In many locations across Indonesia, the poem of repentance is often sung. In Lombok, it is integrated into... Hizib read by citizens Nahdlatul Wathan at the moment hiziban. In Banten, this poem often concludes congregational prayers, especially Friday prayers, in mosques.
In Palembang, this poem is often read at religious moments to start the day. prayer for a celebration. This is all combined with songs. They're played at mosque construction projects or wedding receptions.
The reason why this Repentance poetry is popular can be explained through the book I'anatut-thalibin which recommends reading it as part of prayer. Meanwhile, this book is one of the most popular in Islamic boarding schools throughout the archipelago. Therefore, this poetry serves as a meeting point between Arabic literature and religious ritual.
What interests me, and is the main concern here, is its aesthetic value. As an expression of confession of sin - as the meaning of i'tirāf, another name often given to him, this poem gently “guides” God to accept the various mistakes the Poet has made throughout his life: Abu Nuwās is said to be the author. Who doesn’t know him?
Just listen to how he mocks people who pray while drinking alcohol, then twists verses from the Quran. Yes, he is indeed known as a master satirist. Here's what he said:
“Let the mosques be filled with people praying.
Come on, let's drink as much alcohol as we can!
God did not say, “Hell is Wail for drunkards.”
God only says, "Hell is for those who perform prayers" [referring to the passage [QS. Al-Mā'ūn: Verse 4]
Abū Nuwās was lucky, at the end of his life he had time to repent. The generosity of the caliph Harun al-Rashid was the turning point. So when he suddenly becomes an important person in the circle of power and with wealth and luxury in life, he is described as turning into a rich person ascetic (asceticism). And the following poem is often considered to be his composition:
إلهي لست للفردوس أهلا
“"My God! Truly I am not worthy to inhabit Paradise.
ولا أقوى على النار الجحيم
But I was also unable to withstand the heat of Jahim's hellfire.
فهب لي توبة واغفر ذنوبي
Therefore, grant me forgiveness, and forgive my sins.
الذنب العظيم
Indeed, You are the Forgiver of great sins.
God bless you
My sins are (as numerous) as the number of pebbles.
فهب لي توبة يا ذا الجلال
So grant me repentance, O Owner of Glory.
وعمري ناقص في كل يوم
My age decreases every day
وذنبي زائد كيف احتمال
While my sins continue to increase, how will I bear them?
God willing
My Lord, Your sinful servant has come to You...
مقرا بالذنوب وقد دعاك
Pledged his sins, and he has prayed to You.
فإن تغفر فأنت لذاك أهل
If You forgive, then only You are worthy to do so.
فإن تطرد فمن نرجو سواك
But if You drive us away, who else will we hope in but You?”
Let's absorb it slowly.
In the temple First, the poet addresses the person he is speaking to in a low tone, without using any formalities nida'’ as is customary by using (يا، ياأيها…etc.). This creates an impression of closeness and intimacy with the person you are talking to. And the person you are talking to (mukhātab) Here is God. So, the Poet is whispering softly, but full of intimacy.
With that closeness, the poet then discusses his own dilemma. He doesn't deserve to go to heaven, but he can't afford to go to hell. If in the afterlife his only choices are those two places, then the poet's position is neither here nor there. To express this, he uses figurative language. “"muqābalah", namely the conflict of two different ideas in a unified expression.
Amidst this void of choice, the poet makes a request for repentance and forgiveness of sins. This is actually the essence of the prayer conveyed in this poem. Because if sins have been forgiven, then there is no reason for him to be cast into hell. If not hell, then the only option is heaven. Here, he begins his diplomatic play with narrative.
He sincerely conveyed that his sins were great and numerous. The word he used was عظيم – which literally means great, to emphasize the enormity of the sins he had committed. He also, by using tasybīh, comparing his sins to pebbles that are difficult to count. Because of the magnitude and number of his sins, he needs to repeat his request for forgiveness using what is called tikrār (فهب لي توبة), while calling out respectfully greeting God with the expression Owner of Glory.
Day after day passed, and he was aware that with each passing day his lifespan was decreasing. Ironically, his sins were piling up, unable to ward them off. Suddenly, he was jolted back to reality, realizing that his sins were the cause of his punishment. Here, he once again used his style. “"muqābalah"” to emphasize this anomaly.
Letter wow (و) as a link between (…يوم وذنبي…) the two opposing ideas, therefore, is not interpreted as “and” as is commonly. But more precisely means “but”: age decreases, but sins increase. Then he was confused himself to the point of asking in surprise, “Then how can I bear the punishment of hell because of all those sins?!”
This question is certainly not intended to be answered (rhetorical). It was Abu Nuwās' own fault that he couldn't resist his desire to sin. But that's the way a drunkard is. Opium always indulges his desires. The question (istifham) here it is nothing but an expression of despair, of a sinner who was never able to restrain his passions.
It seems the poet has finished confessing his sins and asking God for forgiveness. He closes with an expression of despair. The poem continues in the next stanza, hinting that someone else is speaking in his place, representing his plea. This can be seen from the use of the iltifāt style of language, where the first-person pronoun (dhamir/pronoun أنا) changes to a third person pronoun as follows:
God willing
“"Lord! Your disobedient servant has come to You."”
Here, he no longer refers to himself as "I," but rather as "a disobedient servant." This metaphor suggests that there are three parties involved in the communication: I (the poet), You (God), and another person who also joins in the conversation, starting from the verse above. This third person is thought to be someone very close to God, as he addresses Him without even using a pronoun. (nidā').
The third party then attempts to convince God that His disobedient servant has truly arrived. The word used is أتى, which means "coming with a purpose." The word أتى is generally used to describe the arrival of a significant figure or event, and it has already been realized. Unlike جاء, the latter only describes the physical arrival, not the specific purpose as the former does.
He emphasized the purpose of Abu Nuwas's coming to God by saying:
مقرا بالذنوب وقد دعاك
“"... confessed his sins. And he also prayed to You."”
This third figure is not only convincing Mukhāthab, but also a little bit pressing. He conveys information with uslūb khabar to Mukhāthab about Abū Nuwās' sincerity in admitting his mistake and his efforts to ask for forgiveness. Even though as Mukhāthab, Of course, God already knows because He is the All-Knowing Being. However, this sentence was used as a basis for politely giving God a choice: to expel Abū Nuwās or forgive him.
فإن تغفر فأنت لذاك أهل
“"If you forgive, then only you are worthy to forgive." There is no forgiveness greater than Allah's forgiveness. Because Allah forgives great sins.
فإن تطرد فمن نرجو سواك
“"But if You expel Abū Nuwās, then who else will we hope for but You?!"”
The use of the word "we" in the sentence above emphasizes the third figure's allegiance to Abu Nuwas, empathizing with him and asking for God's forgiveness. It's unclear who this third figure is. If he were someone very close to God, this poetic imagination would assume an angel.
But the words in this poem belong to the poet. So there is no word in this prayer other than the poet himself. This is like the word آمين (“accept it”) which is read by the congregation, ending the prayer in Al-Fatihah Letter which the priest reads. The angel, or whoever it is that is the third figure, is merely an imaginary figure that the poet is able to present through his choice of words and style.
Now it also occurs to me: if someone were to make a request of you as Abu Nuwās did, and you were a generous person and alone possessed what was requested of you, how would you react? It would be hard to refuse, wouldn't it?!
Unfortunately, attributing the above poem to Abu Nuwas is incorrect. The verses mentioned above are not confirmed in any of the major works of Arabic literature. The poem is also not included in any poetry collection. (dīwān) Abū Nuwās. There are only a few verses similar to it. And beyond that, this poem has also become part of the religious tradition of some groups in our society in Indonesia, particularly among traditional Muslims.
Wallahua'lam bish shawab
Written by:Dr. Lalu Turjiman Ahmad, MA. Director of Postgraduate Studies and Lecturer at IAIN Banten
