The qaṣīda (also spelled qaṣīdah; plural qaṣā’id) is an ancient Arabic word and form of poetry, often translated as ode. The qasida originated in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and passed into non-Arabic cultures after the Arab Muslim expansion.
The word qasida is originally an Arabic word (قصيدة, plural qaṣā’id, قصائد), and is still used throughout the Arabic-speaking world; it was borrowed into some other languages such as (alongside چكامه, chakameh), and .
The classic form of qasida maintains both monometer, a single elaborate meter throughout the poem, and monorhyme, where every line rhymes on the same sound[Akiko Motoyoshi Sumi, Description in Classical Arabic Poetry: Waṣf , Ekphrasis, and Interarts Theory, Brill Studies in Middle Eastern literatures, 25 (Leiden: Brill, 2004), p. 1.] It typically runs from fifteen to eighty lines, and sometimes more than a hundred.
Well-known examples of this genre include the poems of the Mu'allaqat (a collection of pre-Islamic poems, the most being the one of Imru' al-Qays), the Qasida Burda (Poem of the Mantle) by Al-Busiri, and Ibn Arabi's classic collection Tarjumān al-Ashwāq (The Interpreter of Desires).
Form
The most common form of the qasida is tripartite (or is constituted by three parts). The typical three-part structure runs as follows:
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A desert motif (the nasīb)
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A description of a camel or a horse (the raḥīl)
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A tribal boast or similar (the fakhr)
Origins
The tripartite qasida originated among
Najd (then a region extending east of the Hejazi mountains all the way up to modern-day Iraq) in the early sixth century. After repression of the development of
King in the Arabian Peninsula on the part of the
Byzantine Empire and
Sasanian Empire, individuals in the peninsula began to invoke earlier notions of Arabian kingship in their poetry. The qasida may have emerged in this context, in the process of their negotiations of status with Arabophone kings that were invoking earlier notions of Arabian kingship. Supporting this is the fact that a number of the earliest reported qasidas were directed to the
Ghassanids and
Lakhmids. In particular, Miller places the origins of the tripartite qasida in the
Lakhmid kingdom court of the city of
al-Hira, the capital of the Lakhmids that is now located in the south-central of modern-day
Iraq. The qasida would spread into the
Levant in the late sixth century, finding its way to
Syria, and from Syria, would be imported into the
Hejaz in the time of
Muhammad.
Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry
According to an apocryphal story, a poetry contest resulted in the victory of seven or ten qasidas winning, which were all taken together and hung up (or suspended) in the
Kaaba. Hence, they came to be known as the "Suspended Odes" (Mu'allaqat). Though the story is late and uncorroborated, it has shaped the understanding of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry later in the Islamic era. Instead, however, pre-Islamic Arabic poetry was short, self-contained, with an extemporized quality. The
Hejaz itself attests to no tripartite qasidas.
Other languages
Bengali
Qasidas were introduced to
Dhaka, and later the rest of
Bengal, during the
Mughal era by
Persians.
Subahdar of
Bengal, Islam Khan Chisti's naval fleet is said to have sung them after arriving in Jessore in 1604.
In 1949, Hakim Habibur Rahman spoke of the recent revival of qasidas since that period in his book,
Dhaka Panchas Baras Pahle (Dhaka, fifty years ago). The qasidas were promoted by
and
across the region, and especially popular during the
Islamic month of
Ramadan. An old tradition of
Old Dhaka is during the time of
sehri, groups of people would sing qasidas to wake up the
Bengali Muslim in the neighbourhood.
Burushaski
In
Burushaski, the Qasida refers broadly to Isma'ili devotional literature in general rather than a specific style of poetry and is interchangeably used with the word
Ginans in the language. It was regularly performed in the jamat-khana and has been a cornerstone of Ismaili practics in the
Hunza Valley. The Burushaski Qasida is used extensively to describe Ismaili philosophy, theology, and
hermeneutics in a vernacular language. Furthermore, the Qasida builds upon classical Isma'ili thought, with original theological, metaphysical, and teleological expositions that draw on the historically unprecedented philosophical injunctions of the Ismaili
Ismaili Imamat.
[(Andani, K. Revelation in Islam: Qur'anic, Sunni and Shi'i Isma'ili Perspectives Unpublished. Harvard University. p. 742.)]
The Burushaski Qasida has had a pivotal role in developing the Burushaski language. Burushaski had been a broken, oral tongue, without a written script. This changed in 1961, 'Allamah Hunzai published his first poetry collection, entitled Nagmah-yi Israfil, which featured a selection of his Burushaski poems. The collection was telegrammed in the same year to the 49th Isma'ili Imam, Shah Karim al-Husayni, who, in his response, ascribed to 'Allamah Hunzai's collection the status of a "ginan book in the Burushaski language."
[(Lakhani, A. (2022). A Short Biography of 'Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai (p. 28). London, England: Daru'l-Hikmat al-Isma'iliyyah.)]
As van-Skyhawk notes this had the effect of sacralizing 'Allamah Hunzai's poetry for the Isma'ilis, and thus his poems were and continue to be widely recited in Isma'ili jama'at-khanas following this exchange.’ [Van-Skyhawk, H. (2005). The Devotional Poems of ʿAllāmah Naṣīr al-Dīn Hunzai as Inter-Cultural Translations. In Mitteilungen fuer Anthropologie und Religionsgeschichte 17(1), 305-316. Münster, Germany: Ugarit-Verlag] Apart from Allama Hunzai, leading Burushaki Qasida poets include Aalijah Ghulamuddin Hunzai and Wazir Fida Ali Esar.
Below is an excerpt from, “Noor-e-shama”, one of Allama Hunzai’s most popular Burushaski Qasida:
In 2013, the recitation of Burushaski ginans was discouraged at Isma'ili jamat khanas by regional councils. However, Burushaski Qasidas continue to be sung at Dawaat (traditional house warming), Dhikr-mehfil, and other similar private religious gatherings. Several artists such as Meher-Angez, Barkat Ali, Shakila Parveen, Islam Habib, and Noman Asmet are recording and publishing Burushaski Qasida on streaming platforms online.
Indonesian
In Indonesia,
qasidah (Indonesian spelling:
kasidah) refers broadly to
Islamic music in general, rather than a specific style or poetry. Traditional qasidah was historically limited to Arab immigrant and pious Muslim neighbourhoods. Modern qasidah has broadened to include influence from Western and local Indonesian music.
Persian
After the 10th century Iranians developed the qasida immensely and used it for other purposes. For example,
Nasir Khusraw used it extensively for philosophical, theological, and ethical purposes, while
Avicenna also used it to express philosophical ideas. It may be a spring poem (Persian بهاریه,
bahâriye) or autumn poem (Persian خزانیه,
xazâniye). The opening is usually description of a natural event: the seasons, a natural landscape or an imaginary sweetheart. In the
takhallos poets usually address themselves by their pen-name. Then the last section is the main purpose of the poet in writing the poem.
Persian language exponents include:
-
Farrokhi sistani, the court poet of Mahmud of Ghazni (11th century), especially his 'Hunting Scene' (in Persian: قصیده شکارگاه)
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Manuchehri (11th century), who was court poet for Manuchihr ruler of Tabaristan, and later for Mas'ud I of Ghazni. One of his qasidas is The Turkish harpist
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Masud Sa'd Salman (12th century) who was wrongfully imprisoned on the suspicion of treason
-
Anvari, (12th century) especially his petition for help against the invasion of Mongols
-
Khaqani (12th century)
-
and in the 20th century, Mohammad Taqi Bahar with his innovations in using the qasida for political purposes.
From the 14th century CE Persian poets became more interested in ghazal and the qasida declined. The ghazal developed from the first part of qasida in which poets praised their sweethearts. Mysticism poets and used the ghazal for mystical purposes.
Somali
Somali Sufi Sheikhs such as
Uways Al-Barawi,
Shaykh Sufi, and Al-Zayla'i would often compose Qasida's on religious matters. A well known collection of Somali Qasida's is entitled
Majumuʿa Qasaʿid fi Madh Sayyid Al-Anbiya (A Collection of Qasidas in praise of the
Muhammad).
Hadiyat al-ʿAnam ila Qabr al-Nabi (Guidance of Humanity to the tomb of the Prophet) extols the Prophet Muhammad:
Urdu/Hindi
Qasida in
Urdu poetry is often
panegyric, sometimes a
satire, sometimes dealing with an important event. As a rule it is longer than the
ghazal but follows the same system of
rhyme.
[ A History of Urdu Literature by T. Grahame Bailey; " Introduction".]
Yazidi
The
qesîde is a type of oral religious poem in Yazidi literature, considered to have been composed by the disciples of
Sheikh Adi.
See also
Citations
Sources
External links
