{"collection":"Islam","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/isl/mhm/mhm04.htm","path":"isl/mhm/mhm04.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/isl/mhm/mhm04.htm","text":"The Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t of Bad\u00ed\u2018 al-Zam\u00e1n al-Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed, tr. W.J. Prendergast [1915]\nTHE \u1e24\u00e1fiz A\u1e25mad ibn al-\u1e24usain ibn Ya\u1e25ya ibn \u1e62a\u2018\u00edd ibn Bashar Ab\u00fa\u2019l-Fa\u1e0dl al-Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed, surnamed Bad\u00ed \u2018al-Zam\u00e1n (the Wonder of the Age), was born at Hamadh\u00e1n on the 13th of Jum\u00e1d\u00ed al-\u00c1khir A.H. 358 (A.D. 967) and, therefore, like many other eminent Arabic writers, lived far from Arabia and may have even been of Persian origin. 1 He himself claimed to be descended from the tribes of Taghlib and Mu\u1e0dar. 2\nUnlike \u1e24ar\u00edr\u00ed, his great imitator, he had not the advantage of being born and bred in the atmosphere and amid the inspiring associations of a great seat of learning, and he himself appears to have shared the popular opinion as to the stupidity and churlishness of the people of Hamadh\u00e1n.\nHe is said to have satirized his native place in the well-known lines:--\n.\nOn page 419 of the Letters he quotes the verse of another poet:--\nIbn F\u00e1ris, Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed's instructor, ironically hints that the ignorance of the people of Hamadh\u00e1n was contagious. 'Why should I not ', says he, 'offer a sincere prayer for that city where I had the good fortune of forgetting all I ever learned?' 1 In spite of the uninspiring character of his immediate surroundings, \u2018Auf\u00ed tells us he gave, at a very early age, evidence of those great gifts which eventually made him famous.\nThat great patron of letters, the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25ib ibn \u2018Abb\u00e1d, the famous Buwayhid minister, tested his skill in ex tempore translation at the age of twelve by giving the young scholar Persian verse to render into metrical Arabic, a feat which he accomplished on the spot, the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25ib himself, at the instance of the youthful poet, suggesting the metre and the rhyme. 2\nIt must, however, be borne in mind that he had the good fortune of sitting at the feet of learned men like Ab\u00fa\u2019l-\u1e24usain ibn F\u00e1ris (ob. A.H. 390), the philologist and author of the Mujmil f\u00ed\u2019l-Lugh\u00e1t, or Collection of Philological Observations 3 and \u2018\u012as\u00e1 ibn Hish\u00e1m the traditionalist. It is not improbable that in the latter we have the original of the name of the R\u00e1w\u00ed or narrator of the Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t. The relater of tradition might by an easy transition become the narrator of the story or adventure.\nEach maq\u00e1ma begins with \u2026, which, being literally rendered, signifies 'he related news, or traditions to us'. It should also be remembered that, notwithstanding internal dissensions, internecine strife and the frequent wars with the Greeks, he lived in an age of great intellectual activity. The literary renaissance, which began in the reign of Saif al-Daula, 4 was still making itself felt.\nMutanabb\u00ed, considered by his countrymen to be the greatest of Isl\u00e1mic poets, had just completed his great work. Two years before Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed was born Ab\u00fa \u2018Al\u00ed al-Q\u00e1l\u00ed had finished in Cordova his excellent work on philology, the Book of Dictations,\nand Ab\u00fa\u2019l-Faraj al-Isfah\u00e1n\u00ed had completed one of the most important and useful works in the Arabic language, that rich mine of poetry, history, antiquities and legend, the Kit\u00e1b al-Agh\u00e1n\u00ed, on which he had spent fifty years of his life. In A.H. 360, or two years after the birth of the author, the Brethren of Purity were endeavouring by means of their teachings, set forth in fifty treatises, to reconcile science and religion and to harmonize the law of Isl\u00e1m with the philosophy of the Greeks.\nAmong other prominent men of his day were Ab\u00fa Fir\u00e1s, the famous poet prince, regarding whom the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25ib used to say, 'Poetry began with a prince--Imr al-Qais--and ended with one--Ab\u00fa\u2019l-Fir\u00e1s.' 1 There were also Ab\u00fa\u2019l-Al\u00e1 al-Ma\u2018ar\u00ed, the poet, philosopher and free-thinker; al-Babbgh\u00e1, the poet and Ibn Nub\u00e1ta, the fiery preacher. To be called the Wonder of such an age was indeed a proud distinction. And here one is led to enquire as to what were the system of education and the method of study that could produce such a prodigy.\nIn Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed's time, education, in addition to the study of the Qur\u2019\u00e1n and the commentaries thereon, consisted of the study of Traditions of the Prophet, jurisprudence, legendary lore concerning the pagan times of the Arabs, their days or battles, ex tempore recitations, philosophy, philology, poetics, grammar, the art of writing ornate prose, and travel. 2\nIn his reflections on knowledge, the course to be pursued in the acquisition thereof and the essential qualifications of the seeker after knowledge, the author gives us an insight into his own methods of study. These comprised self-denial, dogged perseverance, much reading, patient investigation and deep meditation joined to extensive travel. He makes it clear that he knew of no royal road to learning and that he had learned 'to scorn delights and live laborious days'. 3 In the Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t he shows how thorough had been his education and how deeply he was imbued with the culture of his age.\nIn the year A.H. 380 at the age of twenty-two he left his little-loved native place and proceeded to the court of the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25ib. There is no evidence as to the precise duration of his stay there, but, in the society of the litterati that had gathered round the\ngreat Waz\u00edr and with, doubtless, free access to a library so vast that the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25ib is reported to have said that it would require 400 camels to transport it, 1 it must have been for the young aspirant to literary fame a period rich in opportunity and experience. A breach of good manners on his part in the presence of the Waz\u00edr is said to have brought his sojourn at Arraj\u00e1n to an abrupt termination. Thence he journeyed to Jurj\u00e1n where, according to Tha\u2018\u00e1lib\u00ed (A.H. 350-429) he frequented the society of the Ism\u00e1\u2018\u00edl\u00ed heretics, from whom he acquired a great deal of knowledge and received much enlightenment. 2 In A.H. 382 (A.D. 992-3) at the age of twenty-four he reached Nishapur where he composed the work upon which his fame rests, the Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t. On his way to this city he appears to have fallen among thieves who robbed him and stripped him of everything he possessed. 3\nIf we accept the dates given by Tha\u2018\u00e1lib\u00ed in the Yat\u00edma, 4 of Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed's arrival at Nishapur (A.H. 382) and 5 of al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed's death (A.H. 383), the Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t were the work of a very young man, completed within the short space of two years. If such was the case there must have been a great deal of scholarly preparation during the author's stay at the court of the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25ib and his sojourn among the Ism\u00e1\u2018\u00edl\u00ed heretics at Jurj\u00e1n. The evidence in favour of this view is supplied by Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed himself. In replying to al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed's criticism of his work he tauntingly remarks that, while he had dictated four hundred maq\u00e1m\u00e1t, his detractor was unable to compose a tenth part of one. 6\nThere is, however, reason to suppose that the, work was begun before the author left his native city. For example, the scene of the maq\u00e1ma of Ma\u1e0dirah is laid in Ba\u1e63ra while the concluding appeal is made to an audience in Hamadh\u00e1n. 7 The inference is, therefore, that the Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t were begun in Hamadh\u00e1n and completed in Nishapur, probably some time after the death of al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed in A.H. 383.\nWhile in this city a great literary duel took place between Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed and Ab\u00fa Bakr al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed (A.H. 323-83), a nephew of \u1e6cabar\u00ed, the well-known historian. Al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed was a poet of the first rank, a master of the art of official writing,\na renowned authority on philology and genealogy and noted for his sententious sayings. In addition to all this he was endowed with a marvellous memory.\nIt is related of him that having gone to see the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25ib ibn \u2018Abb\u00e1d, who was then holding court at Arraj\u00e1n, he requested a chamberlain to announce to him that a literary man desired permission to see him, and his master replied: 'Tell him I have bound myself not to receive any literary man, unless he know by heart twenty thousand verses composed by Arabs of the desert'. The chamberlain returned with the answer, and Ab\u00fa Bakr said: 'Go back and ask him if he means twenty thousand composed by men or twenty thousand composed by women?' This question was repeated and the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25ib exclaimed: 'That must be Ab\u00fa Bakr al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed: let him come in!' 1 Such was the intellectual giant, now about sixty years of age, whom the youthful scholar of twenty-five essayed to challenge to literary combat.\nHamadh\u00e1n\u00ed opened the discussion. Addressing al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed he said: 'We have cited thee in order that thou mayest fill this assembly 2 with benefits and quote unfamiliar verses and rare proverbs. We will discuss with thee and profit by that which thou hast, and do thou question us that thou mayest benefit by what we have. Now we will begin with the arts of which thou art master and which have made thee famous. They are memory, if thou wilt, poetry, if thou desirest, prose, if thou choosest, or improvisation, if thou please, for these are the subjects of the boast with which thou dost fill thy mouth.' 3 Al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed chose improvisation and the result was his complete discomfiture. 4\nWe are afraid the decision in favour of the author was not altogether free from bias. Al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed was supported by his students while the leading men of Nishapur, who had a grudge against him, sided with Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed. 5 The verdict must have been a foregone conclusion.\nHamadh\u00e1n\u00ed does not appear, however, to have cherished any\nill will against his vanquished rival. In his reply to some one, who subsequently was uncharitable enough to write and felicitate him upon al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed's illness, he administered a sharp rebuke to the writer and told him that in the time of trouble all resentment disappears, that he entertained the deepest affection for the great scholar and sincerely prayed for his recovery. 1\nAs no one had imagined there was a scholar who, under any circumstances, had the temerity to enter the lists with al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed, Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed's success in vanquishing the great man caused his fame to spread far and wide and secured him the patronage of the great and the powerful. In the course of his subsequent travels there was not a prince, governor or chief whose bounty he did not enjoy, and whose largess he did not receive. 2\nOn the death of al-Khw\u00e1razm\u00ed in A.H. 383 (according to Ibn al-Ath\u00edr in A.H. 393) Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed found himself without a rival. How long he remained at Nishapur is not known, but writing to Shaikh Abd \u2018Al\u00ed for a letter to the Am\u00edr he complains that his sojourn there had been long, that he was suffering from insomnia and, if there should be any delay in sending the letter, he would be obliged to leave without it. 3 After leaving this city he visited every important town in Khur\u00e1s\u00e1n, Sijist\u00e1n (Seistan) and the kingdom of Ghazna, probably reciting his maq\u00e1m\u00e1t to admiring audiences wherever he went. He finally settled in Herat 4 where he greatly improved his position and circumstances by marrying the daughter of a rich man named Ab\u00fa \u2018Al\u00ed \u1e24usain al-Khushn\u00e1m\u00ed. By this marriage he had an only daughter to whom he refers in the most affectionate terms. He writes: 'I am as devoted to her as a father to an only son and I would not exchange her for ten sons.' 5\nHe appears to have carried on an extensive correspondence with a large number of distinguished personages, the chief among whom were: Shaikh Abd \u2018Abb\u00e1s, first minister of Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Ma\u1e25m\u00fad of Ghazna, Adn\u00e1n ibn Mu\u1e25ammad, the governor of\n[paragraph continues] Herat, Ab\u00fa Ja\u2018far al-M\u00edk\u00e1l\u00ed, Mu\u1e25ammad ibn Zuheir, the governor of Balkh, the Waz\u00edr of Rayy and others.\nProficiency in the epistolary art, such as Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed could boast of, was a sure passport to preferment in the author's time, but he does not appear to have held any official position and the allusions to his being appointed governor of Ba\u1e63ra 1 and administrator of a province in Syria 2 are, in all probability, a fiction. 3 He died at Herat on Friday, the 11th Jum\u00e1d\u00ed\u2019l \u2018Ula. A.H. 398 (February, 1008) 4 at the comparatively early age of forty lunar years, or eight years younger than \u1e24ar\u00edr\u00ed was when he began to compose his Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t. 5\nAccording to Ab\u00fa \u1e62a\u2018\u00edd \u2018Abd al-Ra\u1e25m\u00e1n ibn Mu\u1e25ammad, 'He fell into a lethargy and was buried with precipitation. He recovered when shut up in the tomb, and his cries having been heard in the night his grave was opened and he was found dead grasping his beard'. 6 It is also said he was poisoned.\nJudged by his Letters 7 he was a man to whom family ties strongly appealed. His advice to his sister's son manifests a commendable concern for the boy's education. He writes: 'Thou art my son as long as learning is thy business, the school thy place, the ink-flask thy ally, and a book thy friend, but, if thou come short, but methinks thou wilt not do so, then let another be thy uncle.' 8\nTha\u2018\u00e1lib\u00ed, his acquaintance and biographer, sums up his ability and character as follows: 'He was remarkable for his choice and correct Arabic, the elegance of his epistles and the beauty of his poetry. He was of pleasing appearance, cheerful, sociable, modest, large-hearted, high-souled, a man of his word, sincere in his social relations, a true friend, but a bitter enemy. 9\nHis death, according to the same authority; was a great blow to learning, and he was universally lamented and regretted; 'but', adds Tha\u2018\u00e1lib\u00ed, 'he is not dead whose fame liveth'. 10 These words were written a short time after the death of Hamadh\u00e1n\u00ed; and the succeeding nine centuries, during which his influence\nhas penetrated the vast realm of Isl\u00e1mic literature, have proved that they were not inappropriately applied to the author of the Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t.\n1:1 See Letters of the author, p. 47, line 1.\n1:2 Ibid., pp. 8 and 9.\n1:3 Ab\u00fa\u2019l-\u2018Ala Mu\u1e25ammad ibn \u1e24usul, a native of Hamadh\u00e1n, is the reputed author of these lines.\n2:1 Ibn Khallikan, De Slane's Translation, i, 101.\n2:2 Lub\u00e1b al-Alb\u00e1b, p. 17.\n2:3 Ibn Khallikan, De Slane's Translation, i, 101.\n2:4 See Yat\u00edma, i, 9.\n3:1 Ibn Khallikan, De Slane's Translation, i, 366.\n3:2 See De Slane's Introduction to Ibn Khallikan, pp. xxxi and xxxii,\n3:3 Text, pp. 202-4 and Letters, pp. 165-8.\n4:1 Ibn Khallikan, De Slane's Translation, i, 215.\n4:2 Yat\u00edma, iv, 168.\n4:3 Letters, pp. 104-5.\n4:4 Yat\u00edma, iv, 168.\n4:5 Letters, pp. 104-5.\n4:6 Ibid., p. 390.\n4:7 Text, pp. 110-15.\n5:1 Ibn Khallikan, De Slane's Translation, iii, 108. Yat\u00edma, iv, 114.\n5:2 The author uses the word Majlis (\u2026), Letters, p. 41, line 5.\n5:3 Ibid., pp, 41-2.\n5:4 Letters, pp, 80 and 83 and Yak\u00fat's Dictionary of Learned Men, i, 101.\n5:5 Yat\u00edma, iv, 137.\n6:1 Letters, p. 187.\n6:2 Yat\u00edma, iv, 169. The only one deemed worthy of praise in the Maq\u00e1m\u00e1t was Khalaf ibn A\u1e25mad, the Am\u00edr of Sijist\u00e1n.\n6:3 Letters, p. 189.\n6:4 See Letters, p. 337 for the motives which prompted him to settle there.\n6:5 Letters, p. 398.\n7:1 Text, p. 196.\n7:2 Ibid., p. 233.\n7:3 See Letters, pp. 266-7.\n7:4 Letters, p. 295.\n7:5 De Sacy's Introduction to \u1e24ar\u00edr\u00ed, p. 50.\n7:6 Ibn Khallikan, De Slane's Translation, i, 114.\n7:7 Letters, pp. 245-9.\n7:8 Ibid., p, 523.\n7:9 Yat\u00edma, iv, 168; also Letters, pp. 253-5.\n7:10 Yat\u00edma, iv, 109.","title":"The Maqamat of al-Hamadhani: Introduction: I. Life of the...","type":"page"}