عصرُ الانحطاط بين القبول والرفض

الملخص

Abstract

The Arab civilization has passed through various junctures and has paved way for intellectual development and the advancement of literature as well. The presence of too many variances of opinions are obvious from the induction of researchers, criticizers and intellectuals about that particular age that impressed the process of thought and civilization. These variances range from fixing the chronological limitations of that age and calling them with distinguished names. They also include different viewpoints regarding the reasons that were primarily instrumental for the decline of that particular age (according to those who believe in that decline), or advancement and enrichment of it (as for those who believe it to be the advancement). In this research, we would attempt to explore such variances of opinions followed by witnesses of researchers, intellectuals and men of literatures, along with a wide spectrum of their opinions regarding that age in terms of understanding the features and determining the boarders of that age, along with its political atmosphere whether it enriched the literature or not. We will also explore the names suggested for that age, purposes behind and significance of those names. Later, we will discuss on the relation of intellectual life of that age with literature irrespective of its positive or negative impacts. We will also discourse on the relation of scientific movement and the literature. We will conclude the discussion describing the concept of decline advocated by some intellectuals who ventured a detailed analysis of that ‘age of decline’.

Keywords: decline, paralysis, adoption, rejection, scientific movement, Arabic literature.

Abstrak

Tamadun Arab telah melalui pelbagai fasa yang mencorakkan perkembangan sastera dan pemikiran di dalamnya. Hasil penelitian pendapat para pengkaji, pengkritik dan intelektual; jelas wujud perbezaan pendapat tentang era tersebut dalam mengklasifikasikan perjalanan tamadun Arab dan pemikirannya. Perselisihan pendapat berlaku pada penentuan masa dan penamaannya sehinggalah kepada penentuan faktor utama kejatuhan atau kemunduran bagi yang memandangnya jatuh dan mundur, atau faktor-faktor kemajuan dan kemakmurannya bagi yang memandangnya sedemikian. Kajian ini meneliti perkara-perkara tersebut dan diiringi dengan kenyataan para pengkaji, intelektual dan sasterawan yang berbeza pendapat tentangnya dalam percubaan mengenal pasti aspek-aspek era tersebut, sempadan garis masa dan tempatnya, keadaan politik yang digambarkan oleh penamaannya serta signifikannya. Selanjutnya, kita akan meneliti hubungan kehidupan intelektual pada zaman tersebut dengan sastera sehinggalah kepada konsep keruntuhan  pada sebahagian intelektual dan figura yang mengamati fasa tamadun Arab menerusi analisis pendapat yang menolak untuk mensifatkan zaman tersebut sebagai zaman keruntuhan dan kegelapan dan juga sebab-sebabnya.

Kata kunci: Keruntuhan, kejumudan, penerimaan, gerakan intelektual, sastera Arab