Impact of Islamic civilization on European civilization in the field of language and literature

Monday, 16 August 2010

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Written by Dr. Ragheb Elsergany

Impact on European civilization in literature and poetry

Westerners, particularly Spanish poets, were greatly influenced by Arabic literature. The literature of chivalry, bravery, figurative expression, and imagery made its way to Western literature through Arabic literature in Andalusia in particular. The famous Spanish writer Ibanez says: “Europe did not know chivalry, or its adopted literature or sense of honour before the arrival of Arabs in Andalusia and the wide presence of their knights and heroes in the countries of the south.”[1]

The Andalusian Ibn Hazm and his famous book “Tawq al-Hamamah” (the ring-neck dove) had a great impact on poets in Spain and southern France after the Islamic community blended with the Christian community. The Arabic language was the language of the country and the language of the high-class people. In many Christian Spanish provinces, Christian and Muslim poets used to meet at the court of the governor. One such an example is what used to take place at the court of Sanko which comprised 13 Arab poets, 12 Christian poets, and a Jewish poet. A manuscript dating back to the era of Alfonso X, the king of Castile, was found and it contained a portrait that represented the meeting of two moving poets, one Arab and one European, singing together on lute. Even more, the European poets at the time were good at composing Arabic poetry. For this reason, Henry Maro says: “The Arab impact on the civilization of the Roman peoples did not stop at fine arts only, but extended to music and poetry as well.”[2]  

What also helps us realize the extent of the impact of the Arabic language and its literature on Western men of letters during those times is the quotation by Dozy[3] in his book about Islam of the message of the Spanish writer Al-Faro, who was greatly embittered at the neglect of Latin and Greek and the enthusiasm for learning the Muslim language. He said: “Our intellectual class has been charmed by Arabic literature, and have consequently neglected Latin and written solely in the language of their conquerors”. Another more patriotic contemporary was embittered at that state of things and wrote:  ‘My Christian brothers are enchanted by the Arabs' poems and narrative. They, therefore, study the works written by Muslim philosophers and scholars. They learn, not to rebut and refute, but to imitate the style of classical Arabic. Who else other than theologians that read interpretations of the Gospel and Bible? Who reads these days the testaments and prophets' scriptures?  

Alas, the rising generation of intelligent Christians masters no other literature and language than Arabic. They voraciously read Arabic books and heap up stocks of these books in their libraries at the highest prices. They chant everywhere the praises of the Arabic treasures, whereas they refuse to hear of Christian works when they are mentioned. They allege that Christian works are worthless and do not deserve to be given attention. How sad the Christians have forgotten their language. You seldom find one among a thousand Christians who writes to a friend in Christian language. As to Arabic, how innumerable are those who can give its best expression and excel the Arabs themselves in the composition of poems.”[4]

Impact of Arabic language on European languages

Regarding the impact of the Arabic language on European languages, Dieter Meissner[5] says: The impact of the Arabic language, the language of the upper class in the languages spoken in the Iberian Peninsula, gave the Castilian, Portuguese, and Catalan languages a special place among the romance languages.

The Arabic impact was not restricted to the Iberian Peninsula only, but was a medium to take it to other languages, such as French.[6]

There is no need for us to recall all Arabic words that made their way to different European languages in various aspects of life. They almost have the same form as in Arabic, such as, cotton, damask, musk, syrup, jar, lemon, and zero. There is an infinite list of such words. In this regard, we may only highlight the statement of Professor Michael: “Europe was indebted for its novel writing to the Arab countries and to the Arab peoples that lived in the Arab Syrian area. Europe is indebted for the most part to these active forces which made the European middle centuries different in spirit and imagination from the world that was subject to its spirit.”[7]

Impact of Arabic novel on European novel

European novel was influenced in its birth by the narrative arts of the Arabs in the middle centuries, which included Maqamat (a genre of Arabic rhythmic prose), news of chivalry, and adventures of knights for the sake of glory and love. After it was translated into European languages in the 12th century, The Thousand and One Nights had a very great impact in this field to the extent that more than three hundred editions in all European languages have been published since then. A number of European critics believe that the Gulliver's Travels authored by Swift and the Robinson Crusoe authored by Defoe is indebted to The Thousand and One Nights and Risalat Hayy Ibn Yaqzan by the Arab philosopher Ibn Tufayil.[8]

Boccaccio stories

In 1349 A.D, Boccaccio wrote his novellas which were called Decameron, which followed the same suit of The Thousand and One Nights. Shakespeare copied the topic of his play (All's well that ends well). The German Lessing copied his play (Nathan the Wise). Chaucer, the leader of modern poetry in the English language, was the one who copied most from Boccaccio in his time. He saw him in Italy and composed afterwards his collection of stories which are widely known as (Canterbury Tales).[9]

Divine Comedy by Dante

Many critics stress that Dante in (The Divine Comedy) where he described a journey to the afterlife was influenced by Risalat Al-Ghufran by Al-Ma’ari and Wasf Al-Jannah (Description of Paradise) by Ibn Arabi. This is because he lived in Sicily during the era of Emperor Frederick II who was fond of Islamic culture and its studies in its Arab sources. He and Dante had discussions about the Aristotle thought some of which was derived from an Arab origin. Dante had a fair amount of information about the biography of the prophet. So, he read in the biography about the story of Al-Isra wa Al-M’iraj (Night Journey and Ascension) and the description of heavens.[10]

Sigrid Hunke says: “Similarity between Dante and Ibn Arabi looks big; Dante copied from him his comparisons after about two hundred years.”[11]

The poet Petrarch

The poet Petrarch lived in the era of the Arab culture in Italy and France. He studied at the universities of Montpellier and Paris, both of which were set up on the writings of the Arabs and their students in Andalusia’s universities.[12]

For this reason, he said to his people: “How strange! Ciceron managed to be an orator after Demostene and Vergil managed to be a poet after Homer. So, why were we not destined to write after the Arabs? We were equal with, and sometimes ahead of, the Greeks and all peoples, except the Arabs, How foolish! How mistaken!...”[13]

This is how the Arab Islamic civilization was the firebrand that lit the corners of humanity in the field of language and literature.

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