Introduction: setting the scene -- Poetry and poetics in medieval Arabic discourse -- Theories and principles of jihad and the quest for martyrdom -- Formative Muslim responses: Franks (Faranj), Christians (Rum) and the making of a Christian enemy -- Poeticising the reconquest and future expectations -- Literary underpinnings of the anti-Frankish jihad -- The place of Egypt in sixth-/twelfth- and seventh-/thirteenth-century discourse -- Shattered dreams: Jerusalem, the umma, and new enemies -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Arabic poems.
Summary
In this comprehensive analysis of Arabic poetry during the period of the crusades (sixth/twelfth century), Osman Latiff provides an insightful examination of the poets who inspired Muslims to unite in the 'jihad' against the Franks. 'The Cutting Edge of the Poet?s Sword' not only contributes to our understanding of literary history, it also illuminates a broad spectrum of religiosity and the role of political propaganda in the anti-Frankish Muslim struggle. Latiff shows how poets, often used by the ruling elite to promote their rule, emphasised the centrality of Islam?s holy sites to inspire the Muslim response to the occupation and later reconquest of Jerusalem, and expressed some surprising views of Frankish Christians.
