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Difference between revisions of "Abu-I-Hassan Ali ibn Abd-ar-Rahman al-Farazi al-Andalus"

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| <p>The prophet has said: "You have obligations with the spear and bow, because their triumph was given to your Prophet, and for them I achieved conquests".</p>
 
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| <p>Four spears were obtained by the Prophet. One was called ''Mutatanna''. The other three he had got with all the weapons of the ''Banu Qaynuqa''.</p>
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| <p>The Arabs used to say: "The spear is the rope of death". And a saying repeats this: "You have mentioned the spear, that I had forgotten".</p>
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| <p>A Bedouin asked his two sons which spear they preferred. The first answered: "The one that is hard and straight, the one that when brandishing it does not warp, nor does it camber, when it is thrown."</p>
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| <p>I ask the other then, who replied: "A good spear he has described, but I prefer another!"</p>
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| <p>When asked about it, he answered: "One which vibrates, thin and flexible and fast, sharp when it pierces and penetrates when it enters".</p>
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| <p>He then asked what was the spear that seemed worse to them, and the first answered: "the one that cambers when hitting, the one that dents, the one that when brandished it stoops, and when hitting it breaks". He asked the second his opinion and he said: "A bad spear has been described, but I still find another one worse!" Questioned as to what it was, he answered: "that which is flimsy or rigid: and when it is forced, fails, and when it is speared, it breaks".</p>
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| <p>An author describes: "They are lances, sublime, ornate of nobility, they are the horns of horses, the rope that penetrates to the bottom of the entrails, with them the blood is claimed, and you can access women and borders. They would say snakes to open throats. It is rare for them to escape. Whoever alternates with them, trembles with fear."</p>
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| <p>Another says: According to its category, the spears are called: "''anaza''", which is a stick, more ready than the "''harawa''", and with an iron tip. It enters within the weapon's category, because with it one can defend. The iron looks like a ''moharra'' (the point in which a flag staff terminates), but without it being whole. It is followed in length by the "''nayzak''", who carries a fine iron; it is the same as the "''mitrad''" and the "''mizraq''", which are used as javelins, for the lightness of its pole. The iron is usually slightly square, to better cross the coat of mail or whatever it takes. The very long spear with wide iron is called halberd and "there/yonder". "''Jurs''", on the other hand, is a short spear. If it is hard, it is called "''mi'das''", because with it you can bore. The longest spears are called "''rumh''" and "''qana''".</p>
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| <p>Names that refer to their qualities or origin: If the shaft of the spear is very straight and does not need any reinforcement, it is called ''sa'da'', otherwise it is "''mutaqqaf''".</p>
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| <p>If it vibrates it is "''asil''"; and if it vibrates a lot, "''assal''" or "''arras''". If it is ductile it is called "''ladn''", "''dabil''" and "''marin''". Very hard, "''samhari''". And so firm that it does not bend "''sadq''". If you have any split, "''talib''". The so-called "''jatti''" is from Persian cane native to the Jatt region of Persia in which it grows. The so-called "''yazani''" takes its name from Yazan, a king of Yemen. The "''rudayni''" is named after a woman, Radayna, who manufactured them or sold them.</p>
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| <p>Nomenclature of the parts of the spear: "''sinan''", "''nasl''" and "''qurun''" is the tip whose edge is called "''sa'iba''". "''Zuba''", "''Safra''" or "''gargar''" are the two ends. "''Ayr''" is the projecting part of the center. "''Yubba''" is the entry of wood into the iron. "''Mihwar''" is the nail that fixes it. "''Zafira''" is the upper part, followed by the "''sadr''", the "''aliya''" and the "''amil''", up to a third of its size. "''A'id''" and "''amud''" is the middle part, followed by "''saq''", "''safila''", "''aqib''", "''ka'b''" and "''zuyy''". If the lower iron is sharp, it is called "''markaz''", otherwise, "''halqa''". "''Anabib''" and "'''ku'ub''" in the hindu spear are the intervals of its joints.</p>
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| <p>How to be mounted with the spear: The rider has to take the spear with his right hand, taking the left with the reins removed off of the chair. He will then put the point of his spear on the ground and move away from it a distance. He will introduce the tip of his left foot in the left stirrup, and, leaning on the spear, will be driven on the horse. Then he will stand up and turn the spear behind the rump of the animal, towards the right side, being raised with speed. He will now carry the spear to his left hand, along with the reins, while sorting his clothes and gear with his right. He will immediately grab the spear with his right.</p>
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| <p>If you find yourself in a deserted place, without any human being that can be damaged or any tree to get hooked on, you can take the handle by the centre, if you want, and with the left hand, along with the reins and some mane, or hold of the saddle if there is no mane. With the right you can hold onto the back or the one before also if the left has already caught some mane already. Ground then to the chair.</p>
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| <p>It is not convenient for the rider to take the spear directly from the ground, when they are already mounted, because the horse can step on it or break it or kick it, carrying it away. Every time you please, you must go down, take the spear and mount with it, as it has been specified.</p>
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| <p>To dismount with a spear, it must be held with the left, placing the tip on the ground, next to the left front leg of the horse. The removal will be collected with the right and then lowered. When stepping on land hastily bring back the spear to the right, to prevent the animal from turning on it and breaking it, or letting go of the iron, injuring someone. All this has to be done.</p>
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| <p>Anyone who wants to learn how to handle the spear, and acquire dexterity it with it, must begin by placing a kind of target, like a piece of wood, or something like that, on the ground, at a height that corresponds to that of the knight. They must secure its bottom, placing itself strongly in its upper part an iron ring or a rolled-up rope, as if it were a ring. Now take distance, putting the horse at full gallop. When approaching the target, pass the spear under the armpits, letting a part protrude outwards that allows to be held more lightly. Then, with the iron, go through that ring, but turn right away, in a hurry, to get the spear out of the artifice. Sometimes it is necessary to twist the spear back, until crossing the ring completely, picking up the spear, with lightness, on the other side.</p>
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| <p>The ring also rotates to where it want to turn.</p>
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| <p>The way to grab the spear in the confrontation, to strike with it, and to get rid of it later, would require a lot of detail and even visualizations, due to a great variety of circumstances that they contain and the great diversity of their possibilities and methods.</p>
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| <p>The knight should have a spear as light as possible, because then he will obtain a greater strength, more success and firmness, always within the measure of his strength and ability to resist.</p>
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| <p>Before, the spears of the riders reached ten cubits, but it is more convenient that they reach a shorter length. It will not be too thick or too thin, or so that the hand cannot cover it, neither so that the fingers overtake. The middle end is the best, always counting on the dimensions of each hand and the possibilities that are offered.</p>
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| <p>Among the verses that have been said about the spear, these are told from ''al-Ma'arri'' (verse 76):</p>
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:''Thirsty, although it has no life,<br/>He knows that he who carries it is great, and enlarges him.<br/>Imagine that every breastplate is a pool,<br/>and flutters, aim to the plaited coat.<br/>Flood with her breasts many men,<br/>and you get rid of malice, just by using it.''
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| <p>One of the most notable things that has been said in this respect are the verses of our master and judge and sharif ''Abu I'Wasim al-Hasani'' (verse. 77):</p>
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:''Solid spear, of forged joints, if you claim<br/>the blood of heroes, it does not delay your term.<br/>So shining, I wonder: Is it the spear that is wielded or is it a lit torch?<br/>If it were not that the flames of his blade that matured her,<br/>it would be green, because they irrigate and drink blood.<br/>Oh! wonder: the clots would be, for your eye, ash,<br/>and yet no vulnerable point escapes his sight.''
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| <p>Very abundant also the poems that allude to the spear.</p>
 
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Revision as of 05:14, 26 February 2020

Ibn Hudayl
Born ca. 1329
Genres War book
Language Arabic
Notable work(s) Kitab tuhfat al-anfus wa'si'ar sukkan al-Andalus

Abu-I-Hassan Ali ibn Abd-ar-Rahman al-Farazi al-Andalus, more famously known as Ibn Hudayl, was a 14th century Andalusian scholar and military theorist.

Little is known about him, including when he was born. Louis Mercier calculates that he wrote his first treatise Kitab tuhfat al-anfus wa'si'ar sukkan al-Andalus ("Gift of the spirit or souls of the Andalusians") under Muhammed V (who reigned twice from 1354-1359 and 1362-1391) therefore his date of birth can be estimated to 1329 (deducing he wrote he first treatise at 30 and was 70 in the year 1399).[1] What we do know is he belonged to one of the prestigious families of Granada, who were descended from the 42 tribes of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of the Islamic conquests and settled in Al-Andalus. We can also deduce that he studied under a number of well-known teachers at the time, with knowledge of various disciplines including literature, politics, veterinary studies and hippology (the study of horses), art, theology, and, of course, military matters. It is therefore sound to conclude that he was educated under the Madrasa (the religious or secular educational institutions of higher learning in the Islamic world), and like any Islamic scholar, would have assumed several professional positions in education and politics, and received patronage under various nobles. It's possible he may have worked for some of the Nasird Sultans as diwan al-insha (chancellery or official secretariat) of the Alhambre. With the rank of faqih, he assisted the court, by, for example, participating in the festivities that Yusuf III organised for the aqiqa (naming ceremony) of his newborn heir Yusuf on 19th June 1409, and recited a poem in honour of the amir'. His lack of attention is seen in his own personal work where he complains at times about this misfortune and the difficult conditions he endured, and in his poems, he requests help from Muhammed V and Yusuf III near the end of his life.

Ibn Hudayl wrote "Gala of the Knight, Blazon of the Champion" in 1392. It is a furusiya treatise which was abridged from a longer work that he produced in his youth. Despite being well-educated and coming from a prestigious Arab family, it seems his early work did not come to the attention of Muhammad V or VI (who he dedicated his work to), possibly owing to the situation the Emirate of Granada found itself in during the 14th century. During this time, there seems to have been more interest in non-military works, with a focus on the arts, coinciding with a moderate political status quo between Granada and the Christian Spanish Kingdoms.[2] This second treatise coincides with the coronation of Sultan Nazari Muhammad VII, and was probably composed in his honour. This was a time an increasingly military and deteriorating political situation in the Spanish Peninsula, and there was likely a greater demand for military treatises.

Like the treatise written in his earlier life, the purpose of "Gala of the Knight, Blazon of the Champion" was to proclaim the necessity for a Holy War against Christians in Spain and a rearmament of Islam, something that had been ignored previously but had now been bought into the fold. In many ways, the work also serves as a propaganda tool to forward the Nasrid cause.

Treatise

The treatise focuses on furusiya, which means “horsemanship” but whose wider implication, as a verb, came to mean knighthood, chivalry, and the related sets of skills. These include not only horsemanship but veterinary work and hippology, polo, lance, sword, shield, spear, mace, javelin, archery, wrestling, boxing, hunting, falconry, engineering, siegecraft, and military strategy and tactics. Ibn Hudayl provides some named treatises as references in his introduction; however, it is highly likely that his work covered several unnamed treatises as well. This speaks to the state of furusiya literature at the time, which commonly rehashed older works, whereby the authors either attributed the treatises to fictional names or are left completely anonymous. (This is in contrast to earlier periods in which treatises would stringently reference or quote their source material.) This is a combination of two key factors: the demand for furusiya literature which lead to a higher supply of treatises being published (as was the case in Mamluk Egypt), and the fact Ibn Hudayl’s work was intended to be a shorter, more convenient, abridged version of his earlier treatise. With this in mind, sections of Ibn Hudayl’s work concerning weapon use are often brief, but the poems and expressions given in the work provide us with clues as to how the weapons described were used. Whether or not Ibn Hudayl had any martial or military experience himself is debatable, but his work seems to correspond and reference a myriad of other treatises. In the Islamic world, the use of furusiya and poetry in anthologies were perceived to be both prestigious product and a mark of the mastery of the Arab language, as well as a qualifier of who was truly educated and simply not a pseudo-educated charlatan. As a result, the work seems to be detailed, flowery, and well-referenced.

The treatise has a general introduction with 20 sections on different subjects; only the last six are dedicated to the use of different weapons. The first fourteen are dedicated to the horse, its maintenance, breeding, veterinary care, riding, etc. For the purpose of this translation, these chapters have been omitted. The weapons covered are sword, spear, bow (and crossbow), shield, and a final chapter of their general uses, as well as a separate chapter dedicated to the coat of mail.

This translation is based on the Spanish translation published by Maria Jesus Viguera in 1977, under the title Gala de Caballeros, Blasón de Paladines.

Additional Resources

References

  1. ↑ L. Mercie, La Parure des Cavaliers et l'insigne des preux, texte arabe. Edite Par Louis Mercier, ed facsimil (Paris, Librairie Paule Guenthner, 1992).
  2. ↑ Maria Jesus Viguera, Gala de Caballeros, Blason de Paladines, ed. Maria Jesus Viguera (Madrid, Editoria Nacional, 1977)

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