Intertextuality and the Transcendental Miracle of Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī’s Risālat al-Ghufrān (The Epistle of Forgiveness) (1033 C.E.)
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Moawd Etman Asmaa Ahmed Youssef
Abstract
This paper discusses the concept of religious miracles and how the stories of miracles are woven through intertextuality in Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī’s “Risālat al-Ghufrān” (The Epistle of Forgiveness) (1033 C.E.). The epistle, a satirical work of Arabic poetry, is a reply to a letter sent to al-Maʿarrī (Maʿarrat al-Nuʿman, Syria, 973‒1057 C.E.), a controversial and pessimistic rationalist, by the traditionalist and grammarian ʿAlī ibn Manṣūr al-Ḥalabī, known as Ibn al-Qāriḥ. Intertextuality, a narratological strategy, works as an integral part of the text, enhancing its richness, complexity, and enduring relevance. Through congruent and reverse intertextuality, the paper examines the religious, social, and philosophical roles of certain miracles, such as the miracle of the Night Journey and Ascension, the miracle of place and time in paradise and hell, the miracle of intercession, and the miracle of compensation. The first miracle shows the soul’s journey toward spiritual enlightenment and understanding. The second explores the consequences of human actions and beliefs. The concept of time and place within these realms symbolizes the lasting impact of one’s choices in life. The third shows that people can attain redemption and forgiveness through sincere repentance and good deeds, rather than depending on external intervention. The fourth miracle highlights the significance of personal responsibility and accountability, resulting in positive or negative consequences. While the miracle is normally conceived as a phenomenon driven by a divine power appearing here on earth, this paper uses a slightly different approach. al-Maʿarrī believes that human beings can achieve and witness miracles through faith, knowledge, and moral behavior. The paper also investigates how the poet’s use of the character of Ibn al-Qāriḥ and his journey in paradise and hell as a multifaceted literary device to express his ideas, critique society, and engage the reader in a thought-provoking and entertaining manner. Finally, the paper affirms that despite his rational thinking, al-Maʿarrī did not mock or criticize the religious miracles mentioned in the Qur’an but satirized those who claimed to have received God’s merciful blessings despite their hypocrisy and deficiencies. For him, miracles 190should occur only for those who truly deserve them – those with genuine faith, good intentions, and moral character.
Abstract
This paper discusses the concept of religious miracles and how the stories of miracles are woven through intertextuality in Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī’s “Risālat al-Ghufrān” (The Epistle of Forgiveness) (1033 C.E.). The epistle, a satirical work of Arabic poetry, is a reply to a letter sent to al-Maʿarrī (Maʿarrat al-Nuʿman, Syria, 973‒1057 C.E.), a controversial and pessimistic rationalist, by the traditionalist and grammarian ʿAlī ibn Manṣūr al-Ḥalabī, known as Ibn al-Qāriḥ. Intertextuality, a narratological strategy, works as an integral part of the text, enhancing its richness, complexity, and enduring relevance. Through congruent and reverse intertextuality, the paper examines the religious, social, and philosophical roles of certain miracles, such as the miracle of the Night Journey and Ascension, the miracle of place and time in paradise and hell, the miracle of intercession, and the miracle of compensation. The first miracle shows the soul’s journey toward spiritual enlightenment and understanding. The second explores the consequences of human actions and beliefs. The concept of time and place within these realms symbolizes the lasting impact of one’s choices in life. The third shows that people can attain redemption and forgiveness through sincere repentance and good deeds, rather than depending on external intervention. The fourth miracle highlights the significance of personal responsibility and accountability, resulting in positive or negative consequences. While the miracle is normally conceived as a phenomenon driven by a divine power appearing here on earth, this paper uses a slightly different approach. al-Maʿarrī believes that human beings can achieve and witness miracles through faith, knowledge, and moral behavior. The paper also investigates how the poet’s use of the character of Ibn al-Qāriḥ and his journey in paradise and hell as a multifaceted literary device to express his ideas, critique society, and engage the reader in a thought-provoking and entertaining manner. Finally, the paper affirms that despite his rational thinking, al-Maʿarrī did not mock or criticize the religious miracles mentioned in the Qur’an but satirized those who claimed to have received God’s merciful blessings despite their hypocrisy and deficiencies. For him, miracles 190should occur only for those who truly deserve them – those with genuine faith, good intentions, and moral character.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Miracles, Wonders, and Human Existence Globally and in the Pre-Modern Age: Also an Introduction 1
- (False) Miracles, Doctors and the potentia of Saints in the Gaul of Gregory of Tours 107
- Apostle’s Miracles and Kings’ Authority in West Francia (ca. 850–ca. 1050) 127
- Fecundity, Motherhood and Healing Karāmāt (Miracles): A Comparative Study of Sayyidah Nafīsah and Christian Women Saints 161
- Intertextuality and the Transcendental Miracle of Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī’s Risālat al-Ghufrān (The Epistle of Forgiveness) (1033 C.E.) 189
- The Miracles of Solomon: A Comparative Study of Al-Thaʿlabī’s Qiṣaṣ Al-Anbiyāʾ and “The City of Brass,” a Tale in the Arabian Nights Collection 215
- Miracle Accounts as Teaching Aids and Learning Tools: Caesarius of Heisterbach’s Dialogus Miraculorum as a Mirror of Everyday Life and the History of Mentality 241
- The Ultimate Miracle: Revival of the Dead in Alfonso X’s Cantigas de Santa Maria 275
- Miracle of Miracles: Improbable Choices and Impossible Outcomes in Dante’s Paradiso 299
- Miraculosa gratia: Discerning the Spirit, Discerning the Body in the Liber of Angela of Foligno and in the Vita of Clare of Montefalco 337
- Miraculous Revelation in the Middle English Pearl 375
- The Miracles of the Immaculate Conceptions in the St. Anne’s Legend and the Middle English Joseph of Aramathie 405
- “Many ferlis han fallen in a fewe ȝeris”: Debt, Obligation, Godly Presence, and Grasping the Miraculous in Piers Plowman 427
- Margery Kempe and Miracles: Guarding Understanding and Interpretation of Experience 459
- Where Has God Gone in the Vernacular Renderings of Lanfranc’s Chirurgia magna? 477
- Non vidit, sed firmiter credit – The Many Roles of Jews in Christian Miracle Narratives 505
- “Never of Myselff”: Failure and Interiority in Malory’s “The Healing of Sir Urry” 555
- Between Wonders and Miracles. The Use and Abuse of Natural Substances in the Healing Rituals of Late Medieval and Early Modern Popular Culture 581
- Between Wonder and Science: Alchemy in Augurello’s Mini-Epic Chryrsopoeia (1515) 619
- “Miraculous Light” – Natural Phenomena and Divine Salvation in the Medieval and Early Modern World 647
- Biographies of the Contributors
- Index
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Miracles, Wonders, and Human Existence Globally and in the Pre-Modern Age: Also an Introduction 1
- (False) Miracles, Doctors and the potentia of Saints in the Gaul of Gregory of Tours 107
- Apostle’s Miracles and Kings’ Authority in West Francia (ca. 850–ca. 1050) 127
- Fecundity, Motherhood and Healing Karāmāt (Miracles): A Comparative Study of Sayyidah Nafīsah and Christian Women Saints 161
- Intertextuality and the Transcendental Miracle of Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī’s Risālat al-Ghufrān (The Epistle of Forgiveness) (1033 C.E.) 189
- The Miracles of Solomon: A Comparative Study of Al-Thaʿlabī’s Qiṣaṣ Al-Anbiyāʾ and “The City of Brass,” a Tale in the Arabian Nights Collection 215
- Miracle Accounts as Teaching Aids and Learning Tools: Caesarius of Heisterbach’s Dialogus Miraculorum as a Mirror of Everyday Life and the History of Mentality 241
- The Ultimate Miracle: Revival of the Dead in Alfonso X’s Cantigas de Santa Maria 275
- Miracle of Miracles: Improbable Choices and Impossible Outcomes in Dante’s Paradiso 299
- Miraculosa gratia: Discerning the Spirit, Discerning the Body in the Liber of Angela of Foligno and in the Vita of Clare of Montefalco 337
- Miraculous Revelation in the Middle English Pearl 375
- The Miracles of the Immaculate Conceptions in the St. Anne’s Legend and the Middle English Joseph of Aramathie 405
- “Many ferlis han fallen in a fewe ȝeris”: Debt, Obligation, Godly Presence, and Grasping the Miraculous in Piers Plowman 427
- Margery Kempe and Miracles: Guarding Understanding and Interpretation of Experience 459
- Where Has God Gone in the Vernacular Renderings of Lanfranc’s Chirurgia magna? 477
- Non vidit, sed firmiter credit – The Many Roles of Jews in Christian Miracle Narratives 505
- “Never of Myselff”: Failure and Interiority in Malory’s “The Healing of Sir Urry” 555
- Between Wonders and Miracles. The Use and Abuse of Natural Substances in the Healing Rituals of Late Medieval and Early Modern Popular Culture 581
- Between Wonder and Science: Alchemy in Augurello’s Mini-Epic Chryrsopoeia (1515) 619
- “Miraculous Light” – Natural Phenomena and Divine Salvation in the Medieval and Early Modern World 647
- Biographies of the Contributors
- Index
