Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani
Badi' al-Zamān al-Hamadānī or al-Hamadhānī (
Life
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.[2] 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.[3] He was probably born and educated in Hamadan, Iran.[4]
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
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.[6]
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.[7]
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.[8]
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.
His letters were first published at
Literary work
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).[11][12] 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.[13]
Al-Hamadani’s innovation was to apply saj' (an ornate form of rhymed prose), to the retelling of secular anecdotes.[14] Until that time, saj’ had been confined to religious and political works.[15][16] 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.[17]
Al-Hamadani’s Maqama made use of anecdotes collected in the 9th century by earlier writers, such as
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.[20]
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.[21]
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.[22]
See also
- Maqamat Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadhani
- Arabic literature
- Arabic miniature
References
- ^ https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-islamica/badi-al-zaman-hamadani-COM_00000025
- ^ Hämeen-Anttila, J., Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 , p 15
- ^ Hämeen-Anttila, J., Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 , pp 16-20
- ISBN 9004081186.
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002, pp 27-28
- ^ Hämeen-Anttila, J., Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 , pp 28-29
- ^ 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
- ^ a b public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hamadhānī". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 868–869. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- 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
- ^ 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, 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
- 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, María 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 Hämeen-Anttila, Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002, pp 45-50
- ^ Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Maqama: A History of a Genre, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002, pp 54-55
Sources
External links
- The Maqámát of Badí‘ al-Zamán al-Hamadhání English translation at sacred-texts.com
Further reading
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’’.)