The Love Letters of Ibn al-'Amid: A Study of Content and Artistry

Abstract

Ibn al-'Amid crafts his letters from his language as a spiritual expression. He is not isolated from the language in using vocabulary that conveys meanings to explain a state, nor does he merely embellish his expression verbally. He understands that language is the soul of man, and thus he engages with it spiritually, mastering it to see his own soul through it. Therefore, this research aims to demonstrate through language, similes, metaphors, and figurative language that Ibn al-'Amid did not intend verbal artifice. We can see his soul clearly in the texts of his letters. Ibn al-'Amid does not have a love letter from a man to a woman to court her or win her over. Instead, all his letters contain a breath of love based on spiritual elevation towards the heavens and giving not for fleeting pleasures. Hence, he portrays this spiritually through language, similes, and metaphors, setting a balance between spiritual and material comparisons. Ibn al-'Amid painted a picture of his era, giving more than he took, and depicting love in a way that differed from all other eras, distinguishing between the love of a friend, a brother, a son, and others. He wrote all his letters in a manner that made you feel the love without seeing the word, and sense it without finding the expression. This is what we explore in the sections of this research.

d significance, enhancing our understanding of the characters, events, and central themes within the novel.