In the study, the social justice and solidarity understanding of Urwa ibn al-Ward, one of the brigand poets of the Jahiliyyah period, is discussed. The tribe represents a formation that provides a sense of belonging, grants the right to live, and dignifies those who resemble the tribe while alienating, marginalizing, and excluding the other. In the Jahiliyyah poetry and literature, the predominant structure in question, and the values that the social structure favors are dominant. Still, from time to time, people have been trying to argue against these values for different reasons. Brigand poets rebelled against the values and practices of their tribes that were far from justice according to their opinion. The principal factors that motivated these poets into brigandage were the political, social, economic, and psychological problems that poets encountered in tribal life. The brigand poets who continued their lives with the raid, extortion and plunder, dealt with the problems they suffer in their society. In this regard, it is quite interesting that the brigand poets, who gave no respite to the tribes by bothering commercial caravans with their looting, mentioned the values such as justice, solidarity, taking care of weak and poor people, austerity, generosity, hospitality. The most significant factor driving Urwa ibn al-Ward to maraud was the economic distortion and injustice in the 'Abs tribe to which he belonged. Urwa, who saw the order that predominated in his tribe against the sense of social justice and solidarity he embraced, fought for the establishment of a system where the economic possibilities of the tribe were distributed equally and fairly among individuals. Unlike other brigand poets of the period, Urwa struggled for social justice based on the equal distribution of wealth among tribal individuals, without settling in the depths of the desert and leaving his society. The fact that he did not get any unfavorable reaction from his tribe because of his behavior and that had a respectable place among his tribe by being remembered with the nickname “father of the poor” are the features that distinguish the poet from other brigand poets.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Subjects | Literary Studies |
Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | December 27, 2020 |
Submission Date | April 29, 2020 |
Acceptance Date | October 25, 2020 |
Published in Issue | Year 2020 Volume: 20 Issue: 51 |