Al-Sayyab's travels: the religious spirit and the obsession with doubt

Abstract

This analysis provides a deep critical insight into Al-Asfar (The Travels) poems by Al-Sayyab, where intellectual and emotional paradoxes emerge, reflecting the poet's troubled relationship with God. The poet returns after a long absence, complaining, obedient, and pleading for mercy and salvation. He questions everything that has changed in his past and future life, believing that he was not given a true opportunity in this world and that he has lost everything. However, he ultimately finds solace in God, acknowledging His power and considering everything that emanates from Him as a divine gift that should not be objected to.

Yet, what stands out is that Al-Sayyab resorts to the Hebrew Scriptures rather than the Qur'anic text in his poetic expressions. This suggests an implicit questioning by the poet towards God. Throughout his poetry, Al-Sayyab drew inspiration from myths and existential symbols rather than embracing the universal laws of existence as a purely divine manifestation. This does not indicate a flaw in his innate faith but rather an unfruitful estrangement he experienced in his life—a life that ended in a state of oscillation between submission and surrender on one hand and denial and protest on the other, especially when witnessing poverty, hunger, and misery in the faces of the destitute.

In these poems, despite their apparent submission, the reader senses a dramatic dialogue between the servant and his Lord, imbued with a mystical longing reminiscent of Sufi devotion. The poet appears at the peak of his spiritual connection with God, engaging in a simple yet profound conversation—one of surrender to fate and destiny. However, he also seeks to grasp a meaning behind fate and destiny after witnessing their prevalence in human suffering, particularly through disease and death. This dialogue represents submission after understanding and retreat after excessive detachment.

On another level, naming multiple poems Al-Asfar (The Travels) is justified both thematically and artistically. Al-Sayyab greatly benefited from his vast cultural reservoir in his poetry. In addition to his vivid imagery, unique meanings, and innovative musicality, he integrated insights from his readings in a striking manner. In Al-Asfar, this intellectual, emotional, and cultural fusion is particularly evident, producing a poetic text rich in profound and fruitful critical discourse.