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Ma'ruf al-Rusafi (1875-1945) was an Iraqi poet, teacher, journalist, and Arab intellectual. He is best known for his outspoken political and social poetry addressing topics such as national independence, science, women’s liberation, and social injustice.

Early Life

Al-Rusafi was born in Baghdad in 1875. His father, ‘Abd al-Ghani Mahmud, was of Kurdish descent and worked as a policeman outside Baghdad. [1] Al-Rusafi’s mother, Fatima bint Djasim (Karaghul Arabic Tribe), raised Al-Rusafi in her father’s house.[1] Al-Rusafi hoped for a career in high military or government service and attended Baghdad Rushdiyya Academy, an elite preparatory school for civil service positions.[2] However, after failing his third year exam in arithmetic, al-Rusafi was dismissed from the school.[2] Al-Rusafi enrolled in an advanced studies school within the traditional education system and studied religious studies under the supervision of Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi (1857-1924).[2] As a distinguished student and devoted Sufi, his mentor al-Alusi gave him the name Ma'ruf al-Rusafi is the spirit of the famous Sufi scholar Ma’ruf al-Karkhi.[1] After finishing school, al-Rusafi worked as teacher of Arabic literature in a government school in Baghdad.[3] While working as a teacher, al-Rusafi wrote poems and sent them to be published in Egyptian newspapers al-Mu’ayyad and al-Muktataf, becoming very well-known in other countries.[2] His poems were strongly sympathetic to rhetoric of the Committee of Union and Progress ideology, favoring secular freedom of thought.[1] He advocated a scientific and cultural revival based on the European model, and praised modern inventions.[1]

Involvement with the C.U.P.

In 1908, al-Rusafi was offered a position in Istanbul to teach Arabic language and literature at the prestigious Shahaniyyah Mulkiyyah School and did editorial work for the newspaper Sabil al-Rashad.[1] Al-Rusafi became close with the editor, ‘Ubaydallah, a Parliamentarian Deputy from Anatolia who advocated Turkish superiority and opposed those calling for independence for the Arab territories.[2] Al-Rusafi soon began living in Ubaydallah’s house and married Ubaydallah’s sister, Bilqis.[2] Al-Rusafi became very involved in C.U.P. political and social circle, with powerful C.U.P. leader Tal’at Pasha sponsoring al-Rusafi’s poetry, which in turn became a vehicle to promote C.U.P. ideology.[2] Three poems of al-Rusafi were especially influential at this time, Rukyat al-shari, Fi Silanik, and Tammuz al-hurriyya. In Rukyat al-shari, al-Rusafi criticized the Ottoman empire as tyrannical, against Islamic tradition, and called for a republican government.[1] In Fi Silanik, he detailed his journey with the army against the Sultan and the ensuing coup.[2] Tammuz al-hurriyya, al-Rusafi writes about his joy at the deposition of ‘Abd al-Hamid. His poetry during this time called for continued unity of the Ottoman Empire and its revival through the C.U.P.[1]

Return to Iraq

After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, and briefly teaching Arabic language and literature for a few years at the Dar al-Mu’allimin college in Jerusalem[2], al-Rusafi returned to Iraq to run for a seat in the 1924 Constituent Assembly.[1] After losing badly in the election, al-Rusafi was established in the government Education Ministry as Inspector of Arabic.[1] Later, al-Rusafi ran again for office, and was elected as a member of the Iraqi Chamber of Deputies in 1928 and served until 1939.[2] Al-Rusafi left the Chamber of Deputies to focus on writing and in 1944 published Rasa’il al-ta’likat.[3] In his book, al-Rusafi criticized fellow authors, Zaki Mubarak and Leone Caetani, and expressed his doubts on organized religion, the eternity of the soul, and ascension to heaven.[3] Al-Rusafi advocated his belief in monism[3] and denied that Islam requires the veiling of women.[4] Al-Rusafi was accused of blasphemy and Rasa’il al-ta’likat was banned. [1] Al-Rusafi wrote one last book, al-Shakhsiyyah al-muhammadiyyah, in which he analyzed the character of Muhammad and his impact on Islam, which due to its controversial nature, was not published until 2002.[2] In the last year of his life, al-Rusafi withdrew from society to live a solitary life, and died a poor man on March 16, 1945.

Notes

1. The Encyclopaedia of Islam: Vol 4. P.J. Bearman, 1989, p 614-618.

2. Essays in Arabic Literary Biography 1850-1950. Roger Allen, 2010, p 274-284.

3. A Critical Introduction to Modern Arabic Poetry. Muḥammad Muṣṭafá Badawī, 1975, p 55-62.

4. Arab women novelists: the formative years and beyond. Joseph T Zeidan, 1995, p 23-24.