Zuhayr
Encyclopedia
Zuhayr was a pre-Islamic Arabian poet
who lived in the 6th century AD. He is considered one of the greatest writer of Arabic
poetry in pre-Islamic times. Zuhayr belonged to the Muzaynah tribe. His father was a poet. His elder son, Ka'b bin Zuhayr
, was also a poet and read poems to Muhammad
.
His poems can be found in Hammad Ar-Rawiya
's anthology, the Mu'allaqat
("the Suspended"), a collection of pre-Islamic poetry. He was one of the Seven Hanged Poets who were reputed to have been honoured by hanging copies of their work in the Kaaba
at Mecca
. He was Umar ibn Khattab's favourite poet.
Zuhayr's poetry was written when two Bedouin
tribes ended a longstanding hostility. His poems deal with raids and other subjects of nomad
ic desert life. He also wrote satirical
poems and poems about the glory of his tribe, but in his verses he was less satiric than most of his brother poets. He strove to express deep thoughts in simple words, to be clear and by his clear phrases to teach his people high and noble ideas. He was a man of rank and wealth, the foremost of a family noted for their poetic skill and religious earnestness. In brief, Zuhayr is the gentleman-homophillia among Arab poets.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who lived in the 6th century AD. He is considered one of the greatest writer of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
poetry in pre-Islamic times. Zuhayr belonged to the Muzaynah tribe. His father was a poet. His elder son, Ka'b bin Zuhayr
Ka'b bin Zuhayr
Kaʿb ibn Zuhayr was a pagan in the time of Muḥammad, the eldest son of Zuhayr ibn Abî Sûlmâ, and one of six men who refused the prophet's attempts to convert them....
, was also a poet and read poems to Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
His poems can be found in Hammad Ar-Rawiya
Hammad Ar-Rawiya
Hammad Ar-Rawiya [Abu-l-Qasim Hammad ibn Abi Laila Sapur ] , Arab scholar, was of Dailamite descent, but was born in Kufa. The date of hisbirth is given by some as 694 AD, by others as 714....
's anthology, the Mu'allaqat
Mu'allaqat
The Mu‘allaqāt is the title of a group of seven long Arabic poems or qasida that have come down from the time before Islam. Each is considered the best work of these pre-Islamic poets...
("the Suspended"), a collection of pre-Islamic poetry. He was one of the Seven Hanged Poets who were reputed to have been honoured by hanging copies of their work in the Kaaba
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
at Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. He was Umar ibn Khattab's favourite poet.
Zuhayr's poetry was written when two Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
tribes ended a longstanding hostility. His poems deal with raids and other subjects of nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic desert life. He also wrote satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
poems and poems about the glory of his tribe, but in his verses he was less satiric than most of his brother poets. He strove to express deep thoughts in simple words, to be clear and by his clear phrases to teach his people high and noble ideas. He was a man of rank and wealth, the foremost of a family noted for their poetic skill and religious earnestness. In brief, Zuhayr is the gentleman-homophillia among Arab poets.