| Al-Ḥuṭayʾah | |
| Native Name: | الحطيئة |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Birth Place: | Najd |
| Known For: | Satirical Arabic poetry |
| Works: | Diwan al-Hutay'ah |
Al-Ḥuṭayʾah (Arabic: الحطيئة) full name Jarwal ibn 'Aws al-Absi, was an Arab poet of pre-Islamic Arabia, who later converted to Islam. He was known for his extravagant satire and contributions to Arabic poetry. Aside from satire, Al-Hutay'ah also wrote poems with romance, praise, pride and freedom as themes; all of which have been published in the modern era.
His full name is Jarwal ibn 'Aws ibn Malik ibn Makhzum al-Absi. The lineage of Al-Hutay'ah is traced from there to the tribe of Qays which is descendants from the Arabian patriarch Adnan.[1] [2]
Al-Hutay'ah was a pioneer of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and was known for being extreme in making fun of others in his poetry to the point where some of his contemporaries disliked him for that.[3] The Abbasid historian and poet Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani narrated in his Kitab al-Aghani that Al-Hutay'ah was a very eloquent poet with a bad reputation and was regarded to be evil and shameless by his pre-Islamic contemporaries.
Al-Hutay'ah reportedly converted to Islam in the 7th century but later apostatized and then returned to Islam after the Ridda Wars for the rest of his life.[4] There is a fable that he had an argument with a Sahaba, al-Zubayr ibn Badr, and the Sahaba sent him to prison under orders of the Rashidun caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. He was later released on a promise that he would maintain his good conduct and not make fun of other Muslims. The date of death of Al-Hutay'ah is unknown with a few historians speculating he died in circa the 670s.
Satirical poetry directed towards others was a speciality of Al-Hutay'ah. He would even make fun of himself. One such example was where he narrated about his reflection in the water.[5] He also made fun of his father:
Al-Hutay'ah composed poems in narrative poetry format. An example of this is his poem about generousity.[6]
Aside from satire, Al-Hutay'ah wrote poems with themes that were romantic, praiseful or relating to freedom and joy.[7]
A collection of the poems of Al-Hutay'ah, known as the Diwan al-Hutay'ah, have been published in modern age. The 9th-century philologist, Yaqub Ibn as-Sikkit, wrote an annotated version of the Diwan and added a commentary to explain the meaning of the poems and the literary devices that were used in them.[8]