Quran and the Lyric Imperative

Qur'an and the Lyric Imperative argues that the tension between Arabic poetry and the Qur'an dating back to the seventh century, when the Qur'an was first recited, is a primary generator of meaning in the Arabic Literary Tradition. Four case studies illustrate how this tension is a creative force. This book explores the relationship between the Qur'an, poetry, and other genres of Arabic literature; how the figures of the prophet and the poet are linked in the life and work of tenth-century al-Mutanabbi; how the Qur'an and Arabic poetry depend on each other for their interpretation; and how reading practices associated with the Qur'an and Arabic Poetry inform attempts to understand the inscriptions of the Alhambra.