An Omani poet - Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali al Khalili
By Saleh Abdullah Alkhamyasi
IT has been over a year since the demise of Oman's immortal poet and eminent scholar Shaikh Abdullah bin Ali al Khalili after an energetic life during which he enriched the cultural and the literary circles within the Arab world in general and Oman in particular.
His death was not a shock to his family members and close friends who witnessed the prolonged agony of their unconscious father and saw his flame gradually whither as the days passed. The rest of the people were taken by surprise when the news of his death was announced because they were eagerly looking forward to his forthcoming poems.
The departure of our renowned poet has become a reality and he is physically no longer with us. But do such scholars die? This article is an attempt to shed light on a scholar who enriched our cultural circle and touched the hearts and minds of people with his lucid poetry, deep insight, and wise judgement.
SHAIKH Abdullah al Khalili descended from a reputed family of influential scholars, poets, and Imams. Among these personalities were the eminent scholar Shaikh Said bin Khalfan al Khalili and his two sons Abdullah and Ahmed. His late uncle was Imam Mohammed bin Abdullah al Khalili who had succeeded the leadership of the Imamate in Oman in 1917, and who himself was a scholar and a role model during his time.
Imam Mohammed played a vital role in bolstering our poet in his early life by way of educating and being his mentor, as we will see later on in this article.
Shaikh Abdullah was born in 1922 in Bait Alsabhia the name of his parent's house, in the town of Samayil, in the interior regions of Oman.
One could argue that there were three main factors that had contributed to the evolution and advancement of Shaikh Abdulla's success in the vast ocean of Omani literature. These factors were the following:
- His mother's farsighted vision of seeing him excel and become a scholar among his contemporaries.
- The intellectual and beautiful environment in Samayil, his hometown.
- His extended life span during which he was an eyewitness to so many events within and outside of Oman.
He had a strong affinity for poetry regardless of his conservative upbringing. This was blended with a disciplined and dedicated approach to master the intricacies of the Arabic language. These factors need further elaboration to reveal how enriched his personality.
His mother's farsighted vision: Arabs believe that knowledge ought to be sought from cradle to grave, and that learning since childhood is like engraving in the stone, for it enables the student to digest what he learns effectively. Furthermore, Muslims are encouraged to seek knowledge even as far as China as per the holy hadith.
Out of such rituals our poet's mother Raia bint Ahmed bin Said bin Khalfan al Khalili saw to it that her child Abdullah had a head start in his journey towards excellence. Although his father had to leave Samayil due to an official commitment, it was his mother who stood by him. As he clearly stated in one of the interviews, it was she who took care of him and looked for a mentor to guide and equip him with the necessary knowledge of the Holy Quran.
This motherly gesture is well remembered and often reminisced by our poet. Looking back on his childhood days he says: "She secured a mentor to teach me the Holy Quran. My mentor then was Zahir bin Masoud al Rahbi
. After that I was put before another scholar to teach me the fundamentals of Arabic grammar."
Shaikh Abdullah believed that poetry can be inherited because parents and family members play a significant role in grooming their children to fulfill their dreams and expectations. On the other hand they can play a passive role and therefore, do not lead them anywhere. Thus he inherited his poetic talent from a family that produced many distinguished poets.
He worked hard to develop his talent and his hometown Samayil with its natural beauty, and intellectual environment was the agent which facilitated his quest to excellence.
After this period of being groomed, it was time for him to join his uncle Imam Mohammed bin Abdullah al Khalili. There he would reap the fruits of the intellectual environment which existed in Nizwa.
The intellectual environment: Samayil gets its importance from being the first spot in Oman to embrace Islam voluntarily, through the companion Mazin bin Ghadubah who built the first mosque there, in the 9th century of hijrah. This mosque was named after him, however it is currently called Masjid al Midmar. This religious background made it a place for Imams, scholars, and jurists.
In addition, Samayil is a green oasis with gardens and trees. It has a chain of towering mountains and their valleys play a vital role in dividing the mountain of Al Hajar into two chains. Also Samayil has a variety of traditional crafts and folklore. Such a mixture of characteristics ignited our poet's imagination and inflamed his soul. This admiration was expressed through his creative poems.
On the educational level Samayil enjoyed various venues where Quranic studies were convened. In addition there were the study circles and the literary gatherings where poetry was widely celebrated and poets interacted and compared their poems. Such an environment provided a healthy atmosphere for the young poets to make their way through and gradually develop their skills and sharpen their talents.
These literary gatherings were like quality circles because they were a way of getting the proper feedback by way of constructively criticising the poems in hand. Shaikh Abdullah cherished the literary gatherings to an extent that he had carried on the tradition with a sense of responsibility toward the younger generation. In fact he used to hold two weekly gatherings, one on Mondays in his house in Quram and the other on Thursdays in Samayil.
These gatherings were attended by poets and laureates who came from as far as Qurayat. When Shaikh Abdullah finished his educational program in Samayil, it was time for him to join his Uncle Imam Mohammed in Nizwa. About this stage in his life he said: "I continued my studies with my uncle the Imam. They were directing me to jurisprudence but I was more interested in poetry. Thus I found myself unnoticeably indulged in the poetic world regardless of their desire."
In Nizwa he was groomed under the direct supervision of his uncle. He accompanied the Imam on his trips to various parts of Oman and learned from his experiences. Shaikh Abdullah recalled that once, he accompanied his uncle, the Imam in a trip to Badiah a province in the eastern region of Oman. There he saw a group of students forming a circle and debating in poetry describing the Imam's trip to their hometown.
Ali al Khalili was awarded a medal by GCC leaders in 1989
They invited him over and asked whether he is interested to join them. This occasion was the turning point in his poetic creativity. This event exposed his poetic ability and one of the Imam's companions took down what he recited there and informed the Imam. But the Imam offered no comments. This attitude disturbed our budding poet and he remained silent for three to four years after that.
Contributing factors: As a poet Shaikh Abdullah enjoyed several unique characteristics. He strongly believed that a poet ought to have the linguistic ability to be able to express his thoughts. In addition to his early start in studying the Holy Quran, and the relevant fields of Islamic studies, he had widely read many renowned poets during the various stages of the history of the Arabic literature.
He had also made it a habit to read the authenticated Arabic dictionaries such as Al Qamoos Al Muheet and Lesan al Arab, which he cherished. On his ability in Arabic language he said: "I have advanced in Arabic until I was able to have my own vocabulary which my reader is well aware of." He was an open minded figure and always shared his poems with his colleagues, students, and close circles. He enjoyed hearing his poems recited by others. Such an opportunity allowed him to look at them objectively.
He actually adopted his students. He used to encourage them and continuously provided his help. He was keen to see them well prepared for any poetry debates. He was of the opinion that a real poet cannot describe what he cannot perceive. Thus he or she can only describe what can be felt by the heart and seen with eyes.
Shaikh Abdullah took it as his responsibility to provide a venue for various poets, so he initiated his literary gathering both in Samayil and Quram. In addition to being a means of interaction, these gatherings provided the following advantages:
It was an opportunity to constantly keep in touch with poetry as well as a means of rethinking and continuously improving the poems in hand.
It provided the budding poets with a golden opportunity to acquire the necessary skills needed in the poetic world.
Beside poetry, he enjoyed horse riding in his early days. He was interested in astronomy and had a special attraction for architecture. He was a leader of his tribe and used to manage their affairs along with his elder brother Hilal and the younger one Saud.
He travelled around and visited several countries such as the Gulf States, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, India, USA, UK, Germany and France.
He worked in the public sector for a while in the capacity of undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, then he was appointed as an advisor at the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture.
In 1989 he was awarded a medal as a token of appreciation for his literary achievements by the GCC leaders in the 10th conference which was convened in Muscat.
The literary society honoured this scholar on February 1990. A seminar was conducted to explore his creative works and enrich his experience with a constructive criticism. During this seminar which took place on 19-20 February 1990 various papers were discussed and academics from the Sultan Qaboos University and other universities were among the participants. At the end of this function the Shaikh was awarded with Society's trophy.
Shaikh Abdullah was an eye witness to so many events. Internally he could clearly relate the situation in Oman pre and post renaissance led by HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said. He saw the transformation which has taken place on the political, economic, cultural, and social fields.
Within the Arab and Islamic world our poet saw shattered and fragmented countries struggling to regain their independence from colonisation. He saw an illustration of injustice and was in agony to see the atrocity and the killing.
He wrote many poems illustrating the situation and inspiring the people in Egypt, Palestine, Zanzibar, Pakistan and various others. In his poems he was an advocate of peace and always called for solidarity.
The Shaikh was absorbed in literature, he spent most of his time flying like a honeybee from one book to another. He used to read various books on literature, criticism, and language.
One of the Kuwaiti academics Dr Nooriah al Roomi said: "Talking about Al Khalili means at the same time talking about the Omani poetry in particular as well as that of the Gulf and even the Arabian Peninsula at large. It is also about tracing such poetry's core elements and its artistic scopes in the most important stages in the modern era. I mean its advancement and rejuvenation stage. Of course such talk can prolong and actually deserve a separate
scientific study by itself, especially if we explore the poetic contexts which documents with excellence, the social, cultural, and political characteristic s of the modern and contemporary Omani society. This in turn makes our poet and his poetry an eyewitness of this era in the literary, historical, social, and artistic sphere."
Shaikh Abdullah dedicated his life to literature and such dedication yielded twelve collections; six of which were published and the rest are manuscripts that are yet to be published. Among his published works are the following:
Wahi al Abqariah:
This collection was published in 1979 and was printed by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and was reprinted in 1990 by the Ministry of Information. It included 137 poems stretched to many purposes such as: wisdom,
patriotism, praising prophet Mohammed, poetic stories and many others.
Wahi Alnuha:
This collection is organized alphabetically and its first edition was published in 1980.It consists of many poems that reflects this poet's wisdom.
Bain al Fiqh wa al Sdab (Between Jurisprudence and literature):
This collection consists of poems relevant to jurisprudence and literature. It comes in a form of questions and answers between the Shaikh and his contemporaries. The Ministry of National Heritage and Culture published it in 1988.
The remaining of his published collections were between reality and imagination, from the window of life and Ala Rikab al Jumhoor.
Shaikh Abdullah lived for almost eight decades. During his rich experience, he reached his climax in poetry and became the 'prince of expression' as he is nicknamed. In half a century he lived in both the traditional as well as the modern era in Oman. He had interacted with the events and illustrated his views about the trends that had taken place not only in Oman but also in the rest of the Arab and the Islamic World.
As we explore this scholar's life and his creative experience in the literary sphere, we would like to attract the attention of the department of English Literature at the Sultan Qaboos University and that of the respective colleges in Oman for such a rich heritage. They should introduce Omani literature to the rest of the world especially now that the trend of globalisation is spreading all over the globe.
Shaikh Abdullah's Poetry
Literature exists to bring us a sense and a perception of life, to widen and sharpen our contacts with existence. "Poets, from their own store of felt, observed or imagined experiences, select, combine, and reorganise. They create significant new experience for their readers significant because they focused and formed in which they may gain a greater awareness and understanding of their world."
Shaikh Abdullah's poetry include a variety of purposes such as inspiration and encouragement, patriotism, wisdom, sophism and spirituality. He also wrote poems of historical and philosophical nature. In one of his poems he went through the history of Oman from the ancient time until the renaissance era in which he illustrated the transformation that has taken place and the efforts to build modern Oman.
He devoted several poems for praising Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). In addition some of his poems were written to shed grievances and express condolences for the death of a loved one. Two of his poems gave an illustration of how sad he was on the death of his Uncle Imam Mohammed bin Abdullah al Khalili.
His poetry can be classified as classical poetry. However, since Shaikh Abdullah had lived for almost eight decades he had attempted to explore various types of literature such as novels, short stories, poetic plays and of course poetry as a major concern.
Several writers have written about his creative experience in literature in general and poetry in particular and made the following observations:
- "He is a pioneer in the poetic play in the Sultanate in its spontaneous form as it is evident in his play Juthaimah and the Events".
- "I can not forget how gentle this man was with me; neither can I forget his guidance in poetry and poetic language, grammar, and literature in general. He was an encyclopaedia of language, jurisprudence and literature".
- "Who is Al Khalili except an Omani poet whom Oman ought to be proud of and engrave his name among its distinguished scholar so that his name sparkles in the sky and his poetry disseminate with its preoccupied themes of sorrow, nation, and Islam.
- "May be what distinguished our great poet's poetry is the fact that he combined between traditional and modernity. He also paid attention to the development in poetry brought about by the renaissance in the political, cultural, and social fields. In fact he interacted with the events and expressed his opinion about them".
Of course there were more comments and words of appreciation about this laureate and his works, which can not be listed here.
Conclusion:
These are panoramic views about this great Omani Poet. It was meant to provide an orientation about him in particular and the Omani literature in general. It is needless to say that such an encyclopedic man will require several research studies to appreciate his experience and comprehend the lessons behind it.
We hope that the days to come will attract attention toward Shaikh Abdullah's literature. Hoping to interact with the readers in other articles on him, in the near future.
Finally, it remains a fact that nations are known with and should be proud of its great thinkers and laureates. Therefore, if the Americans are proud of Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau and the Irish of James Joyce, the British of William Wordsworth, The Indians of Rabindranath Tagore, and the Pakistanis of Mohammed Iqbal, we Omanis are certainly proud of Shaikh Abdullah al Khalili and will always be indebted to him.
Oman Observer 10th-11th June 2002
These are very interesting post and blog,thanks.