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madīḥ

Arabic literature

Learn about this topic in these articles:

“Al-Muʿallaqāt”

  • In Al-Muʿallaqāt

    …theme of the qaṣīdah (the madīḥ, or panegyric, the poet’s tribute to himself, his tribe, or his patron) is often disguised in these vivid descriptive passages, which are the chief glory of Al-Muʿallaqāt. Their vivid imagery, exact observation, and deep feeling of intimacy with nature in the Arabian Desert contribute…

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qaṣīdah

  • world distribution of Islam
    In Arabic literature: Categories and forms

    …praise of the tribe (the madīḥ) comes third, in which one of several possible “purposes” is proclaimed: boasts concerning the heroism and endurance of the tribe’s fighters, the generosity and hospitality of its people, the beauty of its women, or the feats of its animals. Descriptions of wine drinking, gambling,…

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  • In qaṣīdah

    The main theme, the madih, or panegyric, often coupled with hijaʾ (satire of enemies), is last and is the poet’s tribute to himself, his tribe, or his patron.

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Key People:
Simin Behbahani

Iranian literature, body of writings in the Iranian languages produced in an area encompassing eastern Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Central Asia as well as Afghanistan and the western areas of Pakistan.

The oldest surviving texts are contained in the Avesta, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism. Iranian literature includes a limited corpus of writings in extinct languages such as Sogdian and the Khotanese dialect of Saka. It also includes modern literatures in Kurdish and Pashto. By far the most important are the literatures in the dialects of the Persian language, including the Old Persian and Middle Persian of pre-Islamic times and in particular the Modern Persian (Farsī or Darī) of the Islamic period. See Persian literature.

J.T.P. de Bruijn