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Astrology in Literature: How the Prohibited became Permissible in the Arabic
Poetry of the Mediaeval Period.
Abeer Abdullah A. ai-Abbasi
Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of
Doctoral of Philosophy.
The University of Leeds
Department of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies.
July 2008
The candidate confrrms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate
credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others.
This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright
material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without
proper acknowledgement.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
JI
{i!a~1 ~ ~ ,,~I ~I}
'All praises to AllAh, by whose blessing good works are achieved'.
1 wish first of all to acknowledge the invaluable advice and encouragement I received
throughout the whole period of this study from my supervisor, Dr. Zabia Salhi. 1 am
very grateful for her unfailing support.
Having experienced several academic difficulties, 1 wish to thank the University of
Leeds and King Abdulaziz University for their cooperation and help in confronting and
overcoming them. I am especially grateful to King Abdulaziz University, for its
financial support throughout my years of study in England. 1 am indebted to the
Brotherton Library and its staff for responding promptly to all my requests with regard
to research material. Many thanks to them and to Princess Shah§. Al-Su(iid, at the
Central Library of King Abdulaziz University, for providing me with occupancies,
which were of great value to my research. I would like to extend my thanks and
appreciation to the librarians at the Manuscript Section of the Central Library of King
Abdulaziz University, and the librarians at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford,
for providing me with rare material on mediaeval Arabic astrology that were crucial to
my study.
Special thanks are also due to Mr. Peter Coleman for reading and editing the drafts of
this thesis, which has benefited from his professionalism, his helpful comments and
thought-provoking questions.
I am greatly indebted to Rumsiyya Suud who took the burden of housework from my
shoulders, allowing me to devote all my time to my studies.
All my love is to my daughter Menna, and, finally, 1 would like to express my sincere
gratitude and appreciation to my Mum and all members of my dear family, who
encouraged and supported me to undertake postgraduate studies, especially my late
Father, who most deserves my deepest gratitude and to whom this thesis is dedicated. 'I
promised you, Father, that, by God's will, 1 would become a doctor, and here I am,
about to fulfil my promise'.
II
Transliteration Scheme
The system of transliteration of Arabic used in this thesis
is that of the Library of Congress.
~
j*z uf
y b
Jq
w*t VII * s
J. * sh ~ k
~*th
* J* 1
J (.)G ~
~
do*q m
C 1,1 f
t kh .l:.* t 0* n
J* d .Ii. * ~ ..A h
~* dh t c .J W
tgh
c..j y
.J* r
Short and Long Vowels
-
a
-
T I - i
, /J -, I - u
lS- I
, •
, J- aw ..J- 0
/J- ay
Notes
1: The letters marked with an asterisk are called sun-letters. When following the definite
article ai-, the shadda ( -) is placed over the sun-letter, indicating that the consonant is
doubled and should be stressed when pronounced. All the remaining letters are called
moon-letters and when following al- the sukiln C) is placed above them, indicating a
non-vowel sound.
2: In general the transliteration scheme is applied according to the pronunciation and not
the written form of the Arabic word.
III
3: If the noun begins with a sun-letter, this affects its pronunciation, e. g. as-sal)ir not
al-siihir ('the wizard'), though it is often convenient to transliterate using al-siihir in all
cases.
4: The definite article (al-) is written as ( 1) when it follows the prepositions hi and aw,
as the transliteration is conducted according to the pronunciation of the words and not
the way they are written in Arabic.
IV
Abbreviations
E.1. The Encyclopaedia ofI slam.
First E. I. First Encyclopaedia ofI slam
Note
Sometimes the reader will find that certain sentences in the footnotes are marked with
an asterisk (*), indicating that a further explanation or clarification of the marked point
follows at the end of that particular footnote.
v
ABSTRACT
This thesis is concerned to position the art of astrology within the context of classical
Arabic poetry, primarily by investigating and elucidating attitudes to the notion of
qadar (fate) and the ideology in which it was embedded. These attitudes were revelatory
of the broader world view of the Arabs of those periods, and their shifts from those held
in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras tell us a good deal about the importance given
to the nature and role of fate and about the various understandings of its influence. The
pre-Islamic Arab's notion of qadar was in some ways similar to that of the early
Muslims: both emphasised predetermination and the irresistible power of fate. But
while the jahilf (Pre-Islamic) Arabs identified fate with the malign power of dahr
(Time), the Muslims believed the power of fate lies in the hands of God the
Omnipotent, who alone is responsible for the fate of the whole universe. Thus the
astrology of the pre-Islamic era was one aspect of divination (kihana) and claimed to be
able to reveal in advance an individual's destiny, which could be avoided by taking
certain precautions. These precautions, however, were considered effective only in
relatively trivial cases; they were useless in the areas of major impact: a person's
happiness or misery (shaqiiwa aw sa ada), sustenance (rizq) and one's term (aja!), the
three inevitable and irresistible manifestations of fate. In the Islamic period not only
these major aspects of life are governed and controlled by the Omnipotent; the destiny
of the universe, in even its most minute details, is determined and controlled by God
alone. Astrology was considered to be of no value whatsoever, and its practitioners were
subject to the death penalty. These two irreconcilable views are evident in early Islamic
poetry, which reflected clearly the response of poets, and society, to astrology from the
perspective of qadar.
When the orthodox caliphate was replaced by dynastic rule the status of astrology was
changed dramatically. The idea that the stars, as indicators, play a role in the life of
human beings found powerful supporters in some governors of the Islamic world, who
allowed astrology to fulfil a public function regardless of the hostility of the official
religion of that society. This social phenomenon generated rich material of a
controversial character in the realm of literature. Investigating the factors, motivations
and impact of mediaeval political, theological and philosophical attitudes to astrology,
in relation to the notions of free will and predestination, is the concern of this study.
VI
The Contents
Acknowledgments .......................................................................... II
Transliteration Scheme ............. , . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. III
Abbreviations ................................................................................ V
Abstract .......................................................................................................... VI
The Contents ................................................................................. VII
List of Figures ................................................................................X
Chapter I: Introduction
I. I: Prologue .................................................................................... 1
I. 2: Defining Basic Terms ................................ '" ................................... 3
I. 3: Aim of the Research ....................................................................... 5
I. 4: Methodology ............................................................................... 6
I. 5: The Content of the Research .............................................................. 7
I. 6: Literature Review .............................. · ............................................ 10
I. 6. 1: The Social Role of Astrology in Abbasid Society ................ 12
I. 6. 2: Astrology as an Intellectual Discipline ............................ 14
I. 6. 3: Astrology in Literature ................................................... 16
----------------------------------------------------------
Chapter II: The Arabs' Visions of the Upper Realm
II. 1: Introduction ..................... , ........................................................ 20
11.2: The Design of the Cosmos, its Function and Essence:
The Pre-Islamic View ................................... '" .................................. 21
II. 3: The View of the Heavens from an Orthodox Islamic Perspective .................. 36
11.4: Mediaeval Muslim Views of the Cosmos: Philosophical Perspectives ............ 52
11.4. 1: The Cosmology of the Ikhwiin al?-&a.ta' ..................................... 53
11.4. 2: AI-BiIiini's Universe ................................................................ 56
11.4.3: Ibn Sina's Conception of the Universe ......................................... 58
II. 5: Conclusion .............................................................................. 60
----------------,------------ --------------------------------
VII
Chapter III: Astrological References in the Poetry of the Jilhiliyya and Early
Islamic Periods
III. 1: Introduction ............................................................................. 62
III. 2: The Concepts of Destiny and Free Will and their Impact on Astrological
References in Poetry .......................................................................... , 63
III. 2. 1: Defining the Basic Tenns .................................................. 64
III. 2. 2: The Jahili' Period .......................................................... 67
III. 2. 3: Qadar as an Islamic Concept and its Incompatibility with
Astrological Claims to Foreknow Ordained Fate ........................................... 92
III. 3: Conclusion .... , ................................. '" ..................................... 109
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter IV: Political, Theological and Philosophical Attitudes to Astrology as
Reflected in the Poetry of Mediaeval Period
IV. 1: Introduction ............................................................................ 111
IV. 2: Factors of the Revival of Astrology .................................................... 112
IV. 2. 1: Astrology and the Theological and Philosophical Aspects of the
Notions of Free Will and Detenninism ............................................ 117
IV. 3: Astrological References in Mediaeval Arabic Poetry
IV. 3.1: The Umayyad Period .................................................... 130
IV. 3.2: The Early and Mid-Abbasid Periods .................................. 136
IV. 4: Conclusion .......................... , ....................................................... 158
------,- ----------------------------
Chapter V: Astrological References in Late Abbasid Poetry
V. 1: Introduction ....................... .. . . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . ... 161
V. 2: The Poetry of the Court ................................. , ................. , .......... 162
V. 3: Astrology and the Public ................................................................ 177
V. 4: Conclusion ..... , ........................................................................ 182
------ --- ------------------------
Chapter VI: Reflections of the Notion of Astral Destiny in Mediaeval Arabic
Poetry
VI. 1: Introduction ............................................................................ 185
VIII
VI. 2: Poetic References to Astrological Techniques ............................ '" ....... 187
VI. 2. 1: References to Nativity: Astrological Characters in poetry ............ 189
VI. 2. 2: References to Interrogational Astrology (Masii 1) in Abbasid
Poetry .............................................................................. 208
VI. 3: Conclusion .............................................................................. 232
-------------------------------------------------------------------
VII. Principles of Ikhtiy4rllt (Elections) and al-Jfadathlln (Mundane Astrology) as
Poetic Themes
VII. 1: Introduction ............................................................................ 234
VII. 2: Ikhtiyiirat (Elections) ................................................................. 234
VII. 3: Astrology of the Mundane (al-fJadathiin) and its use by propagandist poets
...................................................... ····················· ........................ 245
VII. 4: Conclusion .................................. ·.·· .. · .................................... 265
------------------------------------------------------------------
VIII. Conclusion .............................................................................. 271
------------------------------------------------ ---- ------------
Bibliography
1: Translations of the Qur'an ................................................................. 278
2: Primary Sources: Astrology ................................................................ 278
3: Primary Sources: Poetry ............................................ '" .................... 282
4: Secondary Sources ......................................................................... 287
5: Secondary Sources on Astrology in English Literature ............................... 318
6: Anonytnous Books ....... , .................................................................. 319
--'-------------------------------
Appendix I: Special Indications of the Houses Peculiar to Nativity• ................ 320
Appendix II: Indications relating to Horary Question ................................ .321
Appendix III: The lunar mansions in the Kitllb al~Bulhlln ............................ 322
Appendix IV: Table of the Nature and Temper of the Sings of the Zodiacs ......... 323
IX
List of Figures
Figure 1: Map showing the extent of Byzantine and Persian Empires at 600 A.D.
copied from John R. Hayes (ed.), The Genius of Arab civilization: Source of
Renaissance (London: Eurabia (Publishing) Ltd., 1983), p. 9.
Figure 2: Map showing the Arab Empire at its greatest extent, 700-853 A.D., copied
from John R. Hayes (ed.), The Genius ofA rab civilization, p. 11.
Figures 3& 4: Diagrams of the heavens with the Earth at the centre of the universe
surrounded by the 28 lunar mansions, and a ring of 48 constellations and the belt of the
12 signs of the zodiac, that must be added in the Abbasid period as it shows them
according to the Greek arrangement and not the pre-Islamic Arabs. The manuscript is
th
shown to be conducted in the 12th - 13 century. Ms. Arab, c 90, fols. 2b-3a (l2th_13th
century), copied from Edson and Savage-Smith's Medieval Views oft he Cosmos, pp. 37
-39.
Figures 5& 6: Diagram showing the Earth in relation to the four elements (earth, air,
fire, water), the winds and the seasons (as represented by the 12 zodiacal signs), Ms.
th
Arab, c 90, fols. 21b (12th_l3 century), copied from Edson and Savage-Smith's
Medieval Views oft he Cosmos, pp. 16 -17.
Figure 7: Diagram showing the universe as viewed by Mediaeval Arabs, Earth at the
centre surrounded by the spheres of the seven planets, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, The
Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn; enclosed by the 12 signs of the zodiac, major stars and
banded by the 28 lunar mansions, from an autograph copy made in 1333 of an Arabic
treatise on timekeeping. MS. BodI. Or. 133, fols. 117b-118a (Egypt, 1333), copied from
Edson and Savage-Smith'sMedieval Views oft he Cosmos, p. 23.
Figure 8: Diagram of planetary domiciles; extent and structure of celestial sphere and
their movements backwards and onwards. The diagram taken from Emilie Savage
Smith and Yossef Rapoport (eds.), The Book of Curiosities: A critical edition. World
Wide-Web publication. www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/bookofcuriosities (March 2007), accessed
[1113/2008], fo1. 5b.
Figure 9: Number of comets that were recognized by Arabs illustrated in the
anonymous Book of Curiosities (Kitiib Chara ib al-Funun wa Mulah al-Uyun)
compiled about 1020-1050 AD. Ms. Arab, c 90, fols. 13b-14b (12th_13th century),
copied from Edson and Savage-Smith's Medieval Views oft he Cosmos, p. 42.
Figures 10 &11: The constellations: an Islamic view of the constellations. This
manuscript synthesizes knowledge of astronomy and includes accounts of the Hindu
Islamic and European systems. Image taken from The Jewel oft he Essence ofA ll '
Sci~nces. o?ginally ~ublished in Indi~, 1840. D?wnloaded from British Library Images
Onhne aVaIlable onhne: http://www.lmagesonhne.bl.ukJindex.asp, section of science
and technology/ astronomy and astrology, image no. 004227.
x