The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) published ‘The Sacred in Pre-Islamic Poetry - A Thematic Study’, a book by Abdullah Al Baradi, as part of its Community Campaign to Support Sustainable Reading. This initiative, which will continue until the end of the year, affirms the importance of reading and its role in embodying the principles of the ‘Year of Community’ while promoting the Arabic language and cementing its place as an authentic component of cultural identity.
Published under the Basaer (Insights) series of research papers and studies, the book examines "the sacred" as a fundamental theme influencing human life, exploring it through the creative realm of pre-Islamic poetry. This era was characterised by its pluralistic environment with diverse ideas and faiths, creating fertile ground for valuable textual interpretation. The abundance of poems expressing life with realism and sincerity while posing profound human questions, combined with poets' revered status as the voice and wisdom of their tribes, provided rich material for scholarly analysis.
The treatment of sanctity in the book focuses on the most prominent sacred elements manifested in pre-Islamic poetry, through verses of profound reverence and respect for certain objects, places, or concepts that pre-Islamic Arabs considered to be of special value or sacred. This sanctification was reflected in multiple images in pre-Islamic poetry, whether in describing nature and the portrayal of ruins, mountains, valleys, trees, and rain; or in depicting places, such as Mecca, markets, and wells. It could also be seen in poems referring to beliefs and “deities”; the ever-present fascination with the movement of planets, the sun, moon, and stars; and even in the description of graves and questions of life and death. Pre-Islamic poets shrouded these places with an aura of sanctity.
The author shed light on the psychological and mythological connotations of the sacred and the impact it had on the creative experience of Arab poets in the pre-Islamic era. He examined its relationship with humans, providing important details, especially concerning the connection between pre-Islamic poets and the act of sanctification, as well as the origins of that connection.
Moreover, Al Baradi highlighted the aesthetic aspect of the sacred in pre-Islamic poetry, treating it as a concept deeply rooted in Arab life before the advent of Islam that, at the time, had a special influence on those societies.
Examining the creative experiences of poets who embodied these meanings and aesthetics, the author revealed important insights into the words, styles, meanings, and objectives of that poetry. He targets readers interested in Arabic literature in general, and pre-Islamic literature in particular, which is considered the primary foundation of Arabic literature and the example followed in subsequent eras. With that in mind, the book constitutes an important reference for anyone interested in ancient Arabic literature and its modern studies, and enriches the Arabic library with innovative new content.
The author of the book, Saudi researcher Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Baradi, holds a PhD in Literary Studies and is a professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at Qassim University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His distinguished academic career has focused on thematic textual research, with his most recent work being ‘Motif of the Pain in the Poetry of Abu Al-Hassan Al-Tahami - A Thematic Textual Study’.
The book is one of the eight winning works in the fourth cycle of the 'Research Grants Programme'. The Research Grants Programme, which is affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, aims to advance scientific research in the Arabic language and its various fields of knowledge.
