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Ahmad Muharram
File:Ahmad Muharram.jpg
NameAhmad Muharram
Other NamesAhmad ibn Hasan ibn Abdullah
Personal Details
Birth PlaceEgypt, Beheira Governorate, Dilingat Center, Ibia al-Hamra village
Brith Date{{{birth_date}}}
Death PlaceEgypt, Beheira Governorate, Damanhur
Death Date{{{death_date}}}
ReligionIslam
Works
  • Diwan (poetry collection)
  • Articles

Ahmad ibn Hasan ibn Abdullah, known as Ahmad Muharram, was an Egyptian religious, patriotic, and pan-Islamic poet of Turkish descent mixed with Egyptian blood, who lived during the 13th and 14th centuries AH. In his poetry, he was influenced by figures such as Muhammad Abduh, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Ahmad Shawqi, Muhammad Sami al-Barudi, Hafez Ibrahim, and Ahmad Nasim. The key themes of his poetry include Islamism, patriotism, Islamic unity, national awakening, Arab unity, adherence to religious rituals such as Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Kaaba, Jerusalem, the Quran, and brotherhood as a means to achieve unity, while avoiding sectarianism and ethnic nationalism.


Biography

Ahmad Muharram was born on Saturday, the 5th of Muharram, 1294 AH, in the village of Ibia al-Hamra, one of the villages in the Dilingat Center of Beheira Governorate. His father, Hasan Effendi Abdullah, was of Circassian Mamluk descent, a lineage of Turkish soldiers who ruled over Syria and Egypt for nearly three centuries from the 13th to the 16th century CE, and his mother was also of Turkish origin. However, according to Ahmad Muharram himself, this Turkish heritage was blended with Egyptian blood. Despite his Turkish ancestry, Hasan Effendi Abdullah was a man deeply devoted to Arab identity, passionate about Arabic literature and its history, and a devout Muslim who, in addition to frequent recitation, adhered strictly to the principles of Islam and its rituals. These characteristics significantly influenced his son Ahmad Muharram's religious upbringing and his composition of poems praising Islam, the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and his military expeditions. Thus, Ahmad inherited from his father a deep religiosity, admiration for the glory of Islam, and a commitment to its defense[1].


Education

Ahmad Muharram grew up in his village like other privileged individuals of his time. His father hired tutors in the village to educate him, enabling him to master arithmetic, reading, writing, and memorization of the Quran. Subsequently, his father enrolled him in one of the schools in Cairo, which were reserved for children of the affluent class. However, Muharram disliked the curriculum of this school, prompting his father to transfer him to another institution that he deemed superior. Nevertheless, these schools failed to ignite his passion and love for Arabic literature, leading him to turn away from them. Consequently, in a poem addressed to his father, he depicted his sense of alienation from the Arabic language within these educational institutions, despite being no older than fifteen. As a result, his father had no choice but to return him to the village and arrange for several scholars from Al-Azhar to come and teach him philology and Arabic literature. In the village, Muharram cultivated his intellect by studying books of interest in his father's library and nourished his conscience and emotions with the springs of Arabic poetry. His father also introduced him to the latest Arabic poems composed by his friends to stimulate his sense of Arab camaraderie. During his trips to Damanhur, one of the cities in Beheira Governorate, Egypt, his father accompanied him to establish connections with scholars, attendees, writers, and dignitaries[2].

Works

The works and writings of Ahmad Muharram, comprising poetry and critical articles, aimed at reforming and refining his own community and subsequently the people of the world, addressed topics such as Islamism, patriotism, Islamic unity, national awakening, Arab unity, women's education and upbringing, introduction of contemporary poetry, and critique of poets' works[3].

Poetry Collections

Through his poetry, Ahmad Muharram created various works, including several renowned poetry collections known as Diwans in five volumes. In addition to the Diwan titled "Majd al-Islam" and the Diwan titled "al-Aqsa al-Hazin", these collections are as follows:

  1. Al-Siyasiyat;
  2. Al-Ijtima'at wa al-Marathi;
  3. Al-Khawatir wa al-Ta'ammulat wa al-Musajjalat;
  4. Al-Ikhwaniyat wa al-Tahaya wa al-Tahani;
  5. Al-Tabi'a wa al-Wasf wa al-Ghazal;

These five collections (Diwans) were published in 1988 CE by Maktabat al-Falah Publishing House in Kuwait, with chapters organized and dated by Ahmad Muharram's son, Mahmud Ahmad Muharram. The Diwan of Majd al-Islam was also published by the same publishing house in Kuwait in 1982 CE, through the efforts of Mahmud Ahmad Muharram, with an introduction by Dr. Ibrahim al-Jayushi.

Articles

These articles consist of numerous critical studies on various topics such as education and upbringing, politics, modern poetry, critique of poets, etc., which were published in periodicals of that era.

  1. Views on Women's Education and Upbringing (Ārāʾ fī Taʿlīm al-Marʾa wa Tarbiyatihā), Anīs al-Jalīs magazine, 1899 CE, and al-Miftāḥ magazine, 1900 CE;
  2. Political Articles (Maqālāt fī al-Siyāsa), in newspapers of the National Party;
  3. Study on Modern Poetry (Baḥth fī al-Shiʿr al-ʿAṣrī), Anīs al-Jalīs magazine, from 1900 CE to 1901 CE, across fourteen consecutive issues;
  4. Critique of the Poet Ismail Sabri (Naqd al-Shāʿir Ismāʿīl Ṣabrī), Apollo magazine;
  5. Critique of the Poet Hafiz Ibrahim (Naqd al-Shāʿir Ḥāfiẓ Ibrāhīm), Apollo magazine;
  6. Critique of the Poet Tawfiq al-Bakri (Naqd al-Shāʿir al-Sayyid Tawfīq al-Bakrī), Apollo magazine;
  7. Lecture on the Critique of Poet Ahmad Zaki Abu Shadi's Poetry Collection (Muḥāḍara fī Naqd al-Shāʿir Aḥmad Zakī Abū Shādī fī Dīwānihi "al-Shuʿla"), Apollo Publications;
  8. Study on Weeping Poetry in Arabic Literature (Baḥth fī al-Shiʿr al-Bākī fī al-Adab al-ʿArabī), al-Ṣidq newspaper;
  9. Study on Satirical Poetry (Baḥth fī Shiʿr al-Hijāʾ), al-Ṣidq newspaper;
  10. Study on Forgotten Writers (Baḥth fī "Adabāʾunā al-Mansīyūn"), al-Ṣidq newspaper;
  11. Articles titled "Fallen Literature" (Maqālāt fī al-Zajal taḥta ism "al-Adab al-Sāqiṭ"), al-Ṣidq newspaper.


Cultural and Political Conditions

During his lifetime, Ahmad Muharram witnessed the most significant political events, domestic and national occurrences in Egypt and Arab countries. His birth years coincided with the presence of Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Asadabadi in the Egypt, where for eight years he called upon the people to reform their religion and defend Islam against Western culture. The occurrence of the Urabi Revolution in Egypt in 1881 CE, as a major step in the awakening of the Egyptian nation, was another such event; however, the occupation of Egypt by Britain and the ensuing spirit of despair and hopelessness among the Egyptian people following the occupation led to its failure. Other incidents, such as the uprising of Mustafa Kamil, the Denshawai incident, World War I, internal party conflicts, and the treaty of 1459 AH, were among the most important events of his time[4].

Poetic Components

Patriotism, avoidance of division, rejection of ethnic nationalism and nationalist sentiment, and adherence to religious symbols as a means of fostering unity constitute the most important poetic components of Ahmad Muharram's work.

Patriotism

Patriotism is one of the poetic components of Ahmad Muharram, and he has beautifully depicted love for the homeland in his poems. Examples of this patriotism in his verses include[5]:

Mentioning National and Ethnic Glories

Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:B Template:End poemO Nile! You are hope and life, and you are the joy and father (of this land)! O Nile! You are the faithful friend and the true, pure-hearted brother! You are the poem for which I compose rhymes, and through which the East and the West become radiant and shine!

Opposition to Domestic Tyranny

Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:End poemInquire of history and carefully consider the lessons that past nations and generations have prepared for you! The admonitions of time and its generations in Baghdad and Al-Andalus.

Struggle Against Colonizers and Resistance to Them

Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:B Template:B Template:B Template:End poemO sons of the River Thames! (O British colonizers) Act however you wish; we shall never relinquish our struggle nor ever show weakness! They are our enemies; we are not of them, nor do they stand with us in times of hardship or remain by our side! We fulfilled our covenant with you; so when shall we find you packing your travel gear to bid us farewell? You claimed your departure was near; you lied, O nation that merely counts the years!

Call for Unity and Solidarity for the Liberation of the Homeland

Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:B Template:End poemO people of Egypt! Have I not admonished you to take heed from the events of time and days? Yes, hardships and tribulations have intensified, and we have become engulfed in a mass of difficulties and problems. Administer your affairs with wise policy; perhaps thereby distortions and injustices may be rectified!

Avoidance of Division

Ahmad Muharram considers division and discord to be the root cause of negligence and ignorance among Muslims, viewing it as the factor behind the backwardness and ruin of the nation. Among his poems on this theme:Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:End poemThe mourning of the Egyptian people stems from the lack of unity, and also from their sorrow over withholding this sentiment and neglecting it. Therefore, do not harbor enmity toward one another, for nations perish through fragmentation and thrive through unity[6].

Rejection of Ethnic Nationalism and Nationalist Sentiment

Ethnic nationalism and nationalist sentiment in Arab countries have always been factors of instability, war, and turmoil among Islamic nations. Therefore, Ahmad Muharram has consistently attempted in his poetry to clearly transform ethnic and nationalist symbols into brotherhood and interaction.Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:B Template:End poem Come to us, for we are brothers! And I regard kindness and interaction as a more prudent course! Our path is one, and we are all sons of Egypt; we will not tolerate our soil being subjected to aggression and injustice! Our religions are different, yet our God is One, and all humanity originates from Adam.

Adherence to Religious Symbols as a Means of Fostering Unity

Ahmad Muharram is among the poets who have composed beautiful verses regarding Islamic unity. In his poems, inspired by and influenced by conciliatory figures of his time such as Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Asadabadi and Muhammad Abduh, he has called upon Muslims to embrace Islamic unity.

Adherence to Islam

Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:End poemThis is the true religion of Islam, for which there is no guardian for mankind other than itself! So whither turn those who deliberately blind themselves?! It defends the weak and offers them refuge from tribes whose strikes are most severe and devastating!

Adherence to the Prophet

Template:Poem Template:B Template:End poemGod is Greatest, and Muhammad is the Imam! Why do you dispute and refuse to obey?

Adherence to Jerusalem

Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:End poemIn the sanctuary of Jerusalem and around the Holy Precinct, a nation suffers oppression and a people are trampled! Jerusalem has cried out in alarm, Mecca has wailed, and Yathrib has wept from intense pain!

Call to the Kaaba and the Quran

Template:Poem Template:B Template:B Template:B Template:End poemHow excellent is brotherhood under the shade of God's Sacred Sanctuary! And greetings to our virtuous people! O Kaaba! Bid welcome to the Messiah! Establish a covenant between us and them! Fulfill the right on behalf of all followers of the Prophet! And take the Quran as the finest witness between us and them...

Call to Fraternity and Brotherhood

Template:Poem Template:B Template:End poemO you who intend to break the covenant! Behold, is the creed of faith subject to rupture?


Death

Ahmad Muharram passed away on the second day of Rajab in the year 1364 AH, amidst poverty and misery. The vitality of his youth faded after half a century of wielding the pen and showing paths of glory to the people. Until his final moments, his heart harbored regret over the literary endeavor for which he had sacrificed his life, remaining faithful to this art until his farewell[7].


See Also


Notes

  1. ↑ Khadija Qadawi, Al-Shi'r al-Malhami fi al-Asr al-Hadith, Ahmad Muharram as a Model, p. 9.
  2. ↑ Ibid., p. 11.
  3. ↑ Ibid., p. 12.
  4. ↑ Hassannejad, Mohammad, Analysis of Patriotism and Freedom-Seeking in the Poetry of Ahmad Muharram, p. 55.
  5. ↑ Ibid., p. 56.
  6. ↑ Malek Abdi, An Analysis of the Components of Islamic Unity in the Poetry of Ahmad Muharram, p. 205.
  7. ↑ Khadijah Qadawi, Epic Poetry in the Modern Era – Ahmad Muharram as a Model –, p. 15.

Sources

  • Khadija Qadawi, Epic Poetry in the Modern Era: Ahmad Muharram as a Case Study, undergraduate thesis for the Bachelor's degree, Algeria (Tlemcen), Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, 2014 CE.
  • Hasannejad, Mohammad, "An Analysis of Patriotism and the Quest for Freedom in the Poetry of Ahmad Muharram," Biannual Journal of Research in Arabic Language and Literature Teaching, No. 2, Winter 2023 CE.
  • Malek Abdi, "An Examination of the Components of Islamic Unity in the Poetry of Ahmad Muharram," Arab Literature Quarterly, No. 1, Spring and Summer 2018 CE.
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