The Ṣanʿāʾ Maqāmah: Worldly Attachment, the Audience’s Gifts, and a Secret Pursuit

1. The closing effect: a poem after the sermon

The preacher's sustained speech now takes the shorter, more forceful rhythm of poetry. His prose criticized many forms of heedlessness; the verses concentrate on excessive attachment to worldly gain.

تَبًّا لِطَالِبِ دُنْيَا
Ruin to the person consumed by the pursuit of the world.

Tabban is a strong expression of condemnation. It sets an urgent tone and directs attention to the consequences of uncontrolled desire rather than merely describing wealth.

2. A heart turned toward worldly pursuit

ثَنَى إِلَيْهَا انْصِبَابَهُ
He diverted the full current of his inclination toward it.

Thanā suggests turning or directing, while inṣibāb evokes an outpouring or concentrated inclination. The line pictures a heart flowing almost entirely toward one object.

The criticism is not of the existence of material goods. It concerns an attachment so dominant that other aims are eclipsed.

3. Gharām and ṣabābah: intensity of passion

مَا يَسْتَفِيقُ غَرَامًا بِهَا وَفَرْطَ صَبَابَهْ
His clinging passion and extreme infatuation leave him seemingly unable to come to his senses.

Gharām evokes a persistent, gripping attachment; ṣabābah conveys intense longing. Mā yastafīqu denies recovery or awakening, likening obsession to a condition from which the person cannot regain clarity.

The two expressions intensify the image in different ways: one stresses attachment, the other yearning.

4. Similar sounds, different meanings

وَلَوْ دَرَى لَكَفَاهُ مَا يَرُومُ صُبَابَهْ
If he truly understood, even a small remainder of what he seeks would suffice him.

The earlier ṣabābah denotes intense longing, whereas ṣubābah here refers to a small remainder, such as liquid left in a vessel. A change of vowels changes the sense.

The echo is purposeful: endless craving is set against the idea that a modest portion may be enough.

5. Comparing ṣabābah and ṣubābah

WordMeaningLiterary roleصَبَابَةArdent longingExcess of desireصُبَابَةA small remainderEnough rather than excess

The same consonants, with different vowels, create distinct meanings. Recognizing the wordplay requires attention to letters, vocalization, and context.

The effect is structural as well as decorative: the movement from obsessive desire to sufficient provision makes the poem's lesson memorable.

6. Rhyme and the progression of the verses

The line endings inṣibābah, ṣabābah, ṣubābah produce an audible link. Yet each line advances the thought rather than repeating the same judgment.

First: Inclination turns entirely toward worldly gain.
Second: The attachment prevents clear awakening.
Third: Insight would make a modest portion sufficient.

The artistic strength lies in both the rhyme and the intelligible progression from desire to intensity to correction.

7. From verse back to visible action

ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ لَبِدَ عَجَاجَتَهُ
Then the commotion of his speech subsided.

ʿAjājah evokes rising dust and turbulence. Here the settling of that dust becomes a metaphor for the end of his resonant, forceful utterance. Speech is not literally dust; the comparison makes the arrival of quiet tangible.

The listener's attention now shifts from language alone to the preacher's physical preparations to leave.

8. Silence, a waterskin, and a staff

وَغَيَّضَ مَجَاجَتَهُ، وَاعْتَضَدَ شَكْوَتَهُ، وَتَأَبَّطَ هِرَاوَتَهُ
He cut short his words, took his small waterskin under his arm, and tucked his staff beneath it.

Majājah here refers to uttered speech, shakwah to a small leather water vessel, and hirāwah to a staff.

The consecutive verbs are deliberately visual. The eloquent speaker becomes a traveler who has gathered his possessions and is about to move.

9. The gathering notices he is leaving

فَلَمَّا رَنَتِ الْجَمَاعَةُ إِلَى تَحَفُّزِهِ، وَرَأَتْ تَأَهُّبَهُ لِمُزَايَلَةِ مَرْكَزِهِ
When the assembly noticed his readiness and saw that he was preparing to leave his place.

Ranat indicates attentive looking; taḥaffuz readiness to spring up, taʾahhub preparation, and muzāyalah departure from a place.

The narration first shows visible signs of leaving, then the assembly's response. The order is significant: no explicit request for a donation has yet appeared.

10. Readiness, preparation, and departure

TermCore senseRole in the sceneتَحَفُّزReadiness to riseFirst signal of movementتَأَهُّبMaking preparationsDeparture becomes likelyمُزَايَلَةLeaving a placeExpected outcome

The terms are not idle synonyms. They move from readiness to preparation to separation, transforming a stationary gathering into a scene of impending departure.

11. The assembly responds with giving

أَدْخَلَ كُلُّ مِنْهُمْ يَدَهُ فِي جَيْبِهِ
Each person in the gathering put a hand into a pocket.

The forceful sermon now elicits a visible response. The audience does not merely praise the speech; its members make a concrete gesture of giving.

Kullu minhum stresses the group, while the hand entering a pocket offers a close-up detail. The action shows the speaker's apparent effect on his listeners, but does not by itself establish their inner motives.

12. Sajl and sayb: generosity as an image

فَأَفْعَمَ لَهُ سَجْلًا مِنْ سَيْبِهِ
He filled for him, as it were, a bucket with his bounty.

Sajl literally denotes a water bucket, sayb means a gift or bounty, and afʿama suggests filling to abundance. The donation is portrayed through the image of a brimming vessel.

The real action of reaching into pockets is paired with figurative language. The sentence does not require us to imagine an actual bucket being handed over.

13. Two possible uses of the gift

اصْرِفْ هَذَا فِي نَفَقَتِكَ
Use this for your expenses.

أَوْ فَرِّقْهُ عَلَى رُفْقَتِكَ
Or distribute it among your traveling companions.

Nafaqah means expenditure or provision; rufqah refers to a company of travelers. The speaker leaves open two uses: personal necessities and assistance to companions.

The words reinforce the visitor's outward identity as a traveler. They do not tell us what he ultimately does with the money.

14. Receiving the gift with downcast eyes

فَقَبِلَهُ مِنْهُمْ مُغْضِيًا
He accepted it from them while lowering his gaze.

The object pronoun in qabilahu points to the gift; minhum identifies the donors. Mughḍiyan is a circumstantial accusative (ḥāl), describing his manner of accepting it.

Downcast eyes may suggest modesty or reluctance, but outward gestures alone cannot conclusively establish motives. The gap between appearance and reality is an important source of narrative interest.

15. Turning away while praising: a subtle wordplay

وَأَثْنَى عَنْهُمْ مُثْنِيًا
He turned away from them while praising them.

Athnā ʿanhum here means turning away or departing from them, whereas muthniyan indicates praising them. The similar sounds point to different functions and meanings in this context.

The brief phrase combines physical departure with spoken appreciation. Its wordplay matters because the sounds echo even while the senses diverge.

16. Qabila and athnā: verbs with circumstances

فَقَبِلَهُ مِنْهُمْ مُغْضِيًا وَأَثْنَى عَنْهُمْ مُثْنِيًا
He accepted their gift with his gaze lowered, then turned away while praising them.

Qabila and athnā are past-tense verbs. Mughḍiyan and muthniyan are circumstantial accusatives: the first describes how he receives the gift; the second says he is praising as he departs.

In this construction athnā ʿanhum means departing, not merely praising. The echo with muthniyan creates a subtle play on similar forms with distinct senses.

17. Those who escort him, and the path he hides

وَجَعَلَ يُوَدِّعُ مَنْ يُشَيِّعُهُ، لِيَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ مَهْيَعُهُ
He kept bidding farewell to those escorting him so that his route would remain hidden from them.

Yushayyiʿuhu refers to accompanying someone on departure; mahyaʿ is an open or broad road; li-yakhfā introduces the purpose for keeping that road concealed.

He observes outward courtesy while refusing to reveal his path. The purpose clause makes this deliberate behavior, rather than a mere accidental parting.

18. An attempt to evade followers

وَيَسْرُبُ مِنْ يَتْبَعُهُ، لِكَيْ يَجْهَلَ مَرْبَعَهُ
He slipped away from anyone who followed so that the follower would not learn his lodging.

Yasrubu means to slip away or escape quietly; yatbaʿuhu describes a follower; marbaʿ denotes a resting place or dwelling in this context.

The clause li-kay yajhala specifies intention: he moves in a way designed to prevent discovery of where he stays.

19. Mahyaʿ and marbaʿ: route and lodging

TermMeaningWhat is concealed?مَهْيَعBroad road or routeDirection of travelمَرْبَعPlace of residence or restDestination or lodging

The words sound related but distinguish a route from a place to stay.

The speaker who appeared to be a needy traveler now deliberately conceals both. This creates a question for the narrator and the reader; at this point, it remains a question rather than a demonstrated accusation.

20. Jaʿala yuwaddiʿu: sustained action

وَجَعَلَ يُوَدِّعُ
He began and continued to take leave.

In this use, jaʿala with an imperfect verb can present the start and continuation of an activity. Yuwaddiʿu is an imperfect verb, letting us picture repeated farewells.

A simple perfect verb could present a single completed farewell. Here the ongoing activity also supports the account of how he tries to conceal his route.

21. The narrator’s renewed curiosity

قَالَ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ هَمَّامٍ: فَاتَّبَعْتُهُ مُوَارِيًا عَنْهُ عِيَانِي
Al-Ḥārith ibn Hammām said: I followed him, keeping myself out of his sight.

The tāʾ in ittabaʿtuhu marks the narrator as subject; the object pronoun refers back to the preacher. Muwāriyan is a circumstantial modifier indicating stealth. ʿIyānī concerns his visible presence.

The preacher hides his route, while the narrator hides his presence. Their contrasting actions create suspense and propel the story.

22. Narrator and preacher: opposing movements

PreacherNarratorConceals route and lodgingFollows out of sightBids farewell to the assemblyContinues tracking after the farewell

The opposition quickens the story: one man prevents discovery, while another tries to discover him.

The scene has already shown moving speech, gifts from the audience, and an evasive departure. The narrator's decision to follow arises naturally from those events, without a need to invent further motives.

23. Verse, rhymed prose, and narration

Verse: Concise, rhymed and metrical condemnation of excessive worldly pursuit.
Rhymed prose: Echoing endings such as majājatah, shakwatah, and hirāwatah.
Narration: The assembly reacts, gifts are offered, the speaker departs, conceals his path, and is followed.

Rhyme appears in both literary modes, but they are not identical. Verse has a metrical and rhyme structure; sajʿ is matching cadence or end sounds within prose.

Here sound attracts attention and movement sustains suspense. The literary devices serve the story rather than being detachable ornaments.

24. What is visible, and what remains unknown

Observed facts: The preacher delivered an effective speech, recited verses, gathered his belongings, received gifts, and tried to conceal his route.

Still unknown: How did he later use the gifts? Where is he staying? What motivates his secrecy?

An important literary skill is to distinguish what the narrative explicitly shows from what the reader suspects. Maintaining that distinction allows the subsequent discovery to retain its full dramatic force.

25. The scene as a whole: from voice to pursuit

The sequence is now clear:
Poetic warning → end of speech → gathering belongings → gifts from listeners → evasive farewell → secret pursuit by the narrator.

Vocabulary includes gharām, ṣabābah, ṣubābah, shakwah, hirāwah, sajl, sayb, mahyaʿ, and marbaʿ. Grammatically, the circumstantial accusative and jaʿala + imperfect help explain how the actions unfold.

The central literary tension is between a preacher whose voice was remarkably public and whose destination has become remarkably private. Al-Ḥārith ibn Hammām is now following him to discover what is hidden.