The Mu‘allaqāt: Meaning, Origin, and Poetry

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The Mu‘allaqāt


The meaning and origin of Mu‘allaqāt

Al-Mu‘allaqāt, the “Suspended” (poems), is the title of a group of seven long pre-Islamic poems.

The traditional explanation of this title is that pre-Islamic Arabs “hung up” these poems on the Ka‘bah at Mecca, because they considered them their  most valuable poetry.

A  number  of scholars  deny  the  fact  that  poems  were  hung  up  on  the Ka‘bah; they believe that they were collected in the Abbasid period by Hammād a `r-Rāwiyah (“the Rhapsodist”) (died  156 A. H. = 773 A. D). (They  assume  that)  when  he  saw  how  little  men  cared  for  poetry,  he collected these seven poems, urged people to study them, and said to them: these are the (poems) of the renown’ .

Arabic Translation

ﺕُlَ3石LَΩُAْL ﺍ

ﺍﻝٍ.َyِ占 ٍ孔石!ِLﻩِ lَ? َΔِ:lَ怕َ当 ِeْ?َ灿 ْdِA ٍ孔َΩyُAْ?َA ُrْ灿ﺍ ﺕُlَ3石LَΩُAْLَﺍ

ْrُ+石:َ9ِ.َ孔石SَA Sَ召 ِ孔َ?ْΩَSْL ﺍ SَLَΩ َΔِ:lَ怕َ3ْL ﺍ ِOﻩَ " ﺍyُ3石LَΩ " ِ孔石!ِLﻩِ lَ?ْL ﺍ ﺏََJَΩ ﺃَﻥ石 ِrْ灿ﺍ ﺍَ3َ+ِL ُﻯِΔ!ِLْ3 L3石 ﺍ ُJ!ِ灿ْaَ3L ﻭَﺍ . ً孔َA!ِ当 ْrﺭِﻩِ lَΩْ店َﺃ َrَ占ْΩَﺃ lﻭُΔُΩَ! ﺍyُ:lَﺁ

SَLَΩ Sِ灿l石?َΩْL ﺍ ِJْ怕َΩْL ﺍ Sِ召 ْ山َΩِAُ? lَ+:石َﺃ ﻯJَ!َ ﻭَ , ِ孔َ?ْΩَSْL ﺍ SَLَΩ ِΔِ:lَ怕َ3ْL ﺍ ِOﻩَ 丐َ!LِΩْ3َ Jُ:ْ!ُ dْAَ ﺀlَAَLُΩْLﺍ َdِAﻭَ

S石召َyَ3ُAْL ﺍ) ِ孔َ!ﺍﻭِ 石JL ﺍ ﺩٍlَAَ> ِΔَ!

, lَ+ِ灿ﺩَﺭْ sَLَs ﺱَ l L:石 ﺍ 石凸َ>ﻭَ , َeْ!石灿L ﺍ َΔِ:lَ怕َ3ْLﺍ ِoﻩَ َeَAَ? , ِJْΩ少店Llِ! ﻥَ yَ:ْΩُ! ْdَA َ孔石Lِ当 ﺭَﺃَﻯ l石AَL ُd石:َﺃ َ占ِLَﻭَﺫ ﺭَﺍﺕُ.yُ+ْ店َAْL ﺍ َsﻩِ ِoﻩ :َ ْrُ+َL ﻝَ lَ当ﻭَ


Poets of al-Mu’allaqāt


The poets  of al-Mu’allaqāt are  Imru’u  l-Qays, Zuhayr,  Tarafah,  Labīd, Antarah, Amr ibn Kulthūm and al-Hārith ibn Hillizah.

Imru’u `l -Qays is one of the most proficient of pre-Islamic poets in erotic poetry. Zuhayr is one of their most excellent in wisdom poetry. Zuhayr says in his Mu’allaqah;

Whatever nature a man has is revealed, though he may fancy that it is concealed from his fellow men.

I know what is in this day and what was yesterday, but I am blind as to the knowledge of what will tomorrow be.

The Mu’allaqah of Tarafah depicts him as a young man whose soul is full of love  for pleasure, though  immune with  sad wisdom. He  says  in his

Mu’allaqah:

O you who blames me for haunting the battle and for attending pleasures! Can you make me immortal?

If you have not the power to ward off my death, let me scatter the wealth in my hand before I die!

He also says:

The injustice of kinsmen is more painful to the man than the blow of an Indian sword.

Antarah  was  a  pre-Islamic  knight.  He  was  the  best  of pre-Islamic  poets  in

describing the battles he took part in.


Amr ibn Kulthūm was one of the pre-Islamic poets who displayed boastfulness in

the strongest terms; he says in his Mu‘allaqah.


We have so filled the earth that it is narrow for us, and we also fill sea with our

ships!

If a sucking of us is weaned, mighty men prostrate themselves before him!

Arabic Translation

ﺕِ lَ3石LَΩُAْLﺍ ﺍﺀَُJَΩُ店

, ﻡٍYُ3ْLﺁُ ُdْ? ﻭُJْAَSﻭَ , ﺓَُJَ茁ْ:َSﻭَ , ٌΔ!ِ!َLﻭَ , ٌ孔َ召َJَ占ﻭَ , ٌJْ!ﻭَﺯُﻩَ , ِ心ْ!َ3ْL ﺍ ﺅُُJْA ﺍ ُrﻩ ﺕُِ lَ3石LَΩُAْL ﺍ ﺍﺀَُJَΩُ店ﻭَ

ﺓَ.َ第*Lِ> ُdْ? ﺭِﺙُ lَ>ْL ﻭَﺍ

:ِdِ茁َ3石LَΩُA Sِ召 ٌJْ!ﺯُﻩ ﻝَُYُ3َ! .ً孔َAْSِ> ْrِ+ِ土َLْ?َﺃ ْdِA ٌJْ!ﻭَﺯُﻩَ , ً$َ第َ:ِ孔石!ِLﻩِ lَ?ْL ﺍ ﺍﺀََJَΩُ店 ﻉِ َJْ?َﺃ ْdِA ِ心ْ!َ3ْLﺍ ﺅُُJْA ﻭَﺍ

rَLْΩُ茁 ﺱِ l L:石 ﺍ SَLَS SَaْSَ茁 lَ+َLlَS ﻭَﺇِﻥْ ٍ孔َ3ْ!ِLَS ْdِA ٍﺉِJْA ﺍ َΔْ:ِS ْdُSَ茁 lَAْ+َAﻭَ

SِAَS ٍΔَ:Sِ召 lَA ِrْLِS ْdَS Sِ:ِSَL:石 ﻭَ ُdَLْ!当َ ِ心ْA9َ ْﻭَﺍ ﻡِْYَ!ْL ﺍ Sِ召 lَA ُrَLْSَﻭَﺃ

:ِdِ茁َ3石LَΩُA Sِ召 ﻝُYُ3َ! . ٌ孔َ:!ِ第َ> ٌ孔َAْSِ> lَ+ْ茁َ占َLlَS ﻭَﺇِﻥْ , ِYْ+石LِL l石!ُ> ُdُ灿ْaَ:ﺕْ َ9ِ茁ْA ﺍ lً?lَ店 ُOﺭُ *Yَ怕 َ孔َ召َJَ占 ُ孔َ3石LَΩُA ﻭَ

ﻯ؟ِΔِLْSُA َ山:َْﺃ ْdﻩ ﺍﺕَِ 石3L石L ﺍ َJُ山ْ>َﺃ ﻭَﺃَﻥْ Sَ:َYْLﺍ َΔَ+ْ店َﺃ SِAِi义石L ﺍ ﺍَ3َ+#!َﺃ ﺃَ$َ

(ُe!ِ占َ茁ْ灿َ茁 =ُe!ِ占ْ灿َ茁) ﻯِΔَ! ْ山َSَLَA lَAِ? lﺩِﺭْﻩَ lَ?ُﺃ Sِ:ْSَΔَ召 Sِ茁石!َA َeْ召َﺩ ُe!ِ占ْ灿َ茁 َ$ َ山ْ:ُﺁ ْﻥِ!َ召

:lً山ْ!َﺃ ﻝُYُ3َ!ﻭَ

ِΔ َ+ُAْL:石 ﺍ ﻡِlَ灿ُ>ْL ﺍ ِeْ当ﻭَ ْdِA ِﺀْJَAْL ﺍ SَLَS ً孔َ山lَ山َA #Δَ店َﺃ Sَ?ْJُ3ْL ﺍ ﺫَﻭِﻯ ُrْLُ占ﻭَ

.lَ+ُ山YُSَ! Sِ茁石L ﺍ ﺭِﻙِlَΩَAْLِL lًaْ怕ﻭَ ِ孔石!ِLﻩِ lَ?Lْ ﺍ ﺍﺀَِJَΩُ店 ﻉُ َΔْ?َﺃ َYﻭَﻩُ ِ孔石!ِLﻩِ lَ?ْL ﺍ ﻥِlَ灿ْJَ召 ْdِA ﺓُ َJَ茁ْ:َS ﻥَ lﻭَﺁَ

: ِdِ茁َ3石LَΩُA Sِ召 ﻝُYُ3َ! , ﺍًJْSَ召 ِ孔石!ِLﻩِ lَ?ْL ﺍ ﺍﺀَِJَΩُ店 ﻯَYْ当َﺃ ْdِA ﻡٍ Y ْLﺁُ ُdْ? ﻭُJْAَSﻭَ lَ茁!ِaَ灿 ُOُ3َLْAَ:ِJْ>َ!ْLﺍ ﺀَlَAﻭَ l石:َS ﻕَ lَ山 S石茁َ> 石Jَ!ْL ﺍ lَ:َ9َA

.َd!ِΔِ?lَ灿 ُJِ?lَ!َ?ْL ﺍ ُdَL #JِSَ茁 lًAlَ占ِ召 lَ:َL ُe!ِ山石JL ﺍ َξَLَ? ﺇِﺫَﺍ


Call of the Cock


Did you hear the Cock    : 

 whenever the dawn appeared and shined

under its auspices it appears :

 Then the world is filled with clamor

It would say arise oh you the young: 

And get prepare for the lessons

Verily the noon is bright  

 : and with it the lives are moving fast


O you the little child  : 

 When the Cock crows

Then abandon the sleep and rise up :

 to search for better skill

Everything is contained in the morning time: 

in it is good fortune and happiness

The breeze of the early morning exhales : 

a fragrance that enlivens the hearts


Arabic Translation

ِ占ْ!少ΔL ﺍ ﺀُlَΩُﺩ

ﻭَ$َﺡْ           َeَLَ占             ْaِAَ灿َ

ﺡْ lَ!ِ怕 lَ!ْ:iΔL ﺍ ُiَLْAَ!            ﺍَΔَ! ْΔَ当 ُolَAِ> 一ِ召

ﺭُﻭﺱْiΔLِL ﻭﺍiΔَaَ茁ْ灿 ﻭَﺍ         ﺭْlَ土ِ怕 lَ! ﺍyُAْy ﻝَlَ当

ﺱْyُa L:i ﺍ 一َaْ灿َ3 ِdِ!ﻭ              ﺭَُlَ+ L:石 ﺍ $َﺡَُd:石ِﺇ

ْc!ِ怕َ! ُ占!少ΔL ﺍ lَAَΔْ:ِΩ        ْJ!ِ土石怕L ﺍ ُdْa少占L ﺍ lَ+i!َﺃ

ْc!ِ>石怕L ﺍ ﺭْﺏَ石ΔL ﺍ ِ占ُLْ灿 ﻭَﺍ        ْrُ当ﻭ ﻡََ ْy石:Lﺍ ِJُ?ﺃُﻩْ

ﻭﺭْ ُJُ灿ﻭَ ٌJْ!َs ِd!ِ召   ﺡْ lَ!石怕L ﺍ 一ِ召 ٍ乙!َ店 idﺁُ

ﻭﺭْ ُΔi怕L ﺍ 一ِ!ْ>ُ! lً3ِ!lَΩ         ﺡْ lَ召 ِcْ!i怕L ﺍ ْ!ِ灿:َﻭَ




Conclusion


As you have seen, some poets like Imru’u l-Qays, Zuhayr, Tarafah, Labīd, Antarah, Amr ibn Kulthūm and al-Hārith ibn Hillizah excelled in the art of poetry in Arabia before Islam. Each of them put down their ideas on various issues of public concern during their period. The best of their writings for each year were hung on the wall of Ka‘bah and were called Mu‘allaqāt.

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