- Maqbūl Mūsā al-ʿAlawī (1968-, Saudi Arabia) – Ṭayf al-Ḥallāj (‘Al-Hallaj’s vision’, 2017). This novel interweaves the lives of graduate student Nūrī Ibrāhīm and the eminent 9th century mystic al-Ḥallāj. Nūrī’s doctorate degree on al-Ḥallāj and Sufism in the Arab Middle Ages is withdrawn by his university after he is accused of heresy and apostasy based on a testimony of his nephew, Fāliḥ. Fāliḥ stated that he had started to observe characteristics of al-Ḥallāj in Nūrī, such as his views on the creation of the Koran. But his statements were merely revenge because Nūrī wished to marry his ex-wife. al-Ḥallāj himself, who lived from 858 until 922, was also accused of heresy and organizing protests against the Abbasid caliphate by al-Makkī, after they both had their eye on the same woman (reference).
- ʿIzz al-Dīn al-Madanī’s (1938-, Tunisia) play Riḥlat al-Ḥallaj (Al-Hallaj’s Journey, 1973) describes the life and ideas of al-Ḥallāj, such as how he saw the individuals’ relationship with society (reference). Three different characters in the play each act out al-Hallaj while focussing on a different aspect of his thinking. The play is set in Baghdad and describes Baghdadi society during the time period of al-Hallaj.
- Ṣalāḥ ʿAbd al-Ṣabūr’s (1931 – 1981, Egypt) verse play Maʾsāt al-Ḥallāj (1965, English trans. Murder in Baghdad, 1972) pictures al-Ḥallāj trying to defend his right of conscience against a despotic rule, as happened in his real-life story, and focusses more broadly on studying the relationship between people and authority, especially if this later controls religion (reference). The play in a sense is also a forebearer to the 1967 defeat (see 1967 Naksah) by allegorically criticizing the political climate at the time.
Refrences:
In order of appearance
- Sulaymān Zayn al-Dīn. 2017. “‘Ṭayf al-Ḥallāj’ fī Jadal al-Tārīkhī wa al-Riwāʾī.” www.thaqafat.com 28 December 2017, https://thaqafat.com/2017/12/86537 (last accessed 5 November 2021)
- Muḥammad bin ʿAbdullah al-Qāsimī. 2000. “‘Riḥlat al-Ḥallāj’ fī al-Masraḥ al-Jāmiʿī.” www.nizwa.com, 1 July 2000, https://www.nizwa.com/%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%8A/ (last accessed 28 November 2023)
- Ali al-Raʿi. 1992. “Arabic Drama since the thirties.” In Modern Arabic Literature. eds. Muhammad Mustafa Badawi. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 358-404, p. 362