Al-Ḥuṭayʾah
Al-Ḥuṭayʾah (Arabic: الحطيئة) full name Jarwal ibn 'Aws al-Absi, was an Arab poet of pre-Islamic Arabia, who later converted to Islam. He was known for his extravagant satire and contributions to Arabic poetry. Aside from satire, Al-Hutay'ah also wrote poems with romance, praise, pride and freedom as themes; all of which have been published in the modern era.
Also recorded as Al-Hutay'a
Al-Ḥuṭayʾah
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- Name
- Al-Ḥuṭayʾah
- Birthplace
- Najd
- Born
- c.
- Died
- c. 670s
- Known for
- Satirical Arabic poetry
- Nationality
- Rashidun Caliphate
- Occupation
- poet · writer
- Languages
- Arabic
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q11037017
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Al-Ḥuṭayʾah • Native Name — الحطيئة • Birthplace — Najd • Born — c. End of the 6th century CE • Died — c. 670s • Known for — Satirical Arabic poetry • Works — Diwan al-Hutay'ah
Documentary record
Al-Ḥuṭayʾah (died 665) is described as a writer in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. The death of Al-Ḥuṭayʾah is recorded in 665.
Lineage
Lineage
His full name is Jarwal ibn 'Aws ibn Malik ibn Makhzum al-Absi. The lineage of Al-Hutay'ah is traced from there to the tribe of Qays which is descendants from the Arabian patriarch Adnan., his mother was an Nubian slave named Al-daraa
Pre-Islamic life
Pre-Islamic life
Al-Hutay'ah was a pioneer of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and was known for being extreme in making fun of others in his poetry to the point where some of his contemporaries disliked him for that. The Abbasid historian and poet Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani narrated in his Kitab al-Aghani that Al-Hutay'ah was a very eloquent poet with a bad reputation and was regarded to be evil and shameless by his pre-Islamic contemporaries.
After Islam
After Islam
Al-Hutay'ah reportedly converted to Islam in the 7th century but later apostatized and then returned to Islam after the Ridda Wars for the rest of his life. There is a fable that he had an argument with a Sahaba, al-Zabarqan ibn Badr, and the Sahaba sent him to prison under orders of the Rashidun caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. He was later released on a promise that he would maintain his good conduct and not make fun of other Muslims. The date of death of Al-Hutay'ah is unknown with a few historians speculating he died in circa the 670s.
Satire
Satire
Satirical poetry directed towards others was a speciality of Al-Hutay'ah. He would even make fun of himself. One such example was where he narrated about his reflection in the water. Today I see a face for myself, for Allah has created it. What an ugly face, and how ugly is the one bearing it! He also made fun of his father: You are a good sheikh; you are a disgrace. You are a bad old man in the eyes of the noble ones. You accumulate hostility, may Allah not protect you from the doors of foolishness and misguidance!
Narrative poetry
Narrative poetry
Al-Hutay'ah composed poems in narrative poetry format. An example of this is his poem about generousity.
Themes
Themes
Aside from satire, Al-Hutay'ah wrote poems with themes that were romantic, praiseful or relating to freedom and joy.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
600
Al-Ḥuṭayʾah born.
665
Al-Ḥuṭayʾah died.
Published works
A collection of the poems of Al-Hutay'ah, known as the Diwan al-Hutay'ah, have been published in modern age. The 9th-century philologist, Yaqub Ibn as-Sikkit, wrote an annotated version of the Diwan and added a commentary to explain the meaning of the poems and the literary devices that were used in them.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Al-Hutay'ah, revision 1348320954 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
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