A Comparative Study of the Ascetic Poetry of Abu al-Atahiya and Abu Nuwas: Motivations, Origins, Themes, and Style

Abstract

The early Abbasid period, with its profound social, political, and intellectual transformations, provided an unprecedented context for the emergence of two contrasting ascetic discourses. Abu al-Atahiya and Abu Nuwas each reflected this phenomenon in their poetry in distinct ways and from different perspectives. Employing a comparative approach, this study investigates the fundamental differences between the ascetic poetry (zuhdiyyāt) of these two poets—among the most prominent representatives of ascetic poetry during the first Abbasid era—through four principal dimensions: individual and social motivations, intellectual and cultural origins, themes and content, and stylistic and literary characteristics. The findings indicate that the asceticism of Abu al-Atahiya, rather than originating primarily from internal psychological factors, was rooted in social and intellectual influences and gradually evolved into an ethical-educational school grounded in Qur’anic intertextuality and influenced by Manichaean and Buddhist teachings, without compromising its Islamic foundation. Through a prose-like, didactic, and straightforward style, free from conventional rhetorical complexities, he portrays a bleak and pessimistic image of the world, placing death at the center of his ascetic discourse. In contrast, the asceticism of Abu Nuwas is predominantly motivated by psychological and internal factors and manifests itself in the emotional contradiction between a libertine past and attachment to worldly pleasures on the one hand, and a profound fear of death, divine judgment, and a desire for forgiveness on the other. His repentance emerges as an inevitable consequence of physical decline in the final years of his life; nevertheless, it remains sincere and imbued with hope for divine mercy. Despite being informed by deep religious knowledge, his penitential discourse follows an optimistic and supplicatory approach rather than one based solely on warning and intimidation. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that although both poets share a focus on death, the transience of worldly life, and reliance on the Islamic heritage of the Qur’an and Prophetic tradition, the discourse of ascetic poetry in the Abbasid era constituted a conscious response to the immense transformations and intellectual-social crises of the period rather than a mere reflection of traditional preaching. This ascetic discourse exhibits a fundamental qualitative distinction rooted in differences in origin, motivation, thematic treatment, and expressive style, thereby moving beyond a purely descriptive reading toward a structural-critical analysis.