Critical Contributions of Poets of the Umayyad State

Abstract

This study examines the contributions of poets of the Umayyad era to the field of literary criticism, considering them not only as producers of poetry but also as active evaluators and judges of it. The research is divided into two sections. The first explores the features of literary criticism among Umayyad poets by tracing their critical opinions and positions, as reflected in poetic comparisons, rival poetic exchanges (naqāʾiḍ), and aesthetic judgments. The second section addresses the most prominent critical issues discussed by these poets, such as the relationship between wording and meaning, truth and falsehood, poetic plagiarism, and the criteria of artistic quality. The study reveals that criticism among poets of this era was largely intuitive, grounded in taste and experience, and that it contributed to paving the way for the emergence of systematic literary criticism in later periods. This, in turn, reflects an early critical awareness within the Umayyad poetic milieu.