His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has many creative works in areas of literature, research and documentation. Including those related to history, geography and media. During four decades, His Highness provided local, Arabian and international libraries with a considerable number of those editions starting from 1986, which also saw his first release.

In 2011, His Highness started issuing a series of poetry collections belonging to his grandfather, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah (1924-1951 AD). In that year, he issued the first of these collections under the title "Nashij Al Wada’ (in Arabic)". Then, in 2017, His Highness issued his grandfather’s second collection under the title of «Poetry debates between Sheikh Sultan Bin Saqr Al Qasimi and his friend, Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz Al Siddiqui». Similarly, in 2018 His Highness issued the third collection under the title “Wise Poems on Distress and Determination”. The publication of this series has a great importance in the efforts to spread Emirati literature related to the twentieth century, especially, in classical Arabic poetry dating to the first half of that century and before.

The collection and publication of Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi‘s poetry by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and issuing them as a part of this poetry series, does justice to the poetic experience of his grandfather. Furthermore, it re-sheds light on his poetic production, which was unseen to many individuals interested in the history of poetry in the Emirates. Another important question is raised about the amount of poetry produced by Emirati poets throughout the past centuries, whether classical or Nabati. Such a question can be formulated as follows: how much of the poetry produced by or fathers and grandfathers have we lost because we did not hurry to search, document, memorize and study it?

This experience also sheds light on the literary output that UAE poets issued while they were abroad. Specifically in India, which has been visited by Emiratis for hundreds of years. These visits had been for many reasons, including trade and treatment. Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi is at the top of the list of poets who produced poems while they were in India. And with this considerable amount of poems. In this regard, we recall the poems of the poet Khalfan bin Musabah, which he composed in India during his treatment. As well as the poems of Ahmed bin Sultan bin Sulayem, Salem bin Ali Al Owais, and other poets.

These poems also gain their importance from shedding light on poetry of the UAE’s rulers, whether in classical or Nabati forms. As well as highlighting the literary/poetic aspect of the ruling family in the Emirate of Sharjah, the honorable Qawasim family. Including their love of literature and their long-standing interest in it.

Investigation and search 

It is important here to point out that the interest of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in the poetic product of Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr, led him to a great investigation and research. Through this, he came up with poems unknown to his grandfather, those poems bear their importance in the ancient Emirati poetic scene. As a result of the efforts from His Highness Ruler of Sharjah, three important poetry collections by Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr have been issued. We will strive to investigate each of them separately, and review the most important poetic and intellectual components of his poems and their phenomena.

As for the first of these publications, it was titled: “Nashij Al Wada’ (in Arabic)”. It included twenty-eight poems. His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah mentioned in his introduction an overview of the poet who issued this diwan (poetry collection). Stating that he was born on June 23, 1906 AD, and assumed power in the Emirate of Sharjah on October 16, 1924 AD. He composed poetry when he was twenty-one, based on what the poet himself mentioned in one of his poems. In the introduction, the collector and verifier of the diwan poems, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, explained that the first thing that fell into his hands, from Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr’s poetry was in the form of a manuscript given to him by the sons of the late noble Hashem Al-Hashemi. It contained poems by Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr and his discussions with some poets. Then he searched for more of his poems, to find a book kept by the family of his uncle Sheikh Majid bin Saqr Al Qasimi. This included the poems he had composed during his illness in India, starting from May 1949, with the inclusion of a poem at the end. This poem was produced by him whilst being abroad in a European hospital on February 8, 1951. He travelled there to complete his treatment  and remained until his death in March, 1951.

Her Highness Sheikha bint Muhammad bin Saqr Al Qasimi gave to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah a present. It consisted of a collection of poems that her late husband, Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, son of the poet had possessed. This collection included papers containing the same poems that were in the notebook that Sheikha Azza bint Abdullah bin Khadim, wife of the late Sheikh Majid bin Saqr Al Qasimi gifted him. with an increase in the number of poems written by Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi himself.

In light of what was available to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, His Highness issued this diwan (poetry collection, which classified his poems under ten titles. We can call them poetry bouquets, entitled as follows:

1.    Poems of the Farwell Day

2.    Poems He sent to His Children

3.    Poems Sent to the Family of Saqr

4.    Poems Sent to His Siblings

5.    Poems of Advice

6.    Poems in Patriotism

7.    Poems in Education

8.    Poems About the Judges

9.    Anatomy

10. The Last Poem

Issues and concerns

The first thing that the reader's eyes encounter upon reading the poems of this collection, is the intense emotion with which it overflows its verses. Which in turn, stem from a delicate self. We can also clearly highlight a set of issues which preoccupied the poet of the diwan. The most important of those are:

1.    Judicial affairs

2.    Educational affairs.

3.    Maintaining correspondence and communication with family and companions

4.    Ensuring the wellness of family, friends and citizens.

We can clearly distinguish four objective phenomena in his poems. These themes formed an obsession to him. As well as being a driver of his poetic images, which are:

1.    Suffering from illness.

2.    Feeling alienated as a foreigner away from his home nation.

3.    Longing for his family.

4.    Homesickness for his country.

We can also feel in quite a lot of his poems, the great presence of detailed memories that do not leave his imagination. Such as those related to the moments of farewell to his family before his departure for treatment. An example is his poem "My Beloved", in which he says:

Reminds me of the farewell morning

A stinging, unpleasant sensation in my insides, and a painful exhale

You bid me farewell, concerned and afraid.

As if the cure of my disease [became] difficult

And the farewell to the lord of the house whilst the tears were flowing

Therefore you say, my heart is not patient

Then he says in other verses of the poem, recalling the scene of his son Sheikh Muhammad as he bid him farewell, with a tear that he could not hold back:

I did not forget to bid farewell to the beloved Muhammad

At a moment when the pilot seemed prepared for departure

Dumping on my face and pouring down tears

And the fever overwhelms me, so I fall

This is how the painful details of the separation are evident. The memories of which, did not retreat from the poet’s mind, nor could he conceal them. Thus, he shared them through this poem, in which he also sent his felicitations to his family on the advent of Eid al-Fitr. Meanwhile, he expressed his optimism about the success of his treatment and his healing with the help of God:

My hope is in the generous Lord and I am confident.

That the overseeing, capable healer will heal me

But the memories refuse to leave. So they return, to remind him of the mornings of his festivals in Sharjah among his loved ones, and he says in the same poem:

Reminds me after your prayers are done

And your visits towards the lands are marching

And the honouring  of  my dear brothers and honourable companions

And honourable  citizens that visit to greet me

The poet’s remembrance of the honorable Sharjah citizens that  came to greet him on the morning of the Eid, illustrates to us the bond of affection  and the appreciation which binds between the ruler and his people. This expression is mentioned here not on the tongue of the people, but by the poetic ruler. The previous verses were not the only ones which the poet of the diwan devoted to sharing his memories with the farewell. As the previous poem, which was entitled: “My Beloved,” was followed by the poem: “Among the Ribs is a Candle”. In which he expresses his longing for family and loved ones.

You are the wish of my  heart and its fulfillment

My sleep after my separation from you, is rather deprived

And if the breeze came to us from your-side

It fills me with excitement, and of you, I celebrate

These memories continue later in most of the diwan poems. As for the poems that came under the title “Poems Sent by the Poet to His Children,” there were three poems. The first he sent to Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan, the second to Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan, and the third was about his children. In those poems, the emotions of a father are mixed with love and concern for his children, as well as advise and prayer for them. Moreover, we find him addressing his son Sheikh Saqr, saying to him in response to his message: 

O son, of whom I had been hopeful

All of my life, his deeds have been  noble

I nourished you as a new born and preserved you during youth

My hope is to cast what I hoped in you

The contemplative person of this poem finds aspects of personal and leadership qualities in the ruler of the emirate’s character. As for the one who contemplates his two poems in which he addresses his son Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, he will find that the first carries a very influential emotional position. This resulted from the appearance of a photo of his son Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi. Consequently, he was greatly affected, and said:

A drawing came of  beloved, and my passion increased

I am rather sorrowful, when [when] will we meet?

The destiny of the Merciful Lord had determined our separation

My soul is burning with a fire inside of it

My heart was so pleased with their closeness

We do not complain of worries, nor of a separation

We go and return in joy and contentment

And none of us had seen misery before in his days

Perhaps the one who destined our separation

Will bless us with a reunion and so we would meet

As for the poem that he directs to his son Sheikh Khaled, he also blames him with a benevolence of fatherhood by enquiring about the reason for his delay in correspondence. In the third bunch of his poems, we find two poems under the title “Poems to the Saqr Family”. This was addressed to the Qasimiya family from the Saqr lineage. Furthermore, warm feelings that show the extents of love and connection to his family, as well as the strength of the relationship that binds him with its members:

My remorse is over a period that has passed 

The sorrow of Al-Tuwaijer as he lost

I have not thought of meeting you without my heart  being shattered

And I did not read your letter

Except, with my tears descending

His second poem, in which he addresses them, reveals the passage of an entire year since his departure, far from them. Whilst bearing his affliction, patiently:

A disease with which we are tested, and God had destined  it

Patience against what we have suffered, and hopefully God will heal us

I did not complain to a creature of our misfortune

Except to him who has afflicted us, for he is our savior

Then comes the bouquet of poems that he sent to his brothers, namely: Sheikh Muhammad bin Saqr Al Qasimi (three poems), Sheikh Majid bin Saqr Al Qasimi (two poems), Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, and Sheikh Hamid bin Saqr Al Qasimi (a poem for each of them). We find that his first poem, which he sent to Sheikh Muhammad bin Saqr was written “after Sheikh Muhammad sent his his noble photo”. This depicts  the extent of the impact that the pictures had in that era on the souls when received by mail during when abroad in a foreign country:

The drawing of the beloved came, and reasoning itself became  passionate

O drawing, why are you silent and mute?

The impact of the letters is not much different from the effect which the image reflected on the soul of the diwan poet. As he says in his third poem that he addresses to his brother Muhammad. Therefore, illustrating the effects his message left on himself upon receiving it:

The letter was answered, and I could not hold back my tears

He shared a secret which my ribs had  hidden

Turning to the sixth batch of poems, entitled as “Poems in Patriotism”, we find that they represent the aspect related to the leadership thought of Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi. Furthermore, four poems could be found here, the first of those poems is “Urging the Coalition”. In this poem, he addresses his friend the poet Salem bin Ali Al Owais. Its begins as:

And she says, “you have been for long trapped in India”

By God, I have no contentment nor comfort

As in regards to the second poem, the poet talks about his Emirate of Sharjah by mentioning his memories and nostalgia for it. He also shares details of his longing to family and citizens, by saying:

I remembered days near my beloved ones

And the social gatherings of honorability

Amongst them, the dear one to myself, I refer to Muhammad

He is a one of decent characteristics, with a liking  for virtuous deeds

Then, elsewhere in the poem, he explains his feeling of grieve about being away from his homeland, and says:

Were it not for an ailment in my leg, which has hindered me

I ask the Lord of the Throne to solve the difficulty

When I spent the painful stay in India

Had it been up to me I would not have chosen it (India),  as a substitute for the shelter of my beloved ones

He concludes the poem by saying:

I gift my greetings to my brothers and my father's sons

And to our children and families alike

As well as all of our loyal companions

And a noble populace that is full of honorable attributes

As for his poem, which is entitled “Glorious Sharjah” and found in the same bouquet with the title “Poems in Patriotism,” his longing for his emirate and he expresses praises his son, Sheikh Muhammad bin Sultan Al Qasimi.

My soul with the charming Sharjah, is rather brightened

My yearning to her love is my yearning her praise-worthy attributes

It intensified my passion, rather, it increased my panic

And tears are flowing on my cheeks because of my distancing from it

It contains Muhammad, the one of the noble lineage

The pride of Qawasim family, from the close to the far one

Education … a consciences and a responsibility

In the poems of the seventh series of the diwan’s bouquets, entitled “Poems in Education,” it is evident to us that the ruler is preoccupied even during his treatment journey with the subject of education in the emirate. We encounter three poems that express his close relationship with the educators in the emirate, and the emphasis that the rulers give to education. Additionally, he addresses one of these poems sent from Pompeii in May, 1950, to the writer Mubarak bin Saif al-Nakhi, director of Al-Islah School at the time. Al-Islah was founded by Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al-Qasimi in 1948 AD (a year before his travel to India for treatment). Furthermore, he praises the qualities of Al Nakhi, his knowledge, trustworthiness and piety: 

You, the possessor of nobility in my sight 

Like the noble man, the pride of his time

The one with the strong determination and clever, gallant writer 

The special one, who has acceptance in the religion

A one who is pure, pious and loyal master

He is the strong-willed, ranked amongst people of preservation.

In a poems of this bouquet, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr addresses one of the teachers in Al-Islah Qaismyia School. The name of the teacher is Ahmad bin Muhammad Bu Rahima. The Sheikh conveyed his greetings and thanked him for his efforts in education  by saying:

I thank you for a good condition

Since you have taken care of our precious children

Then he invites him  he end of the poem, to continue his educational efforts through the following verses:

Persevere in helping our children to memorize and keep encouraging them.

[Indeed], they are the hope of life and the illumination of my nation.

For the people become renewed if they are educated.

The brother or adopter of ignorance, is rather like the ashes.

In their purpose, these poems represent an important testament to the interest that the rulers of the Emirates gave in the last century to education. It is an interest that stems from an awareness of the responsibility that they hold towards the people of the region.

Good connections with the judges

Looking at the two poems in the eighth series of the diwan entitled “Poems About the Judges,” makes us ponder a number of aspects regarding Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr's personality. Including the extents of emphasis he placed on judiciary and his keenness of it, even while he was abroad. The poems of this bouquet also illustrate the pleasant connections that Sheikh Sultan had with judges from different emirates. As he addresses the Sharia judge of Sharjah in the first poem, and in the second he speaks to the judge/mufti in Ajman. Therefore, his first poem, was addressed to Sheikh Saif bin Muhammad al-Midfa(the Sharia judge in Sharjah). In which he conveys his greetings, accompanied by feelings of longing to him. In addition, he recalls his  days in Sharjah, then praises the judge and his trustworthiness. Lastly, he asks  God to encounter  him  with the judge and the people of Sharjah soon.

As for his second poem, it responds to the poem of his friend, Hamad bin Al-Muhareb Al-Mutairi, who was the Mufti and judge of Ajman. Al-Mutairi had sent to his friend, Sheikh Sultan Bin Saqr a poem in which he enquired for the reason of his ceased correspondence. Then the Sheikh wrote him, clarifying to him with a humbleness of the great individuals and asks his friend to accept the apology, saying:

But my though is that you weren't in it,

The place of accreditation. You are far and sailing

Pardon, one of noble status, pardon, indeed I am

In any case, not doing enough to give you the loyalty you deserve

The “Farewell Wailing” poetry bouquet acquires great literary and historical importance, as it captures a set of intellectual, social, historical and ethical values in the poet. Those were expressed by him, as a ruler, but also as a citizen, parent, head of the family, educator, carer, writer and as a friend at other times.

The poems of this diwan also documents important events and names in the history of Sharjah. It sheds light on the roles that some personalities played in the civilization renaissance that the Emirate of Sharjah witnessed during the twentieth century. This diwan can also be considered a form of poetic memoir of the journey of Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi during his treatment abroad. Thus, forming one of the poetic purposes in his literary production.

As for the linguistic dictionary from which the poems of the diwan were formed, it deserves an independent study. As it reflect the literary level and the degree of th poet’s knowledge  on the one hand. And on the other hand, it indicates the specificity of the local dialect in some of its details and connection with the prevailing classical dialect during the poet’s life.

Finally, there is the analysis of the poems in terms of their topics, which are related to studies of the poetry of alienation that can be observed in  Arabic poetry, starting with pre-Islamic poetry. We can also notice that the poems of the diwan resemble in some of its aspects and themes, the poems of the poets which had to deal with migration. Such as the sweeping nostalgia for the homeland and longing for it. In addition to the contemplation of the human soul, and dialogue with the nature surrounding the poet and interacting with it. Thusly,  taking the poetic language away from artificiality and preciosity, despite the fact that the poetic experience of Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi in the diwan is not a product of a form of migration.  Rather, it is the product of sentiments produced by alienation. The reason for which was his medical journey abroad.

Anatomy poem: I practiced against it the patience of those who do not weaken

The poem Anatomy, which is the penultimate poem in the diwan, transmits to us a picture from the diaries of his medical journey abroad. It is most likely that he wrote it between February and March of 1950, where he says:

The autopsy did not concern me, for it has benefits

Perhaps the Lord of the creatures will ease it

We have no foreseeable means to prevent it

With the grace of my Lord, the autopsy does not have to be a strain

I got used to harm touching me, until I befriended  the suffering

It became a habit that does not fail to occur

Elsewhere in the poem, he explains the number of months he spent there, which are ten months, confirming his patience and belief that healing is in the hands of God Almighty. So he says:

Ten months with my wounds present,

I have practiced the patience of those who do not weaken

And I was certain that God Almighty in His Majesty

Is the testing healer and His kindness is greater

As for the last poems of the diwan, they are some of the last poetry verses which Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr composed in his life, if they were not in fact, his last verses. They date back to the eighth of March 1951, and he created them a month after his arrival in Europe to complete his treatment in one of its hospitals following his treatment India. He passed away two weeks after writing this poem, composed to address his minister Ibrahim bin Muhammad al-Midfa. It admonishes him for his interrupted correspondence, in a manner of a gentle, kind and subtle reproach, saying:

Have  you forbidden the letters of warmth and friendliness between us?

Is it because you decided to abandon us or is a trait of character?

Oh, dear companion, you cut me off

From your letters,  until I thought that you shall not write to me

I have spent a month in Europe already and your letters

Did not arrive, until I thought you will not blame me if you did not hear from me.

Source: Al-Ittihad (Emirati newspaper).