Friday, November 18, 2005

Notes from Prison - 3

(3rd part in this ongoing series: more pearls from Alija Izetbegovic's treasure chest, 'Notes from Prison, 1983-1988)

-They were not Arabs, but they wrote in the Arabic language: Abu Nives, one of the greatest poets of Arab poetry, was Persian. Ibn el Mustafa, also a Persian, was the author of the most beautiful Arab prose (second century after Hijra). Sibenshi, the famous systemizer of Arab grammar, Ibn Sinna and the great scientist El-Birouni were also Persians. Ibn Rumi was of Greek origin, as well as the geographer Jakub, while Ibn-Kufi (Spanish chronicler), Ibn Hazm (theologian and writer) and Ibn Kuzman (great poet) were of Visigoth origin [Francesco Gabrielli, The History of Arab Literature, p.11]

In the first centuries of Islam, the predominance of Arabic language was absolute. The only exception to it was the Persian national reaffirmation movement in the tenth and eleventh centuries, first in poetry and then in prose. The complete separation of Persian literature from Arab happened only recently. The predominance of the Arabic language was everywhere due to the predominance of the Qur'an in spiritual life.

-Considering the relationships between the Arab-Muslim and Spanish-Catholic communities in the medeival Spain, Ortega Y Gasset said: "It is a real shame that the relationships that existed between these two communities have not yet come to light. We must admit that our Arabists (scientists who study the Arab world), led by Ribero, have made some important steps in the attempt to get a clearer picture of the way the Moors and the Spanish lived together. However, unless this issue is approached from deeper layers, it will not be possible to read much further."

Gasset believes that lack of knowledge or poor knowledge also characterized the relationship between Europe and Islam in general - "ignorance of the fact is one of the big realities of the history of the West" (Gasset in his preface to Ibn Hazm's Dove's Necklace)

-With the exception of the Mayan culture, ended by forceful death, all other cultures in history died gradually as a consequence of aging, the slowing down of life rhythm, some kind of sclerosis, that is, of internal changes. This process can be followed most clearly in Roman civilization, where the invasion of barbarians was just a coup de grace for an organism that had been in the state of agony for two centuries. The Arab civilization was not an exception to this rule. It is up to historians to establish what this culture suffered from, to examine the causes of its decline, in which colonial subjugation was not the reason for its fall but rather a consequence of its internal descent. Anyway, does the Qur'an not say: "Verily, never will God change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)" [Qur'an 13:11]. It could be said that this rule has the power of natural law in the life peoples and their movement through history.

10 comments:

  1. MAY PEACE BE UPON YOUR SOUL, HEART, MIND, AND, BODY...AMEN.
    THIS IS A BIT OF MY OWN PERSONAL ANALATICAL THINKING...
    I CAN GET NO
    SA TIS FAC TION
    Thats all we know...thats mostly how we feel about things. UNSATISFACTION LEADS TO +VE & -VE ENDS... 'CUZ BASICALLY THERE ARE +VE & -VE DISSATISFACTIONSSSS....
    +VE DISSATISFACTION: Is when the issue we're not satisfied about is 'cuz we were CAPABLE of making things better with better means to a better conclusion... and WE -& i say WE- can cause that change .
    -VE DISSATISFACTION: Is when the issue we're not satisfied about is 'cuz we EXPECT things to get better with better/worse means to a better/worse conclusion.. & we EXPECT -& i say EXPECT- things to change by others...
    SO WHAT EXTENT DO WE WANT TO REACH?? AND HOW??
    WE SHOULD REALLY LOOK INTO THE ESSENSES OF THINGS!!

    SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,
    "ignorance of the fact is one of the big realities of the history of the West"...U CAN SAY THAT AGAIN...

    MAY ALLAH MAKE THESES EFFORTS OF YOURS A ROAD TO HEAVE...AMEN... AND GRANT YOU AND US PURE SENCERITY, AND REWARD YOU AS BIG AS YOUR INTENTIONS ARE...AMEN.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:04 PM

    Salaam Dear Abu Dharr:
    I love the sincerity of your writing :) and thus I commend to you my book, Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel, from which you can read an excerpt at http://www.masterofthejinn.com

    May Allah guide out pens, for His pen is cut from the reedbed of the heart, and therein lies the Truth.

    Ya Haqq,

    Irving

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:04 PM

    Asalaam Alaikum Brother,

    Another very interesting post...

    You are such a beautiful soul...

    That is something you could never hide if you tried...even if you feel as if you are living in your own kind of prison right now...

    Keep your head up...

    Allah knows of your plight...He knows of your good intentions...

    He will get you through everything if you just keep your faith in Him and Him alone...

    Fi Aman Allah,

    S

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  4. Anonymous9:07 AM

    So where are you man????????/!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    COME BACK!!!!!

    PLEASE!

    ReplyDelete
  5. salaams,

    i didn't realize that gasset even wrote about islam at all. I've read parts of Revolt of the masses ages ago, before I was Muslim and haven't thought about him in years. but I think i might just pick him up again.

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  6. Anonymous3:46 PM

    SALAM!

    Bro where art thou?

    We all hope you are well -

    Miss you.
    Please come back - whats the matter? Are things really that bad? C'mon man - you can do it. You can get over this trial. God-Willing, you will DO it and be back with us all cos we all luv ya and miss ya like loads and loads.

    Please please look after yourself and don't forget that God will always gve His slaves the best.

    ~your fan

    8-6-06

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jazakum Allah kheir for the post.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Keep sending your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous12:16 AM

    assalaamu alaikum

    since i dont have any other place on your blog to question, i would like to know where your from ?
    im from kerala.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous3:09 AM

    Assalaamu a'laikum, and welcome..

    You've guessed correctly. I don't live there, however. Where in Kerala are you from?

    This blog may be moving to another site soon, if Allah permits.

    -Abu Dharr

    ReplyDelete