The Umayyad Poet-Rebel: ‘Ubaydullah Ibn Al-Hurr Al Ju'fi

This book deals in its first part with the political vicissitudes which occurred in the first decades of the Muslim dynasty under the Umayyads. It surveys the internal political developments which brought about the emergence of al-Ju'fi, a poet-rebel in southern Iraq, (killed in 68/687), who tried to maneuver between the Umayyad forces and their opponents in order to achieve political power. The second part of the book pieces together all that remained from the poetry of al-Ju'fi. This poetry, arranged alphabetically and printed in arabic language and signs, reflects the poet’s relations with prominent figures of his time and gives a long list of geographical sites in which he fought against rival forces. On the whole, this poetry is a historical document which throws some light on the social, political and literary circumstances during the early period of the Umayyad rule.