The Body in Al-Ghazal Al-'Udhri

356 Pages·2010·2.37 MB·English

I Have Never Touched Her:
The Body in Al-Ghazal Al-‘Udhri @

Jokha Mohammed Al Harthi

Thesis submitted
for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
at the University of Edinburgh
College of Humanities and Social Science
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies

2010
To my husband Altayeb, my children Khuzama and Ibrahim, and my sister Zina.
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Declaration
I hereby declare that this thesis, which is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of doctor of philosophy and entitled "I Have Never Touched Her: The
Body in Al-Ghazal A1-'Udhri", represents my owrl work and has not been previously
submitted to any other institution for any other degree or professional qualification.
Jokha Mohammed Al Harthi
July 12,2AIA
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract ix
Acknowledgements x
Chapter I: Introduction: A Critical Reappraisal of Scholarship in the ‘Udhri @Tradition 1
1.1 Al-Ghazal al-‘Udhri:@ a Brief Historical and Aesthetical Approach. 4
1.2 The Causes of the Emergence of al-Ghazal al-‘Udhri.@ 12
1.3 The Development of the ‘Udhri@ Phenomenon as a Literary Tradition. 16
1.4 The Authenticity of al-Ghazal al-‘Udhri.@ 18
1.5 A Critical Examination of the Scholarly Field Concerning al-Ghazal al-‘Udhri.@ 22
1.6 The Structure and Trajectory of the Thesis. 35
Chapter II: Reconstructing the Past 39
2.1 Al-Ghazal: the Love Poem 39
2.2 The Roots of al-Ghazal al-‘Udhri@ 40
2.3 Al-ghazal al-sa} rih@ }vs. al-ghazal al-‘udhri@ 41
2.4 The Important Source: Kita@b al- aghan@i@ 47
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2.5 Reconstructing the Past 50
2.5.1. The Period of Documentation, Criticism and Authorship 51
2.5.2. Influence of Sufism and the Persian Interest in al-Ghazal al-'Udhri @ 55
2.5.3. Moral and Ethical Issues 57
2.6 Contradictory Texts on Physicality in the ‘Udhri@ Tradition 59
Chapter III: ‘Udhri@ Tradition between Chastity and Sensuality 68
3.1 Introduction. 68
3.2 Sources 69
3.3 The Body in the Qur’an 71
3.4 Defilement and Purification 74
3.5 Positive Perspective on Sexuality 75
3.6 Chastity ('iffah) between 'udhri@ and Islamic discourse 81
3.7 Marriage in the ‘Udhri@ Tradition 92
3.8 Between Platonic and ‘udhri@ love 96
3.9 Conclusion 98
Chapter IV: The Representation of the Beloved’s Body 100
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4.1 Introduction 100
4.2 The Conventional Pattern of Female Beauty, with Special Reference to
Pre-Islamic Literature 102
4.3 Corporeal Representation: The Physical Description of the Beloved’s Body 108
4.3.1 The Glow of the Beloved 108
4.3.2 The Beloved and Gazelle Metaphor 111
4.3.3 The face of the beloved 115
4.3.4 The Scent of the Beloved 120
4.3.5 The Figure of the Beloved 121
4.4 Layla’@ s Portrayal in Persian Painting 123
4.5 The Desirable Image of a Corpulent Female Body 126
4.6 Al-Ghazal al- ‘Udhri@: More than Imitation 135
4.7 The Ethereal Nature of Beauty 135
3.8 Conclusion 144
Chapter V: Present and Absent Bodies of the Beloved 146
5.1 Introduction 146
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5.2 Bodily Presence 147
5.2.1 Gestures 147
5.2.2 Speech 155
5.3 Bodily Absence 163
5.3.1 The Phantom of the Beloved 163
5.3.2 The Beloved’s Place 170
5.4 Presence through Absence: The Beloved’s Presence in Nature 176
5.5 Conclusion 182
Chapter VI: Textuality Vs. Reality 184
6.1 Introduction 184
6.2 One Ideal Beloved 185
6.3 Desire towards Possession 188
6.4 Poetry and the Absence of the Desire’s Object 192
6.5 Complaint and Embracement 199
6.6 The Heroic Gesture 206
6.7 Conclusion 209
Chapter VII: The Representation of the Lover’s Body 211
7.1 Introduction 211
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7.2 Love as Malady in Classical Arabic Literature 213
7.3 The Effect of Love on the Lover’s Body in ‘Udhri@ Tradition 219
7.3.1 Crying 220
7.3.2 Malady and Wasting Away 227
7.3.3 Insomnia 234
7.3.4 Prematurely grey-haired 237
7.3.5 Fainting 240
7.3.6 Madness 243
7.3.7 Death 248
7.4 Conclusion 258
Conclusion 261
Bibliography 270
Appendices 288
Appendix I 288
Appendix II 315
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Abstract

Al-ghazal al-‘udhri @@emerged as a remarkable literary genre in Arabic literature during the
Umayyad period (7th-8th centuries CE). The leaders of this genre are famous poet-lovers
who were known for their dramatic love stories and unique poetry, such as Majnun@
Layla,@ Qays Lubna @and Jamil@ Buthaynah. There is a common presumption of the
absence of the concept of the body in al-ghazal al-‘udhri@; most scholars to date have
only reproduced commonly- held ideas about the purity of ‘udhri@ love without doubting
its supposed chastity. This thesis, however, argues that the body has a privileged position
in al-ghazal al-‘udhri@. It shows that the body’s presence is represented, realistically or
allegorically, in various ways, both in anecdotes ascribed to ‘udhri@ poets as well as in
their poetry. Although some critics have discussed the theme of the ‘depiction of the
beloved’s body’, it is the contribution of this study to illuminate the ‘ethereal nature of
beauty’ in this depiction. Moreover, this thesis provides a discussion about the symbolic
body in ‘udhri@ poetry. It provides a departure from the prevailing views on the ‘udhri@
phenomenon in studies of classical Arabic literature. It opens the door to new
discussions on the relationship between love poetry and Arab society in the classical age.
It is also a contribution to literary studies of representations of the body.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my grateful appreciation to my supervisor Dr. Kamran
Rastegar for his kind encouragement and generous help throughout my study. The
feedback he gave me is very much useful. I would also like to thank Prof. Carole
Hillenbrand for her fruitful discussion of my ideas and her valuable remarks on my
work. The guidance Dr. Elisabeth Kendall provided me in the early stages of this
thesis are very much appreciated. I also benefited from Prof. Robert Hillenbrand’s
insights on the subject of the portrayal of Majnun’s story in Persian art. I want to
record also my thanks to Prof. Marilyn Booth for reading my work and suggesting
many corrections. I hugely benefited from her experience. In addition, I owe thanks
to Dr. Adam Budd, Prof. Ahmad Darwish, Dr. Christian Lange, Prof. Gerard Van
Gelder, Dr. Hilal al-Hijri, Prof. Khalil al-Shaikh, Prof. Muhammad al-Tarabulsi,
Prof. Muhammad Lutfi al-Yusufi and Prof. Walid Khalis for their expert counsel and
I am also most grateful for their suggestions regarding the sources during the early
stages of my study. My gratitude goes to Yaqub al-Harthi for his great help with
searching for the sources and providing many of them for me. I would like also to
record my warm thanks to Alasdair Watson, Ibtihaj al-Harthi, Khalsa al-Aghbari, Ula
Zaaer and Zina al-Harthi for their great help in translation of the Arabic texts,
especially the poetry. I have been fortunate to receive support and encouragement
from my husband Altayeb al-Harthy and from my family and friends, so my warmest
gratitude goes to them.

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