Poems of Salvation by Samuel Hanagid

The Dīwān of Samuel Hanagid includes a few short poems (muqaṭṭaʿāt) of unique character. These poems rejoice in the salvation of Israel as though it already occurred. Hanagid employs in these poems the language, style and literary techniques of the biblical prophecies of consolation. In some, he uses vocabulary, images and personae drawn from Arabic love poetry. This explains why these poems have been mistaken for liturgical poetry (Piyyutim) or for love poetry. This article discusses these poems, their shared features and their context in Hanagid’s work, life and ideology.