Arabic Literature

Transforming a Mental Process into a Quasi Objective Journey in Narrative Poetry (A Case Study: Sayyid Qutb’s Poem “Al Shuʿāʿ al Khābiʾ”)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Ali salimi 1
sirvan babazydi 2

1 Razi university

2 razi university

10.22059/jalit.2026.414468.613079
Abstract
The poem Al-Shu‘ā‘ al-Khābi’ (“The Hidden Ray”) is one of the examples of narrative poetry by Sayyid Qutb. This work is a quasi-philosophical poem which, through a coherent narrative structure, reconstructs an image of the poet’s inner and spiritual transformation. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the present study rereads this poem and seeks to answer the question of how the poet, by interweaving the two elements of agency and narration, transforms a mental process into a quasi-objective journey within the framework of narrative poetry. The findings of the study show that the sequence of events in this narrative poem, contrary to its outward appearance, does not unfold on the basis of external actions; rather, it takes shape through changes in the poet’s spiritual state and inner emotions. In other words, the narrator simultaneously assumes two roles: experiencer and storyteller; indeed, the narrator is, at the same time, the narrative itself. By employing classical narrative techniques such as the presence of a narrator, the elements of time and place, and the transformation of actions, the poet presents an image of an ontological drama infused with a Khayyamesque sense of despair. In this drama, objectivity is so intertwined with subjectivity that the reader is led to imagine that a journey in the real world has actually taken place.

Keywords

Sayyid Qutb
Al Shuʿāʿ al Khābiʾ
narrative poetry
artistic creativity
quasi objective journey
Subjects
Arabic Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 19 September 2026

  • Receive Date 15 May 2026
  • Revise Date 06 September 2026
  • Accept Date 19 September 2026

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