Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Das koranische Paradies

For old-school Darwin Press appreciators: Josef Horovitz didn't just write that treatise on the early muhaddiths. He also wrote an essay "Das koranische Paradies" in 1923. This is still cited by serious researchers into the Quran's debt to Arabic poetry. In particular is noted sura 76's debt to Maymun al-A'sha.

In my opinion this essay holds up, today. So, over the last couple months, I have translated it: "On the Koranic Paradise".

A few updates could be made. Horovitz seems not to have had Sukkari's diwan of the Hudhayl poets, instead noting where the Jamhara - a sort of Greater Mu'allaqat - might transmit them. Also Horovitz took pseudo-A'sha's praise of the Prophet, and Labid's poem ed. Khalidi 1880 #3, at facevalue. Such would - if authentic - enroll both in the mukhadramûn. I think such poems' authenticity needs be proven, not assumed (and if I read Khalidi's editorial notes correctly, he'd tagged Labid's poem as being too Koranic).

But that is a task for Horovitz' readers, which now - I hope - will include more English readers.

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