In Pursuit of Shadows Al Hariri s Maqamat Muqarnas 30 171 212 JSTOR 42751920 Beeston A F L Al Hamadhani al Hariri and the maqamat Genre in Julia Ashtiany Gerald Rex Smith T M Johnstone Julia Bray University of Cambridge J D Latham R B Serjeant Cambridge University Press Maria Rosa Menocal Raymond P Scheindlin and Michael Sells Abbasid Belles Lettres Cambridge University Press 1990 pp 126 127 Nicholson R A Literary History of the Arabs Project Gutenberg edition 2011 pp 329 30 https www gutenberg org files 37985 37985 h 37985 h htm Page 329 Beeston A F L 1971 The Genesis of the Maqamat Genre Journal of Arabic Literature 2 1 12 JSTOR 4182866 Hamilton M Representing Others in Medieval Iberian Literature Springer 2007 p 37 Ozaki K Maqama as a Courtroom Play Disguised Hero Duped Judge Orient Vol XVll 2007 p 128 Beeston A F L Al Hamadhani al Hariri and the maqamat Genre in Julia Ashtiany Gerald Rex Smith T M Johnstone Julia Bray University of Cambridge J D Latham R B Serjeant Cambridge University Press Maria Rosa Menocal Raymond P Scheindlin and Michael Sells Abbasid Belles Lettres Cambridge University Press 1990 pp 126 127 Prendergast W J The Maqamat Of Badi Al Zaman Al hamadhani 1915 1973 p vii https archive org details in ernet dli 2015 50447 page n9 Jaakko Hameen Anttila Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 pp 45 50 Jaakko Hameen Anttila Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 pp 54 55Sources editThe Maqamat of Badi al Zaman al Hamadhani BADiʿ AL ZAMAN HAMADANi Encyclopedia IranicaExternal links edit nbsp Arabic Wikisource has original text related to this article Al Hamadhani The Maqamat of Badi al Zaman al Hamadhani English translation at sacred texts comFurther reading editHameen Anttila J Maqama A History of a Genre Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 especially see pp 15 65 for a discussion of al Hamadhani s Maqamat Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Badi 27 al Zaman al Hamadani amp oldid 1175013430, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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