مظاهر المروءة عند شعراء المعلقات السبع

Manifestations of Virility in the Poetry of Seven Poets of Muʻallaqāt

Abstract

The pagan Arab society of pre-Islamic era was indulged in many bad reprehensible customs and rituals, individually as well as collectively, such as slavery, racism, polytheism, looting and plundering, alcoholism, gambling, adultery and transgression etc.  Human nature in its purest form detests all these immoral traits. But the Pre-Islamic Arab society also had superior virtuous qualities like generosity, straightforwardness, fulfillment of promise, courage, chivalry, helping the oppressed and the agitated and regard for the neighborhood etc. The Arabic poetry, that is the register of the Arabs, depicts the noble qualities, generous manners and lofty traditions of pre-Islamic pagan Arabs. Pre-Islamic poetry is a mirror of the chronology of Arabs in which we can see the real picture of their moral values, high traditions, great customs and lofty heritage. The Seven Odes (Muʻallaqāt meaning The Suspended or Hanging Odes that according to the traditional explanation were hung on or in the Kaʻba at Makka), most famous among the pre-Islamic poetry, depict the various aspects of moral values, generosity, virility, knighthood and equestrianism of pagan Arabs. This research work highlights the manifestations of virility and other manly characters in the poetry of Seven Poets of Muʻallaqāt. The linguistic and terminological meaning  of al-murua  (virility and other manly characters) ,its importance in a bedouin’s   life, brief introduction of Seven Odes and its poets and manifestations of al-murua in the poetry of seven poets of Muʻallaqāt have been explained in this article.