ABU NAWAS : An Eccentric and Clever Sufi Master

Muslim Creed – Of the many Sufi figures, Abu Nawas is one of the most famous. Not only because of the poems and poems he created, but also because of his quirky temperament, and his clever personality.

The man whose real name is Abu-Ali Al-Hasan bin Hani Al-Hakami was born in 747 AD in the city of Ahvaz, Iran. His father is of Arab blood, while his mother, Jullaban, is of Persian blood.

Abu Nawas who grew up as an orphan was brought by his mother to the city of Basra, Iraq. It was there that he began to study Islamic religious knowledge such as hadith and the Koran as well as literature which until now catapulted his name.

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At that time, young Abu Nawas was complacent with worldly life. His works tell more about intoxicating drinks and women. Quite quirky, has not talked much about religion as many people know.Over time, he returned to study Arabic literature with Walibah ibn Habib Al-Asad. 

Abu Nawas learned how to use subtle language in his work. Then he combined the lessons with an eccentric style of poetry.

His abilities were further honed when Waliban invited Abu Nawas to his native place, Kufa. In that area he met Arabs from the Badus tribe to study Arabic literature. He is like a person who never gets tired of studying.

As time went on, Abu Nawas was increasingly recognized for his work, which was arguably different from the others at that time. His poems and poems are not old-fashioned and fixated on one style only. He makes funny poems, there are also poems containing criticism that are packaged nicely.

Armed with knowledge of religion and literature, he moved to the city of Baghdad which was then led by Caliph Harun ar-Rashid. In that big city, he again succeeded in producing interesting works, which caught Harun’s attention.

He also wrote a poem praising Aaron. Abu Nawas is also considered as one of Harun’s confidants.

In his heyday, Abu Nawas also did not forget to make works with Islamic breath, of course with a style of delivery that is not rigid, one of which is about repentance.

Thanks to his work and extraordinary prestige, he is told in One Thousand and One Nights. Some of them are pretending to be crazy because they don’t want court judges related to Islam and being challenged by Harun and his friends to do strange things.

Information about his departure is still confusing because there are differences of opinion. Some say Abu Nawas died in 806, some say he died in 813 and 814.

One of the interesting stories regarding Abu Nawas is when he was approaching his death. It is said that before he died he asked his family to wrap him in a shabby old cloth. So that later if the Angels of Munkar and Nakir come to his grave, Abu Nawas can refuse and say. “Lord, the two angels didn’t see my tattered and weathered shroud. That means I am an old inhabitant of the grave.”

Of course, this is just a joke, and indeed we have only explored the mystery of the life and journey of this Sufi character which is full of twists and turns and full of wisdom in jokes and laughter.

But for sure, the name Abu Nawas is still known today and will continue to be known until later. An eccentric and clever Sufi poet.

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Wallohu’alam.