Ibn ‘Abbād’s Literary Critical Approach to Al-Mutanabbī’s Poetry in Al-Kashf ‘An Masāwī Shi‘R Al-Mutanabbī
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Classical Arabic literary criticism is based not only on linguistic and aesthetic principles but may also be influenced by critics’ personal subjectivity. This study examines the normative foundations of Ibn ‘Abbād’s criticism of Al-Mutanabbī’s poetry and explores the possible influence of their personal relationship on his judgments. It employs library research with a qualitative-descriptive approach. The primary source is al-Kashf ‘an Masāwī Shi‘r al-Mutanabbī by al-Ṣāḥib Abū al-Qāsim Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Abbād, edited and annotated by Muḥammad Ḥasan Āl Yāsīn (Maktabat al-Nahḍah, Baghdad, 1965). Data were collected through systematic reading and note-taking and analyzed using content analysis. The findings identify seven normative aspects of Ibn ‘Abbād’s criticism: accuracy of letters in pronunciation and writing, harmony between qāfiyah (rhyme) and ḥarakāt (vowel marks), the relationship between lexical meaning and moral or rhetorical tone, letter substitution, appropriate word choice, the use of gharīb (rare or obscure vocabulary), and unfamiliar expressions that create ambiguity (al-kalām al-hukl). However, his judgments concerning the appropriateness and beauty of poetic expressions also reveal personal aesthetic preferences. His disappointment over Al-Mutanabbī’s failure to make an expected visit provides historical context for possible subjective influence, although it does not establish personal hostility as the basis of his criticism. This study concludes that Ibn ‘Abbād’s normative criteria can serve as a reference for poetry evaluation. Its findings on critical subjectivity also offer an evaluative perspective for modern Arabic literary criticism to reassess classical critical works in a more critical and contextual manner.
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225754778