early islamic poetry

Question 1

what is the first thing that muslims had to deal with following the death of the prophet?

Answer 1

• the question of the leadership was the first question to split the muslim community

Question 2

What is the Saqifa of Banu Sa’ida?

Question 3

What is meant by the term Caliph?

Answer 3


al-Khulafa al-Rashidun
“Rightly Guided Caliphs” means successors of the prophet

Question 4

Who are the Four Rightly Guideded Caliphs and what are their achievements?

Answer 4

• Abu Bakr “al-siddiq “hurub al-ridda” the apostasy wars
  r. 11-13/632-634 (around two years.
• Umar b. al-Khattab “al-faruq” futuhat - “the great conquests” Syria, Iraq and Egypt
  r. 13-23/634-644 (around ten years)
• ‘Uthman b. ‘Affan futuhat - “the great conquests” Iran, North Africa and Central Asia
  r. 23-35/644-656 almost 12 years
• ‘Ali b. Abu Talib
  fitna - “political strife/discord”
  r. 35-40/656-661

Question 5

Poetry during the life of the prophet
and the rightly guided Caliphs?

Answer 5

• Poetic tradition suffered temporary decline
• Yet when leading Arab poets converted to Islam, poetry regained its prestige.
• Leading Arabian poets during the life of the prophet include: Hassan bin Thabit and Ka’b bin Zuhayr.
• The poets who lived in both pre-Islamic and Islamic period are called - “mukhadramun”, singular: “mukhadram”.
• Hassan bin Thabit became the “poet laureate” of the Prophet.

Question 6

who are the leading Arabian poets during the life of the prophet?

Answer 6

Hassan bin Thabit and Ka’b bin Zuhayr

Question 7

The poets who lived in both pre-Islamic and Islamic period are called?

Answer 7

“mukhadramun”, singular: “mukhadram”

Question 8

Hassan bin Thabit became the “poet laureate” of the Prophet. T/F

Answer 8

true