M.M. Khaled Abdul Nabi Eidan Al-Asadi / College of Islamic Sciences / University of Karbala
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds, and prayers and peace upon the one sent as a mercy to the worlds, and upon his pure, good, and chosen family.
The concept of intertextuality has recently emerged between the term and its practice, but its roots extend over more than thirteen centuries, albeit under different terms. The early Arabs noticed it from the inception of science. Initially, it was condemned by critics, who referred to it as “plagiarism.” Great critics wrote about this term, and one of the first to discuss it was Ibn Salama Al-Jumahi (d. 231 AH) in his famous book “Tabaqat Fuhul al-Shu’ara” (Classes of Poets), and also several works were published under the title of “theft.” After the third century AH, the critics’ harsh stance softened, and they began using the terms “quotation” and “embedding,” dividing quotation into direct and indirect. This was based on the idea of “concurrent thoughts” or admiration for a previous text. The condemnation of this concept was lifted. However, this did not mean that all critics agreed to remove the stigma. Rather, scholars who took the lead in science accepted quotation and embedding and abandoned the term “plagiarism,” such as Al-Sharif Al-Jurjani, Al-Amidi, and Abdul Qahir Al-Jurjani, among others. The discussion then continued, with debates between acceptance and rejection, to a point where it became a field of study for a group of scholars in the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries AH.
The Andalusians, who were descendants of the Abbasid poets, solved this dilemma by embracing quotation and embedding in their literature. They adopted the Abbasid literary style and opened the doors to quotation without criticism from other critics. They brought the Abbasid literature to the West in an elegant form and framework. Then, the term “influence” emerged, and quotation shifted to the term “influence,” which was more easily accepted by writers. The “Quranic influence” is one of the most prominent and widely discussed areas within this field. Modern scholars began investigating it, leading to the birth of a significant number of theses and dissertations on this concept, including works like “The Quranic Influence in Nahj al-Balagha” by Dr. Abbas Ali Hussein Al-Fahham, “The Quranic Influence in the Poetry of Sayyid Rida Al-Hindi” by Dr. Zahir Al-Mousawi, “The Quranic Influence in the Stories of One Thousand and One Nights” by Ahmed Al-Sayed Al-Najjar, “The Influence of Quranic Stories in Modern Arabic Poetry” by Hassan Al-Mutalib Al-Majali, among other modern studies.
In the 1960s, the term “Intertextuality” (also known as “textual interaction”) emerged in Arabic literature as a critical term indicating the existence of similarities between one text and another or between several texts. This term was coined by Julia Kristeva to refer to the reciprocal relationships between a given text and other texts. It does not mean that one text influences another or tracks the sources from which a text derives its citations, but rather refers to the interaction of stylistic systems. Intertextual relationships include rearrangement, allusion, thematic or structural hints, transformation, and imitation. It has become one of the most important modern poetic critical methods, gaining more importance in structuralist and post-structuralist theories. It is a semiotic term that plays a role in deconstructing the traditions of texts (discourses), their references, and their interconnections with other texts. Therefore, intertextuality implies the intersection, overlap, and dialogue between texts. The concept of “intertextuality” became clear and, according to the Bulgarian Kristeva, refers to the “interweaving of texts within a new text,” or textual interaction. It differs from literary plagiarism, or “intertextuality” according to Palestinian poet and critic Aziz Al-Din Al-Manasra. He divided intertextuality into three categories:
- Repetition (Ajtarar): This refers to literal intertextuality, where the previous text is used exactly as it is, as in the words of Sayyid Rida al-Hindi (may Allah have mercy on him):
Is your mouth wide open, or is it a jewel And is the nectar of your lips sweet or sugar
The maker said to your mouth [Indeed, We have granted you Al-Kawthar].
The text between the brackets is a direct repetition from the first verse of Surah Al-Kawthar.
2.Dialogue: This refers to the interaction with an older text, where the poet or writer imitates it in their new work. An example of this can be found in the poetry of Sheikh Al-Waeli, who said:
And you are from this clay, and all of them In its origin, darkened, aged mud
The verse’s second part is a dialogue with the verse in the Qur’an:
{And indeed We created man from dried clay, from black mud.} (Qur’an, 15:26).
- Absorption: This refers to absorbing the meaning of the previous text and reshaping it into a new form. This is one of the most remarkable forms of intertextuality. It can only be recognized by those familiar with the original text. An example of absorption can be seen in the poetry of Sayyid Ali Al-Hindi, who said:
And I have learned of a great judgment That will be established there on the Day of Resurrection
And the people there will be preoccupied With me, and my burden will be on my shoulders
And if my book testifies to my guilt And points to my sin
These lines are an absorption from the verse in the Qur’an:
{And We gathered them, and We did not leave anyone behind.} (Qur’an, 18:47).
The term “intertextuality” has been widely accepted by researchers in the Arab world, even though its roots are Arabic, and the term itself was introduced from the West. It seems the initial exposure of this concept to the West was through the transmission of Arabic literature by the Andalusians, who carried our heritage by imitating the poetry of Eastern Arabs. From this, we can conclude that intertextuality is a fusion of an ancient Arabic concept and a modern Western term.
Sources of the Article:
1.The Holy Qur’an
2.The Diwan of Sayyid Rida Al-Hindi and his sons
3.The Diwan of Sheikh Al-Waeli
4.Wikipedia Website – Phone: 07803090664
