Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

Cultural Activities under the Umayyads 483
mosque, which served as educational institution. Under the
Umayyad education made much progress.2
HISTORY
The Arabs had a natural liking for history and took endless pains to collect historical data and test their accuracy by certain standards that worked alright when applied to their own sources. Most of the early works practically statements of events in their chronological sequence but expressed in an elegant style and above all with fair and often in partial criticism. The work of writing history and biography began at the period when the Arabs were curious to know the history of the Holy Prophet and this perhaps led them to the culture of history in those days. Nicholson writes, ”The sacred book offered many difficulties both to the Arabs and specially to Persians and other Muslims of foreign extraction. For their right understanding of the Holy Quran, a knowledge of Arabic Grammar and Philosophy was essential and this involved the study of ancient pre-Islamic poems.
The studies of these poems entailed researches into genealogy and history, which in course of time became independent branches of learning.” Abul Hasan Ali al-Masudi (956 A.D) was the first to revolutionise the art of writing of history. The modern method of dealing with different dynasties or countries or people with critical examinations of the matter handled may be traced to the same writer.
Before the advent of Islam, there was no systematic way of writing history among any nation of the world. It was done under the Muslims who recorded the sayings of the Prophet, and the revelations revealed to him, just after his demise. In the front rank Muslim historians comes Muhammad ibn Ishaque, the author of Sirat Rasu! Allah which has reached us only through a revision of Ibn Hisnam. Then came the works dealing with the early wars and conquests of Islam by various writers, among whom the names of Mjsa ibn Uqabah (Who wrote Kitab-ul-Maghazi) and al-Waqidi may be mentioned. Adbul Hakam’s Fath-al-Misr was Akhbaruha and Ahmed ibn Yahya al-Balazuri’s Futuh-ui-Buldan. His Ansab-ulAshraf deals with the lineages and pedigrees of persons of distinction.
2 Muhammad Ahsan. Science and Education in Islam, P.I 10.

484 Political and Cultural History of Islam

Amongst other writers of history may be mentioned Ibn Muqaffa who translated several books on Iranian history from Persian into Arabic, including Kalilah wa Dimnah which was for the first time translated b\ Burzuya, a contemporary o1 Khusroe. Siyar-iMuluk-al-Ajam is one of the most important historical works. In respect of language and description this historical work occupied a unique position. Abu Hanifa Ahmad Dinawari wrote the Kitab-ulAkhbar-at-Tavil (long histories). Other noted authors on history are AI-Yaqubi, (author of Kitab-ul-Buldan), Abul Faraj, Abul Fida, Ibn Katib and Miskawayh, author of universal history (Tajarib al-Umam) from the earliest times down to about 980 A.D. ARABIC LITERATURE
The greatest intellectual measure of progress achieved under the Umayyads, however, was undoubtedly in the field of poetical composition. That the birth of Islam was not favourable to the chief of the Muses is evinced by the fact that the glorious period of conquest and expansion inspired no poet in a nation of poets. With the accession of the worldly Uma>yads the old connections with the goddesses of wine, song and poetry were re-established. For the first time the poet of love makes his full appearance in Arabic. While many pre-Islamic bards did preface their long pieces (qasidahs) with a few verses of erotic character, yet none of them could be said to have specialized in love poetry (ghazal). From this amatory prelude (nasib) of the early qasidahs Arabic lyric poetry arose under the influence of Persian singers and after their example.
The peninsular school has Umar ibn-abi-Pvabi’ah as its chief exponent. This prince of erotic poetry, ”the Ovid of Arabia1’, was a Qurayshite born of a Christian mother, who made it his business to make love to the beautiful camels, pilgrimaging in Makkah and alMedina as well as to such charming residents as the famous Sukaynah. In language of intense passion and exquisite felicity he immortalized his feeling towards the fair sex. The freshness and chivalry of his verse stand in marked contrast to the primitive passion of Imrau’-al-Qays on the one hand and to the stereotyped sentiment of a later age on the other.4
If Umar lepresented free love in poetr>, his contemporaiy Jamil of the banu-Udhrah, a Christian tribe of Yamanite origin
I
’ Mini. P244

4 liitti. P244.