Perfection manifested: 'Ali b. Abi Talib's image in classical Persian and modern Indian Muslim poetry.

摘要

'Ali b. Abi Talib, has occupied an important position in the history of Islam. He was Prophet Muhammad's cousin, was married to his daughter Fatima, and was among his close companions. Sunnis, Shias and Sufis variously refer to him as the fourth pious caliph, the Iman and the Wali. The universal acceptance of his authority, influence and prestige in the Islamic weltanschauung is authenticated by the poetry of twenty representative Persian poets, both didactic and panegyric, between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries in Iran. With the exception of one Shia, the poets surveyed during this period are Sunnis or Sufis. During this era the main political dynasties were Sunni--a decided contrast to the Shiite post-Safawid Iran from the sixteenth century onwards. The study determines 'Ali's image as described under the direct or indirect patronage of Sunni rulers, where in didactic verse, he is referred to as an excellent Sunni or the perfect Sufi whose qualities are to be emulated; while in panegyrics, rulers have been praised by comparing them with him. These opinions are distinct from his function as the Shia Imam who is regarded as unique and incomparable. The present study also seeks to determine if 'Ali's image according to the classical Iranian poets was an isolated instance of his cultural acceptance in a certain time period or if it had a more durable legacy. For this purpose the poetry of the north-Indian Muslim poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal (died in 1938) was also studied. His poetry reflects the views of the earlier Persian poets about 'Ali. In terms of the socio-political environment, northern India mirrored the Persian milieu of the eleventh-sixteenth centuries with its Sunni rulers, and predominantly Sunni population with Sufi inclinations, in which there existed pockets of Shias. Ubiquitously, the poets have presented 'Ali as the manifestation of perfection.