THE CONCEPTS OF LITERATURE
IN WESTERN AND ISLAMIC TRADITION

By NUR 'ABIDAH ABD SAMAD

Literature can be defined as a man’s creation using fictional quality, described with language, in order to serve certain purposes. Literature entails a vast array of forms including prose, novel, drama and poetry. This discussion covers the concepts of literature in the Western and Islamic tradition. To further explore the above dichotomy, this paper identifies the unifying function of both literatures as enhancing knowledge of self. Besides, this essay also clarifies the function of literature as a didactic instrument of teaching from both different traditions. In addition, by comparing these two traditions, there is a clear explication of the elements of fantasy and reality infused in both literary traditions. Lastly, this essay concludes with the value-judgment of evaluating good or bad literature.

Muhammad Qutb defines ‘Islamic literature’ as literature written by people belonging to Muslim writers as well as works by non-Muslim writers who deal with Islamic values in their views (M. Badawi, 1993, p. 50). Islamic conception of literature is significantly derived from the very first word of the Qur’anic revelation iqra’, an instruction to read, followed by the word ‘al-Qalam’ which carries the meaning that reads: “it was God who taught man with pen” (96: 4), which indicates the ultimate role of reading and knowledge to Muslim individuals. The Qur’an itself is Islam’s supreme literary convention that its “linguistics and literary aspects” have propagated Islam in the early days and it is the perfect example of literature (M. Badawi, 1993, p. 48). Poetry as one type of literature is interestingly mentioned in the Qur’anic chapter al-Shu’ara’ or Poets. The Qur’an differentiates poetry into two types, “the righteous which serves the altruistic causes of man and the stray which misleads and harms man’s chances for a better life” (M. Badawi, 1993, p. 52). Obviously, literature has played an important role in Islamic tradition and it is a major concern for Islam. In the side of Western, literature is seen as ideology which provokes the values, ideas and images that constrain men from their social class-society and thus they are deferred from a true knowledge of society wholly (Eagleton, 1976, p. 3). Hence, T.S. Elliot’s The Waste Land published in 1922 is ideological that it exhibits a man making sense of his experience which prevents a true understanding of his society, which deems to fallacy.

One unifying function of literature to both Western and Islamic tradition is that it expands a man’s knowledge of self. Syed Ali Ashraf (1978, p. 52) classifies this knowledge as “self-awareness that man becomes conscious of his relationship with God, with nature and with the world at large”. The author later adds that the awareness of this reality somehow is not easily reachable as man is given “a passionate soul attached to his body” which may lure him to become selfish, and this state of selfishness initiate a conflict which intrigues a writer to produce a work based on imagination (Ashraf, 1978, p. 52). This imagination assists the writer to view the inter-relationship among different life occurrences and, between Spirit and self as well as between spiritual and material reality. However, within this one unifying function of literature, the Western literature of the twentieth century seems problematic as spirituality is degrading resulting in the lack of faith in divine reality. Therefore, the Western writers tend to produce works constructed from framework of values, which is risky as they have to alert on the final goal of the works otherwise they may end up writing without direction. On the other hand, Islam stresses only one goal, for the success and happiness in this worldly life and the hereafter. Having this view would allow writers in the sphere of Islamic literature to plainly emphasize their objectives and to reject any ambiguity and unclear expressions.

The idea of Islamic literature emerged on the basis of which literary works should not simply be a medium of language appreciation but most notably it must be a platform for da’wah. This function of da’wah is rationalized by Abdul Hakim Abdullah (2012, p. 25) as “to make Muslim become a better Muslim”. Didacticism is placed highly in the tradition of Islamic literature, for that reason the aspect of entertaining the reader becomes a subordinate one. Literature that is encouraged by Islam is definitely the kind which upholds the values appropriate for man’s life, for instance, justice, honesty, integrity, mutual understanding and others. Most importantly, the concept of the Oneness of God, belief in the prophethood of Muhammad must be reflected into any literary writings. Thus, the meaning and function of literature in Islam immersed in the matters of ‘spiritual knowledge’ without abandoning the beauty and artistic quality of a writing (Mohd. Zariat, 2007, p. 53). In a mainstream literature, any literary works that is contrary to Islamic ideology and values, which may deviates people or Muslims specifically from the truth or the worst, leading them to shirk or apostasy is seen as a challenge to immorality, thus must be tackled by Muslim writers.

Western literature, on the other hand, prioritizes the narrative aspect and fictional quality that the function of ‘teaching’ becomes less important. This raises the conflict of ‘art for art’s sake’ in the Western literature and its literary criticism, particularly the aesthetic value of literature as a means of pleasure reading. On this reason, there is a tendency toward incorporating imagination and fantasy into literary writing of Western writers as discussed earlier. As for Islam, in order to imply the relation between beauty and the truth, the aesthetics and the ethics, writers must be able to articulate their views using beautiful expressions and other literary elements. Jalal ad-din al-Rumi as a poet, is a great example of a fine poetry which combines illustrations of qualities a Muslim should posses. As there are differences between the two traditions in the role of literature in ‘teaching’, their priority definitely differs from one another.

As the genre of writing is concerned, the concept of literature according to the Western is a product of two impulses. Firstly, mimesis, as a desire to imitate, to describe people, objects, events, that others can share the experience and secondly, fantasy, as the desire to change reality out of boredom, vision, and play which requires metaphoric images (Hume, 19854, p. 20). There is a faulty assumption about the nature of literature in the West that the significant impulse behind literature is mimetic, with that fantasy cannot be separated (Hume, 1984, p. 8). Fantasy is defined by Hume as “any departure from consensus reality, manifested in innumerable variations...” (1984, p. 21). Among seductive attractions of classical literature included creatures such as the winged and flying horse, the talking beasts and the impenetrable heroes, along with enchanted rings and castles, and ships turned into nymphs as well as deities of alien faith. These fantastic fantasies however are considered as a sort of lie to many earnest Christians as they encouraged the non-real. Yet Western writers prefer fantasy and non-factual elements included in their fictions. For instance, Geoffrey Chaucer‘s Canterbury Tales written at the end of 14th century and J.R.R Tolkien’s trilogy of The Lord of the Ring which was published between 1954 to 1955. Even so, nothing was done to resolve the balance between fantasy and mimesis, that fantasy remains a fringe phenomenon despite its acknowledgement for entertainment (Hume, 1984, p. 7).

It is difficult to deny the influence of fantasy literature has and continues to have on popular culture. Islamic fantasy literature is not broadly acknowledged as other traditions and much of it is unknown to the West due to the fact that there is only little being translated. Islam unmistakably does not promote literary works produced on ‘empty fantasy-based’, that it should focus on ‘real life issues’ in terms of social, economic and political (Abdul Hakim Abdullah, 2012, p. 27). Nevertheless, reality as imposed by Islam namely the physical life, as well as al-ghaybat or the unseen supernatural life can be interspersed into literary works as to further enhance the knowledge of people. Muslim writers of fantasy integrate themes similar to other writers of love, heroism, and other worlds. Although their narratives are based on the particular type of writing, Muslim writers are obligated to incorporate aspects of faith as a principal theme. Rebecca (2010, p. 5) concurs with this and states that:

“…the need to shape these stories from an Islamic perspective has been an incentive for writers to craft stories that capitalize on the genre while also casting Islam in a positive light.”

Thus, the need to convey the message of Islamic values remains significant and unquestionable to writers of fantasy or science fiction. Folklore stories of the Arabian Nights have historically become a well-known and widely acceptable fantastical literature among Muslims and other cultures as well.

As is evident, literature of the Muslims globally must integrate themes which are in line with the Islamic teachings and Shari’ah. Muslim writers, whether secular or religious, have engaged in all subject matters into their writings, so it is certainly hard to define any single literary theme. Muhammad A. Hamdan (1978, p. 68) in his article asserts that writers are free to write as long as “they fulfilled the condition of being of those who have faith in God and do the good works” as mentioned in the Quran (26: 227). There are possible unifying themes which are commonly found in Islamic literature such as the narration of Muhammad’s life and his sunnah which are taken either in narrative or poetical literature. This kind of theme is seen as the best archetypal image of heroism to fellow Muslim.

In relation to evaluating literature, a concept of good and evil are important to be visualized by literary critics. This comes with the need for literary criticism “whose tenets are perfectly compatible with the concept of man which Islam provides” (Ashraf, 1978, p. 54). In Islam, there is only one fundamental universal code of morality, of good and evil, therefore, the distinction between the two must succumb to the certain values of human life as imposed by Islamic teachings and Shari’ah accordingly. Parallel to the above context, it is also the aim of Islam to develop communities upholding the Islamic beliefs and codes, thus all kinds of literature must submit to the Islamic doctrines (M. Badawi, 1993, p. 47). Contrary to the tradition of Islamic literature, Western writers, Jean Paul Sarte for example, tend to cultivate a philosophy of his own experience into writing that there are always possibilities of them “straying beyond the realm of pure literature into the realm of philosophical thought” which in turn leads to conflict with other people’s ideas and beliefs (Ashraf, 1978, p. 55). Hence, literature writings must consider genres or types of writing which would evoke values of normal human experience and not of highly obscure, mysterious or even personal philosophy. Thus, the role of literature in imparting the knowledge of telling good story is provident in Islam, and as indicated in hadith of the Prophet Muhammad “Knowledge from which no benefit is derived is like a treasure out of which nothing is spent in the cause of God” (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 108).

The unifying function of literatures in Western and Islamic traditions to expand knowledge of self and the distinguished function of literature as a didactic vehicle have been justified explicitly in this essay. Besides, the elements of fantasy and reality infused in both literary traditions as well as evaluating good or bad literature have been explored and discussed distinctively. Along these lines, it can be concluded that the priority given to literary works has defined the functions of both literary traditions and also the different positions of writers in producing any literary arts and writings.

REFERENCES

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Eagleton, Terry (1976), Marxist Criticism, p. 202-206, in Walder, Dennis, Literature in the Modern World: Critical Essays and Documents, New York: Oxford University Press Inc., 1990.

Hankins, Rebecca, (April 15, 2010). Countering the Master Narrative: Muslims and Islam in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Comics. Science Fiction Symposium.

Hume, Kathryn, Fantasy and Mimesis: responses to reality in western literature, (Great Britain: University Printing House, Cambridge, 1984.

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