Belletristic Elements in The Life of The Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām

The article considers belletristic elements included in The Life of the Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām. The focus is on the compilers’ efforts to renew the stock principles of Arabic historiography by means of artistic expressiveness and plot- organized narrative, the technique which then was sti...

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Main Author: Alexander B. Kudelin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature 2019-03-01
Series:Studia Litterarum
Subjects:
Online Access:http://studlit.ru/images/2019-4-1/Kudelin.pdf
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author Alexander B. Kudelin
author_facet Alexander B. Kudelin
author_sort Alexander B. Kudelin
collection DOAJ
description The article considers belletristic elements included in The Life of the Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām. The focus is on the compilers’ efforts to renew the stock principles of Arabic historiography by means of artistic expressiveness and plot- organized narrative, the technique which then was still under development. The article analyses Al-sīra’s grafic imagery, such as descriptions of characters — from without (their portraits, attire, etс.) and from within (their spiritual qualities, motives behind their actions, etc.) — and the setting details operative for vivid recreation of particular events. The article argues that prosaic and poetic components of the text were variously affected by belletristic rhetoric. The prosaic units were refreshed by the matter-of- factness, while the poetic units tended to conventionality and faithfully embodied the values of traditional poetics. The narrative of Al-sīra is indicative of the contrast between the ideals of pre-Islamic Age (muruwwa /murū’a/) and the demands of the Islamic epoch (dīn). The facts and passages discussed here allow us to read The Life of the Prophet as a text rich with elements indicative of belletristic mode integral to literary works.
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spelling doaj-art-dde2731b78944c7cbe6fa2e4c12304562025-08-20T03:24:40ZengRussian Academy of Sciences, A.M. Gorky Institute of World LiteratureStudia Litterarum2500-42472541-85642019-03-0141286910.22455/2500-4247-2019-4-1-28-69Belletristic Elements in The Life of The Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn HishāmAlexander B. Kudelin0A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of SciencesThe article considers belletristic elements included in The Life of the Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām. The focus is on the compilers’ efforts to renew the stock principles of Arabic historiography by means of artistic expressiveness and plot- organized narrative, the technique which then was still under development. The article analyses Al-sīra’s grafic imagery, such as descriptions of characters — from without (their portraits, attire, etс.) and from within (their spiritual qualities, motives behind their actions, etc.) — and the setting details operative for vivid recreation of particular events. The article argues that prosaic and poetic components of the text were variously affected by belletristic rhetoric. The prosaic units were refreshed by the matter-of- factness, while the poetic units tended to conventionality and faithfully embodied the values of traditional poetics. The narrative of Al-sīra is indicative of the contrast between the ideals of pre-Islamic Age (muruwwa /murū’a/) and the demands of the Islamic epoch (dīn). The facts and passages discussed here allow us to read The Life of the Prophet as a text rich with elements indicative of belletristic mode integral to literary works.http://studlit.ru/images/2019-4-1/Kudelin.pdfThe Life of the Prophet (Al-sīra al-Nabawiyya ) by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn HishāmArabic historiographic traditionbelletristic elementsplot-organized narrativeprosaic and poetic components of a narrative.
spellingShingle Alexander B. Kudelin
Belletristic Elements in The Life of The Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām
Studia Litterarum
The Life of the Prophet (Al-sīra al-Nabawiyya ) by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām
Arabic historiographic tradition
belletristic elements
plot-organized narrative
prosaic and poetic components of a narrative.
title Belletristic Elements in The Life of The Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām
title_full Belletristic Elements in The Life of The Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām
title_fullStr Belletristic Elements in The Life of The Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām
title_full_unstemmed Belletristic Elements in The Life of The Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām
title_short Belletristic Elements in The Life of The Prophet by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām
title_sort belletristic elements in the life of the prophet by ibn ishaq ibn hisham
topic The Life of the Prophet (Al-sīra al-Nabawiyya ) by Ibn Isḥāq — Ibn Hishām
Arabic historiographic tradition
belletristic elements
plot-organized narrative
prosaic and poetic components of a narrative.
url http://studlit.ru/images/2019-4-1/Kudelin.pdf
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