Jabal ibn Jawwal
Encyclopedia
Jabal ibn Jawwal was a Jewish poet who wrote in the Arabic language
during the 7th century
. He was a contemporary of Muhammad
.
According to ibn Hisham
(Kitab Sirat Rasul Allah, ed. Wüstenfeld, pp. 690, 713) and Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani ("Kitab al-Aghani," viii. 104), Jabal was a Tha'alabite (Abu al-Faraj gives the whole genealogy), but neither of them mentions the fact that he was a Jew. Ibn Hajar, however, in his biographical dictionary "Kitab al-Ashabah fi Tamyiz al-Shahabah" (ed. Sprenger, i. 453), relying on ibn al-Kalbi and on al-Marzabani, declares that such was the case and that Jabal subsequently embraced Islam
. Yaqut ("Mu'jam," i. 765), quoting a verse of Jabal, calls him erroneously "Jamal ibn Jawwal al-Taghlabi."
Jabal is sporadically cited by the above-mentioned Arabic authors. Abu al-Faraj (l.c. p. 101) quotes two verses of Jabal's, apparently from a poem which he addressed to al-Shammakh, himself a Tha'alabite poet, in reference to a quarrel that arose between them. This is probably the same incident as that related by Abu al-Faraj (l.c. p. 104); namely, that al-Shammakh fell in love with Jabal's sister Kalbah, and when, shortly afterward, al-Shammakh went on a journey she married his brother, giving rise to a poetical contest between the disappointed lover and Jabal. Eleven other verses by Jabal, indicating sufficiently the poet's Jewish religion, are quoted by ibn Hisham (l.c. p. 713). They are an elegy on the death of Huyayy ibn Akhtab
(according to Sprenger's punctuation in ibn Hajar, l.c., "Jubayy"), chief of the Banu al-Nadir, and on the defeat by Muhammad of this tribe and of the Banu Qurayza
. These verses were a reply to the poet Hassan ibn Thabit
. They apparently do not form a complete poem; for ibn Hajar (l.c.) quotes a verse of Jabal's not appearing in the quotation of Ibn Hisham, but having the same meter and the same rime, and therefore probably from the same poem.
. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
during the 7th century
7th century in poetry
-Europe:* Caedmon likely flourishes from approximately 657 to 680 in Northumbria* Laidcenn mac Buith Bannaig, Irish -Poets:* Abu 'Afak, from Hijaz, a Jewish poet writing in Arabic* Al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq fl...
. He was a contemporary of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
According to ibn Hisham
Ibn Hisham
Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Malik bin Hisham , or Ibn Hisham edited the biography of Muhammad written by Ibn Ishaq. Ibn Ishaq's work is lost and is now only known in the recensions of Ibn Hisham and al-Tabari. Ibn Hisham grew up in Basra, Iraq, but moved afterwards to Egypt, where he gained a name...
(Kitab Sirat Rasul Allah, ed. Wüstenfeld, pp. 690, 713) and Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani ("Kitab al-Aghani," viii. 104), Jabal was a Tha'alabite (Abu al-Faraj gives the whole genealogy), but neither of them mentions the fact that he was a Jew. Ibn Hajar, however, in his biographical dictionary "Kitab al-Ashabah fi Tamyiz al-Shahabah" (ed. Sprenger, i. 453), relying on ibn al-Kalbi and on al-Marzabani, declares that such was the case and that Jabal subsequently embraced Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Yaqut ("Mu'jam," i. 765), quoting a verse of Jabal, calls him erroneously "Jamal ibn Jawwal al-Taghlabi."
Jabal is sporadically cited by the above-mentioned Arabic authors. Abu al-Faraj (l.c. p. 101) quotes two verses of Jabal's, apparently from a poem which he addressed to al-Shammakh, himself a Tha'alabite poet, in reference to a quarrel that arose between them. This is probably the same incident as that related by Abu al-Faraj (l.c. p. 104); namely, that al-Shammakh fell in love with Jabal's sister Kalbah, and when, shortly afterward, al-Shammakh went on a journey she married his brother, giving rise to a poetical contest between the disappointed lover and Jabal. Eleven other verses by Jabal, indicating sufficiently the poet's Jewish religion, are quoted by ibn Hisham (l.c. p. 713). They are an elegy on the death of Huyayy ibn Akhtab
Huyayy ibn Akhtab
Huyayy ibn Akhtab was a chief of the Banu al-Nadir, a Jewish tribe of pre-Islamic Arabia.-Family:Huyayy ibn Akhtab had a daughter with Barra bint Samawal: Safiyya bint Huyayy. Barra bint Samawal was from distinguished Arabian Jewish family...
(according to Sprenger's punctuation in ibn Hajar, l.c., "Jubayy"), chief of the Banu al-Nadir, and on the defeat by Muhammad of this tribe and of the Banu Qurayza
Banu Qurayza
The Banu Qurayza were a Jewish tribe which lived in northern Arabia, at the oasis of Yathrib , until the 7th century, when their conflict with Muhammad led to their demise, after the Invasion of Banu Qurayza, took place in the Dhul Qa‘dah, 5 A.H i.e. in February/March, 627 AD...
. These verses were a reply to the poet Hassan ibn Thabit
Hassan ibn Thabit
Hassan ibn Thabit was an Arabian poet and one of the Sahaba, or companions of Muhammad. He was born in Yathrib , and was member of the Banu Khazraj tribe. According to tradition, he was the court poet to Muhammad.-Life:...
. They apparently do not form a complete poem; for ibn Hajar (l.c.) quotes a verse of Jabal's not appearing in the quotation of Ibn Hisham, but having the same meter and the same rime, and therefore probably from the same poem.
Resources
Gottheil, Richard and M. Seligsohn. "Jabal ibn Jawwal". Jewish EncyclopediaJewish Encyclopedia
The Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906.