The Development of Rhythmic Criticism of Ibn Rasheq Al-Qayrawani in his Book Al-Umda

Abstract

     Rhythmic criticism represents one of the basic premises in dealing with poetic text, especially in ancient Arabic criticism. This was clearly embodied in the book Al-Umda by Ibn Rashiq Al-Qayrawani (456 AH), which collected a large number of rhythmic issues and dealt with them with explanation, analysis and application, and then employed them in the service of poetry criticism. Among the most important things Al-Qayrawani emphasized is the connection between meter and rhyme, temperament and taste in the science of prosody, rhythm and chanting, the relationship of erratic terms to meaning and al-Qawadisi poetry.