Ideas And Self- Concepts in Andalusian Letters

Abstract

Arabic letters from Andalusia are ancient prose art, and every literary text has two essential components: the ideas and concepts that the text aims to convey to the recipient, while the second component is the style, which is the material from which the text is composed. This study addresses the subjects discussed in Andalusian letters and how these letters served purposes that met the needs of the Andalusian individual in all aspects of their social, cultural, political, and religious life. We find that they wrote royal letters, brotherly letters, condolences, and marriage letters, as well as expressions of longing for the Prophet and peace be upon him, among other topics. The study also explores the styles that helped convey the message, fulfilling the psychological needs of both the writer and the recipient.
Rhetorical styles (whether figurative or stylistic) do not appear in the text randomly; rather, they are invoked by necessity. They are not merely additions to the text; the writer calls upon styles that meet the text's need to convey the ideas they wish to express. We find that the environment and the era call for the use of a specific artistic style, as the people of Andalusia preferred decorative styles in their discourse. Despite some objections to the excessiveness of these styles, they existed only in the presence of an audience that favored this type of expression.