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m Givennames moved page Bashar ibn Burd to Bashshar ibn Burd over redirect: Misspelled: His given name is Bashshār, not "Bashār"
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{{Infobox writer
{{Infobox writer
| name = Bashar ibn Burd
| name = Bashshar ibn Burd
| native_name = {{lang|fa|بشار ابن برد}}
| native_name = {{lang|fa|بشار ابن برد}}
| native_name_lang = fa
| native_name_lang = fa
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}}
}}


'''Bashār ibn Burd''' ({{lang-ar|بشار بن برد}}; 714–783), nicknamed '''al-Mura'ath''', meaning "the wattled", was a [[Persians|Persian]]<ref>
'''Bashshār ibn Burd'''<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bashshar-ibn-Burd Bashshār ibn Burd] at the ''[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]''</ref> ({{lang-ar|بشار بن برد}}; 714–783), nicknamed '''al-Mura'ath''', meaning "the wattled", was a [[Persians|Persian]]<ref>
* {{harvnb|Lewis|Lambton|Holt|1986|p=664}}. "Bashshar, (d. 167/783) a Persian, heralded the advent of 'Abbasid poetry, just as it was another Persian, Ibn al-Muqaffa', who opened the history of 'Abbasid prose."
* {{harvnb|Lewis|Lambton|Holt|1986|p=664}}. "Bashshar, (d. 167/783) a Persian, heralded the advent of 'Abbasid poetry, just as it was another Persian, Ibn al-Muqaffa', who opened the history of 'Abbasid prose."
* {{harvnb|Mallette|2021|p=21}}. "Bashshār ibn Burd, ethnic Persian and Arabic poet, presents the secular, literary face of the language."</ref> poet of the late [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] and early [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] periods who wrote in Arabic. Bashar was of Persian ethnicity; his grandfather was taken as a captive to Iraq, but his father was a freedman (''[[mawla]]'') of the [[Banu Uqayl|Uqayl]] tribe. Some Arab scholars considered Bashar the first "modern" poet,<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|editor1-last=Meisami|editor1-first=Julie Scott|editor2-last=Starkey|editor2-first=Paul|editor1-link=Paul Starkey|title=Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature|date=1998|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=9780415185714}}</ref> and one of the pioneers of [[Arabic literature#Maqama|badi']] in [[Arabic literature]]. It is believed that the poet exerted a great influence on the subsequent generation of poets.
* {{harvnb|Mallette|2021|p=21}}. "Bashshār ibn Burd, ethnic Persian and Arabic poet, presents the secular, literary face of the language."</ref> poet of the late [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] and early [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] periods who wrote in Arabic. Bashshar was of Persian ethnicity; his grandfather was taken as a captive to Iraq, but his father was a freedman (''[[mawla]]'') of the [[Banu Uqayl|Uqayl]] tribe. Some Arab scholars considered Bashshar the first "modern" poet,<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|editor1-last=Meisami|editor1-first=Julie Scott|editor2-last=Starkey|editor2-first=Paul|editor1-link=Paul Starkey|title=Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature|date=1998|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=9780415185714}}</ref> and one of the pioneers of [[Arabic literature#Maqama|badi']] in [[Arabic literature]]. It is believed that the poet exerted a great influence on the subsequent generation of poets.


==Life==
==Life==
Bashar was born into a family of Persian stock.<ref>{{harvnb|Mallette|2021|p=79}}. "In his book he relates that the Persian-born Bashshār b. Burd (d. 783–784), himself a feared satirist, paid grudgingly his yearly 200 dirhams of poll tax to a Muslim colleague to keep the latter's satire of him under wraps."</ref> He was blind from birth and said to have been ugly, in part a result of smallpox scarring on his face.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kennedy|first1=Hugh|title=When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World|date=2005|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=0306814358|page=[https://archive.org/details/whenbaghdadruled00kenn/page/118 118]|url=https://archive.org/details/whenbaghdadruled00kenn/page/118}}</ref> He grew up in the rich cultural environment of [[Basra]] and showed his poetic talents at an early age. Bashar fell foul of some religious figures, such as [[Malik ibn Dinar]] and [[al-Hasan al-Basri]], who condemned his poetry for its licentiousness. He exchanged ''[[Hija]]'' with several poets. Being anti-[[Mu'tazili]], he criticized [[Wasil ibn Ata]], who by some accounts is considered the founder of the [[Mutazilite]] school of Islamic thought.
Bashshar was born into a family of Persian stock.<ref>{{harvnb|Mallette|2021|p=79}}. "In his book he relates that the Persian-born Bashshār b. Burd (d. 783–784), himself a feared satirist, paid grudgingly his yearly 200 dirhams of poll tax to a Muslim colleague to keep the latter's satire of him under wraps."</ref> He was blind from birth and said to have been ugly, in part a result of smallpox scarring on his face.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kennedy|first1=Hugh|title=When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World|date=2005|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=0306814358|page=[https://archive.org/details/whenbaghdadruled00kenn/page/118 118]|url=https://archive.org/details/whenbaghdadruled00kenn/page/118}}</ref> He grew up in the rich cultural environment of [[Basra]] and showed his poetic talents at an early age. Bashshar fell foul of some religious figures, such as [[Malik ibn Dinar]] and [[al-Hasan al-Basri]], who condemned his poetry for its licentiousness. He exchanged ''[[Hija]]'' with several poets. Being anti-[[Mu'tazili]], he criticized [[Wasil ibn Ata]], who by some accounts is considered the founder of the [[Mutazilite]] school of Islamic thought.


After the [[Abbasid]]s built [[Baghdad]], Bashar moved there from [[Basra]] in 762. Bashar became associated with the [[caliph]] [[al-Mahdi]]. Due to his libertinism, al-Mahdi ordered him not to write further love poetry. Bashar quickly violated the ban.<ref name="ReferenceA" />
After the [[Abbasid]]s built [[Baghdad]], Bashshar moved there from [[Basra]] in 762. Bashshar became associated with the [[caliph]] [[al-Mahdi]]. Due to his libertinism, al-Mahdi ordered him not to write further love poetry. Bashshar quickly violated the ban.<ref name="ReferenceA" />


==Death==
==Death==
Multiple stories of Bashar's end exist. Ammiel Alcalay in 1993 argued that Bashar was condemned as a [[heresy|heretic]] and executed by al-Mahdi in 783.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Alcalay|first1=Ammiel|title=After Jews and Arabs: Remaking Levantine Culture|date=1993|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis|isbn=0-8166-2155-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yDNLvpl9n0wC&q=Bashar+ibn+Burd|page=94}}</ref> Hugh Kennedy, on the other hand, relates al-Tabari's account that [[Ya'qub ibn Dawud]] had Bashar murdered in the marshes between Basra and Baghdad.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kennedy|first1=Hugh|title=When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World|date=2005|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=0306814358|page=[https://archive.org/details/whenbaghdadruled00kenn/page/120 120]|url=https://archive.org/details/whenbaghdadruled00kenn/page/120}}</ref>
Multiple stories of Bashshar's end exist. Ammiel Alcalay in 1993 argued that Bashshar was condemned as a [[heresy|heretic]] and executed by al-Mahdi in 783.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Alcalay|first1=Ammiel|title=After Jews and Arabs: Remaking Levantine Culture|date=1993|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis|isbn=0-8166-2155-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yDNLvpl9n0wC&q=Bashar+ibn+Burd|page=94}}</ref> Hugh Kennedy, on the other hand, relates al-Tabari's account that [[Ya'qub ibn Dawud]] had Bashshar murdered in the marshes between Basra and Baghdad.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kennedy|first1=Hugh|title=When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World|date=2005|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=0306814358|page=[https://archive.org/details/whenbaghdadruled00kenn/page/120 120]|url=https://archive.org/details/whenbaghdadruled00kenn/page/120}}</ref>


==Style==
==Style==
Most of his [[Arabic poetry#Satirical poetry|Hija']] (satires) are in traditional style, while his ''[[Arabic poetry#Poetic themes|fakhr]]'' expresses his [[Shu'ubi]] sentiments, vaunting the achievements of his Persian ancestors and denigrating the "uncivilized Arabs". The following couplet from Bashar demonstrates his admiration for [[Zoroastrianism]] (the religion of his [[Persian people|Persian]] ancestors) over [[Islam]] by preferring prostration (''[[sajdah]]'') towards fire ([[Shaitan]] like other [[jinn]] was created from smokeless fire) in lieu of soil ([[Adam#Islamic view|Adam]]'s origin).
Most of his [[Arabic poetry#Satirical poetry|Hija']] (satires) are in traditional style, while his ''[[Arabic poetry#Poetic themes|fakhr]]'' expresses his [[Shu'ubi]] sentiments, vaunting the achievements of his Persian ancestors and denigrating the "uncivilized Arabs". The following couplet from Bashshar demonstrates his admiration for [[Zoroastrianism]] (the religion of his [[Persian people|Persian]] ancestors) over [[Islam]] by preferring prostration (''[[sajdah]]'') towards fire ([[Shaitan]] like other [[jinn]] was created from smokeless fire) in lieu of soil ([[Adam#Islamic view|Adam]]'s origin).


<poem lang="ar" dir="rtl">
<poem lang="ar" dir="rtl">
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bashar ibn Burd}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bashshar ibn Burd}}
[[Category:714 births]]
[[Category:714 births]]
[[Category:783 deaths]]
[[Category:783 deaths]]

Revision as of 05:52, 11 April 2024

Bashshar ibn Burd
Native name
بشار ابن برد
Died783
LanguageArabic
GenreMaqama
Literary movementBadi'

Bashshār ibn Burd[1] (Arabic: بشار بن برد; 714–783), nicknamed al-Mura'ath, meaning "the wattled", was a Persian[2] poet of the late Umayyad and early Abbasid periods who wrote in Arabic. Bashshar was of Persian ethnicity; his grandfather was taken as a captive to Iraq, but his father was a freedman (mawla) of the Uqayl tribe. Some Arab scholars considered Bashshar the first "modern" poet,[3] and one of the pioneers of badi' in Arabic literature. It is believed that the poet exerted a great influence on the subsequent generation of poets.

Life

Bashshar was born into a family of Persian stock.[4] He was blind from birth and said to have been ugly, in part a result of smallpox scarring on his face.[5] He grew up in the rich cultural environment of Basra and showed his poetic talents at an early age. Bashshar fell foul of some religious figures, such as Malik ibn Dinar and al-Hasan al-Basri, who condemned his poetry for its licentiousness. He exchanged Hija with several poets. Being anti-Mu'tazili, he criticized Wasil ibn Ata, who by some accounts is considered the founder of the Mutazilite school of Islamic thought.

After the Abbasids built Baghdad, Bashshar moved there from Basra in 762. Bashshar became associated with the caliph al-Mahdi. Due to his libertinism, al-Mahdi ordered him not to write further love poetry. Bashshar quickly violated the ban.[3]

Death

Multiple stories of Bashshar's end exist. Ammiel Alcalay in 1993 argued that Bashshar was condemned as a heretic and executed by al-Mahdi in 783.[6] Hugh Kennedy, on the other hand, relates al-Tabari's account that Ya'qub ibn Dawud had Bashshar murdered in the marshes between Basra and Baghdad.[7]

Style

Most of his Hija' (satires) are in traditional style, while his fakhr expresses his Shu'ubi sentiments, vaunting the achievements of his Persian ancestors and denigrating the "uncivilized Arabs". The following couplet from Bashshar demonstrates his admiration for Zoroastrianism (the religion of his Persian ancestors) over Islam by preferring prostration (sajdah) towards fire (Shaitan like other jinn was created from smokeless fire) in lieu of soil (Adam's origin).

الارض مظلمة و النار مشرقة
والنار معبودة مذكانت النار

See also

References

  1. ^ Bashshār ibn Burd at the Encyclopedia Britannica
  2. ^
    • Lewis, Lambton & Holt 1986, p. 664. "Bashshar, (d. 167/783) a Persian, heralded the advent of 'Abbasid poetry, just as it was another Persian, Ibn al-Muqaffa', who opened the history of 'Abbasid prose."
    • Mallette 2021, p. 21. "Bashshār ibn Burd, ethnic Persian and Arabic poet, presents the secular, literary face of the language."
  3. ^ a b Meisami, Julie Scott; Starkey, Paul, eds. (1998). Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415185714.
  4. ^ Mallette 2021, p. 79. "In his book he relates that the Persian-born Bashshār b. Burd (d. 783–784), himself a feared satirist, paid grudgingly his yearly 200 dirhams of poll tax to a Muslim colleague to keep the latter's satire of him under wraps."
  5. ^ Kennedy, Hugh (2005). When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. p. 118. ISBN 0306814358.
  6. ^ Alcalay, Ammiel (1993). After Jews and Arabs: Remaking Levantine Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 94. ISBN 0-8166-2155-1.
  7. ^ Kennedy, Hugh (2005). When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. p. 120. ISBN 0306814358.

Sources cited

  • Mallette, Karla (2021). Lives of the Great Languages: Arabic and Latin in the Medieval Mediterranean. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226796062.
  • Lewis, Bernarded; Lambton, Ann K. S.; Holt, Peter Malcolm (1986). Islamic society and civilization, Volume 2B (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-21949-5.


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