The Functions of Poetry According to Muslim Philosophers

When Greek poetics, through Translation Movement, was transferred to Islamic countries, it encouraged the Muslim philosophers to bring their own theories about poetry, as can be seen in the works of Fārābi, Avicennā, Abolbarakāt of Bagdad, Averroes, and Nasir of Toos. These ideas entered The School of Rhetoric by Hāzim Ghartājeni and others. Muslim philosophers are not to be considered the mere translators of Aristotle’s Poetics because they brought changes to his theory, among which the Greek tradition of geneography. This article concentrates on the civil functions of poetry as introduced in the works of Muslim philosophers who essentially considered two cognitive and educational-moral functions for poetry. It should be noted that the philosophers’ ideas can be followed both in their psychological and logical works.