Diwan of Ibn Rasheeq al-Qayrawani

Author's name: Al-Qayrawani

The author of this collection of poems is Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn Rasheeq, author of the book "Al-Umda" on criticism. He was born in Muhammadiyah or M'Sila in 390 AH. He moved to Kairouan in 406 AH. He left for Mahdia after 449 AH, then left Mahdia and returned to it, then left it never to return to Sicily in 454 AH or shortly after, where he died in Bazar after 456 AH, and most likely in 436 AH. In the days of Ibn Rushd, Kairouan was a destination for students, and prominent scholars, imams, and eloquent speakers met there. His sheikhs had broad and varied tendencies: some were famous for language, some were mostly critical, some were mostly poetry, and some were mostly writing. In the days of Ibn Rushd, Kairouan was a destination for students, and prominent scholars, imams, and eloquent speakers met there. His sheikhs had broad and varied tendencies: some were famous for language, some were mostly critical, some were mostly poetry, and some were mostly writing. In Kairouan, Mohammedia and other cities of the country, the echoes of diverse cultures were resonating, their voices reaching from Egypt, the Levant, the Levant, the Maghreb and Andalusia. These echoes affected Ibn Rasheeq, making him active and influenced by them. There is no doubt that the prose of Ibn al-Amid, Ibn Abbad, al-Khwarizmi, Badī’ al-Zaman al-Hamadhānī, Ibn Hayyan al-Tawḥīdī, Ibn Mansur al-Tha’alibi and others reached the Maghreb and Africa, and was taken up by the sheikhs of Kairouan and circulated by its writers and scholars. There is no doubt that the poetry of al-Mutanabbi, Ibn Hajjāj, al-Sharīf al-Radi, Abu al-Ala’ al-Ma’arri and others was some or much of it chanted in the gatherings of Kairouan, and its echoes reverberated throughout its corners. There is no doubt that the news of Abu al-Mughīrah Ibn Hazm and his cousin Abu Muhammad Ibn Hazm, Ibn Shahīr, Ibn Zaydūn and others, and what they wrote or wrote of poetry, had an echo in Africa. Ibn Rushd participated in many sources of knowledge. It was reported that he participated in the language, so he wrote the book “Al-Shadhuth” in which he mentioned every Arabic word that is unusual in its category in its meaning, indicating his extensive knowledge and solid understanding. He is also mentioned for his book “Antajud Al-Lughah”. Ibn Rushd occupied the literary gatherings of his time, and debates and discussions took place between him and Ibn Sharaf, which resulted in many letters that were also produced by the debates of Al-Khwarizmi and Badī’ Al-Zaman Al-Hamadhānī. He crowned the literary criticism movement that appeared in Morocco with his book “Al-Umda”, in which Ibn Rushd transferred the art of criticism from criticizing a particular poet or specific individuals, to criticizing the sect in general. Ibn Khaldun said about it: “It is the book that is unique in this craft and gave it its due, and no one wrote anything like it before or after him. Another of Ibn Rushd's works is a showcase for the cultural fabric, preserving the memory of those poets who revived the literary life of Kairouan. He did not merely mention them in passing, but rather studied their lives, discussed their stories, analyzed their poetic approaches, and included poetry that vindicated his views. He entitled this book "Antajud al-Zaman fi Shu'ara' al-Qayrawan" (The Model of Time in the Poets of Kairouan), and it included more than 100 poets contemporary with him. Haji Khalifa mentions that among the histories of Kairouan is the history of Ibn Ali al-Hasan ibn Rushd al-Qayrawani, who died in 463 AH. He also wrote the book "Mizan al-Amal fi al-Tarikh" (The Balance of Action in History). It was also mentioned in Kashf al-Zunun that Ibn Rushd was among those who explained the Muwatta' on Hadith. Thus, Ibn Rushd exerted fruitful efforts in various fields of knowledge, and he himself was the founder of the heritage of generations, while also preserving the heritage of others. Thus, there is no doubt that Ibn Rushd also left behind a collection of poetry, and although he collected these poetic pieces in this book, as he mentions, only fragments of it were found scattered in the folds of books and between the pages of manuscripts, adding that he tried as much as he could to collect from the various sources and places he came across until he collected more than seven hundred verses attributed to him - as he found seven hundred and forty-three (743) verses, which he collected in this book, confirming their reference and the different places in which they were presented, and counting the number of poems and fragments that these verses contain, he counted them as two hundred and fourteen poems and fragments (214), and the fragments were the following, and the longest poem that was found of his was his poem in mourning for Kairouan, of which fifty-six verses remain (56), and it was said that it originally amounted to one hundred and twenty-two, and many of his fragments that were found do not exceed two verses. Whatever the case, these poetic pieces included various arts such as description, praise, wine, elegy, both types of love poetry, reproach, and satire. Perhaps description was the most prevalent among them all, as it had the greatest share.