American Journal Of Philological Sciences
128
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 03 2025
PAGE NO.
128-130
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue03-32
The personality of navoi
in the “
k
hamsa” epic
Zulaykho ABDURAHMON
PhD in Philology, Uzbekistan
Received:
27 January 2025;
Accepted:
28 February 2025;
Published:
29 March 2025
Abstract
:
The personality and statesmanship of Alisher Navoi have always been studied alongside his creative
potential. Th
e poet’s own works serve as the primary source for understanding his mature character. This article
explores the image of the poet based on the “Khamsa” collection. Special attention is given to the fakhria (self
-
praise) passages within the poems.
Keywords:
Personalit
y, epic, annihilation, reproach, inspiration, na‘t (praise of the Prophet), munojat
(supplication).
Introduction:
The life and works of Alisher Navoi,
including his creative personality and spiritual maturity,
have always been significant topics in the field of world
literary studies. In exploring this theme, scholars have
referred to various sources. Primarily, they rely on the
poet-
thinker’s own works, followed by dedicated
monographs, biographical dictionaries (tazkiras), and
legends passed down among the people. However,
Navoi’s own writings have always been recognized as
the main and most reliable source.
Indeed, Alisher Navoi’s poetic mission in the
development of Turkic literature, his statesmanship
within the grand Timurid dynasty, his role as a spiritual
guide of his time, and ultimately, his position as one of
God’s righteous servants are affirmed throughout all
his works. Both Eastern and Western Navoi studies
have deeply understood this truth and, by and large,
have followed this correct path.
It should be emphasized that contemporary Navoi
scholarship must carry on this tradition with dignity
and, by utilizing the possibilities of intellectual
freedom, strive to present a more complete image of
Navoi. In this regard, Khamsa, the crown jewel of the
poet’s literary
legacy, holds a special place. In each of
his works, Navoi aimed to explore a particular theme.
Therefore, he authored historical writings, biographical
dictionaries, treatises on linguistics (Muhokamat al-
lughatayn), literary theory (Mezon al-avzon), Islamic
teachings (Siraj al-muslimin), autobiographical works
(Waqfiya), and many others.
However,
his theological insights,
humanistic
worldview, historiographical approach, political
thinking, and advocacy for the Turkic language
—
in
short, all facets of his intellectual and creative power
—
are concentrated in the Khamsa. It is worth noting that
in the Turkic world, Navoi’s poetic rank and his
passionate devotion to the Turkic language are
extraordinary phenomena.
Given time constraints, in this article we aim to briefly
discuss Navoi’s poetic status and literary personality as
reflected in his Khamsa. To address this topic, we
propose to base our analysis on the following
classification:
1. The thematic scope, perfect composition, and
character portrayal in the epic as a reflection of the
poet’s mastery.
2. Navoi’s munojats (supplications) and fakhria (self
-
praise), and his addresses to the singer (mughanni).
3. Acknowledgment of the great predecessors.
First and foremost, Navoi’s magnificent Khamsa is the
product of inspiration that came from the unseen (the
divine). The poet himself recalls this in various places
throughout his works.
.
Чу ҳотиф манга бу нидо айлади,
Мен этган адони адо айлади.
Етиб ғайбдин чун бу неру манга,
Бўлуб сўз демак майли асру манга.
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
129
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
A call from the unseen reaches the Sufi poet, enabling
him to complete such a monumental work in a short
period of time. Even when gathering all the information
from the epic, it is difficult to fully grasp the entirety of
the poet’s personality. For
Navoi, at one glance, is
Majnun
—
who made love his guide and wandered,
burdened like a camel, through the thorns of longing.
At another glance, he is Farhod
—
who rejected
kingship and attained spiritual sovereignty. Elsewhere,
he becomes Iskandar
—
a sage and a saint. Even after
considering all perspectives and interpretations, one
can only stand in awe of such a vast and perfect
personality. Like the seers in the story of the “Blind
Men and the Elephant” from Lison ut
-tayr, we can only
discover one aspec
t of Navoi’s essence at a time.
It is difficult to account for all the services Navoi
rendered to his nation and to humanity. However,
alongside his poetic inspiration, one of his most
important goals was to transform the Turkic language
into a spiritual a
nd literary medium. The poet’s
intoxication came from the wine of words. He was
intoxicated by the meanings within the Turkic language
and burned with the desire to create works in that
tongue:
Менки бу май нашъасидин маст мен,
Дайри фано аҳлиға ҳамдаст мен.
Ҳар нафас айлаб тўла ул жомни,
Сипқориб ул бодаи гулфомни.
Турк суруди била солиб қўлум,
Қилсам адо ҳай тулугум, ҳай тулум,
-
This confession fully affirms our point. Undoubtedly,
Alisher Navoi was a devoted advocate of his mother
tongue and a standard-bearer of the Turkic language.
In the nearly thousand-year development of the Turkic
language, “no one has spoken as abundantly and
beautifully as he did.” By creating works in all poetic
genres in Turkic, the poet practically and theoretically
demonstrated the richness and versatility of the
language’s artistic, lexical, grammatical, and stylistic
potential.
Navoi relied on tradition and the linguistic materials of
earlier works, drawing extensively from the dialects of
various Turkic tribes and clans. In his works, Turkic
dialects and languages are not opposed to each other;
rather, in the great poet’s imagination, the multi
-
dialectal nature of the Turkic language
—
like that of
Arabic and Persian
—
is shown to be a source of
unparalleled potential. Through this, Navoi conquered
hearts, and he himself acknowledged that his works
belong to all Turkic languages:
Агар бир қавм, гар юз, йўқса мингдур,
Муайян турк улуси худ менингдур.
Кўнгул бермиш сўзумга турк жон ҳам,
Не ёлғуз турк, балким туркмон ҳам.
The harmony of meaning and spiritual state, the magic
of imagery and expression in Navoi’s works also reveal
the capabilities and privileges of the Turkic language.
Navoi embodies a unique sense of malāmat (self
-
reproach)
and fanā (self
-annihilation in the divine) that
is rarely found in other poets. In many chapters of his
epics
—
especially in the sections of hamd (praise of
God) and na‘t (praise of the Prophet) —
supplications
appear at the end that vividly reflect the
poet’s inner
self.
Қилмай даъвийи хуш адолиқ,
Арз айла, Навоиё, гадолиқ.
Ё Раб, эшигингда ул гадомен
Ким, боштин
-
аёққача хатомен.
Боқ дарду малолатимға, Ё Раб,
Раҳм айла бу ҳолатимға, Ё Раб.
Alisher Navoi’s inner state and spiritual image are
vividly portrayed in such supplications. The emotions
expressed in these parts of the epic alone reveal
Navoi’s personality and his spiritual maturity. Navoi has
served as a moral example for all generations. He
embodied both intensity and humility, courage and
honesty, tolerance and decisiveness. He was a man of
action. Even in the creation of the Khamsa, he says:
Навоий, сўз айтурда фарзона бўл,
Чу иш бошингга тушти, мардона бўл!
For example, in the Hayrat ul-abror (Wonder of the
Righteous) epic, among the Khamsa writers:
Бўлса алар озими дашти адам,
Мен ҳам ўлай соя киби ҳамқадам,
Каҳфи бақо ичра алар бўлса гум,
Мен ҳам ўлай робиуҳум калбуҳум.
—
saying this, the poet, who saw himself as a
companion of the People of the Cave, expresses the
following self-praise in Saddi Iskandariy (The Wall of
Alexander):
Ки, сўз тахтида бўлдум оромгир,
Бўлай таҳният базмида жомгир!
Indeed, Navoi was a king on the throne of words. Rulers
of empires have always found themselves on the
battlefield. History bears witness to the fact that true
struggles are battles of beliefs and values. Navoi never
denied the unity of his roles as both a poet and a
statesman
—
on the contrary, these aspects of his
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
130
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
identity complemented one another. With his pen,
Navoi waged a struggle for the refinement of the soul
of humanity, for the preservation of language, religion,
and nation.
As his spiritual guide Abdurahman Jami once said, the
state and spiritual rank found in Navoi were not
granted to any other poet. As the scholar Ibrohim
Haqqul emphasized: “Ali
sher Navoi is the capital of
Turkic literature. All roads lead to him, or from him to
all roads.” In understanding the greatness and
perfection of his personality, it is essential to consider
the range of genres in which he wrote. His divans
(collections of poetry) are the result of spiritual states.
As Najmuddin Kubra once said, “A state is like a
lightning bolt.” Indeed, it opens the path like a flash of
light in defining the poet’s rank.
In his prose works, Navoi provides practical guidance in
following
the Prophet, who said, “I was created upon
the best of character.” In the moral education of
humanity, Navoi appears in full stature in the Khamsa
—
both as a practitioner and a theorist.
REFERENCES
Alisher Navoi. Hayrat ul-abror. Collected Works, Vol. 7.
–
Tashkent: Fan, 1991.
Alisher Navoi. Lison ut-tayr. Collected Works, Vol. 12.
–
Tashkent: Fan, 1996.
Alisher Navoi. Mahbub ul-qulub. Collected Works, Vol.
14.
–
Tashkent: Fan, 1998.
Alisher Navoi. Nasoyim ul-muhabbat. Collected Works,
Vol. 17.
–
Tashkent: Fan, 2001.
Alisher Navoi. Complete Works in 20 Volumes, Vols. 1
–
20.
–
Tashkent: Fan, 1987
–
2004.
Rahmonova, Z. Ishq, irfon va irshod.
–
Tashkent:
Tafakkur tomchilari, 2021.
