Umayyah ibn Abī as-Ṣalt (Arabic: أمية بن أبي الصلت) was a poet of pre-Islamic Arabia who advocated for monotheism instead of the worship of idols. He was thought to be a member of the Banu Thaqif tribe, with Qurayshi descent on his maternal side. During the rise of Islam, Umayya is said to have become a claimant to prophethood and rivalled Muhammad, which earned him a controversial position in Islamic tradition.
Abu al-Hakam Umayya ibn Abi as-Salt | |
|---|---|
أمية بن أبي الصلت | |
| Born | c. End of the 6th century CE |
| Died | c. 626 (aged 90) |
| Known for |
|
| Works | Dīwān Umayyah ibn Abī al-Ṣalt |
| Political party | Hanif |
| Family |
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Biography
editUmayya was born in Taif. His full name is Umayya ibn Abi as-Salt al-Thaqafi, and his full lineage is Umayya ibn Abi as-Salt ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'ah ibn 'Awf ibn Thaqif. Hence, his lineage is traced back to the tribe of Banu Thaqif.[1] His mother was a woman named Ruqayya, the great-granddaughter of the Arabian patriarch Qusayy ibn Kilab, thus maternally he has descent from the Quraysh.[1]
Religious beliefs
editUmayya believed in monotheism, and rejected the worship of idols that classical tradition has described as being prevalent amongst his contemporaries.[1][2][3] According to 11th-century historian Ibn Asakir, Umayya lived during the rise of Islam in the 7th century but refused to convert either out of spite, hatred, or confusion; all three reasons have been presented in the Tarikh Dimashq.[2] In the Tazkirul Quran, it is stated that Umayya was an opponent of Muhammad who also claimed Prophethood out of jealousy when he realized the revelation was not given to him.[3] Hadith scholar Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani affirms that Umayya did not accept Islam at all until his death in 626 CE (the ninth year of the Hijra).[4]
Poetry
editIn 1934–1936, the Lebanese scholar Bashir Yamut collected several poems attributed to Umayya, compiling them in a book known as the Dīwān Umayyah ibn Abī al-Ṣalt.[5] Another Diwan has also been published in Beirut, Lebanon by Dar Sadr in 1998.[6] The authenticity of the poems and its attribution to Umayya have been put into question.[7]
Themes
editAs a poet, Umayya wrote poems on the pre-Islamic wars, such as the wars between the Aws and Khazraj and the Basus War between the Banu Bakr and Banu Taghlib.[8] In his Diwan, the poetry featured there focuses on themes of wisdom and beauty.[5][6]
Comparison to the Quran
editUmayya's poetry overlaps with some of the content of the Quran. Both Umayya and the Quran treat similar prominent topics in the domains of creation, eschatology, and episodes of biblical prophetology. For examepl, both treat the story of the tribe of Thamud and the she-camel. Likewise, both include the idea that demons or jinn attempt to ascend to the firmament before being pelted by heavenly defense systems.[9][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Ibn Kathir (1 January 2015). "On the news of Umayya ibn Abi as-Salt". Al-Bidāya wa l-Nihāya [The Beginning and the End] (in Arabic). Vol. 2. ISBN 978-9953520841.
- ^ a b Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq (in Arabic). Turath For Solutions. 2013. ISBN 978-9957-67-104-4.
- ^ a b Khan, Maulana Wahiduddin. Tazkirul Quran. New Delhi, India: Goodword Books. ISBN 9789663351629.
- ^ Ibn Hajar (2010). Al Isabah fi Tamyiz Al Sahabah. Beirut, Lebanon: Dār al-kutub al-ʿilmiyya. ISBN 9782745135070.
- ^ a b Yamut, Bashir (1934). Dīwān Umayyah ibn Abī al-Ṣalt (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Beirut, Lebanon: Al Ahliya Library.
- ^ a b Dīwān Umayyah ibn Abī al-Ṣalt (in Arabic). Beirut, Lebanon: Dār Ṣādir lil-Ṭibā‘ah wa-al-Nashr. 1998.
- ^ Seidensticker, Tilman (1996). "The Authenticity of the Poems ascribed to Umayya Ibn Abī al-Ṣalt". Tradition and Modernity in Arabic Language And Literature (1st ed.). Routledge. ISBN 9781315026503.
- ^ al-Jumahi, Ibn Salam (1900). Tabaqat al-shu'ara' al-jahiliyin wa-al-Islamiyin. Egypt: Misr al-Matba'ah al-Mahmudiyah al-Tijariyah al-Kubra.
- ^ Sinai, Nicolai (2011). "Religious poetry from the Quranic milieu: Umayya b. Abī l-Ṣalt on the fate of the Thamūd". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 74 (3): 397–416. doi:10.1017/S0041977X11000309. ISSN 1474-0699.
- ^ Sinai, Nicolai (2023). Key terms of the Qur'an: a critical dictionary. Princeton (N.J.): Princeton university press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-691-24131-9.