An Analysis on Indicating the Legitimacy of the Umayyad Government in Political Poems of al-Akhtal

Since the Umayyads did not have a religious standing among the people and their government did not have the necessary religious and political legitimacy, they made great efforts to obtain this legitimacy among the people. They gathered poets and Hadith and Akhbar forgers in Shām and took propaganda advantages of them through giving many gifts. One of these poets was al-Akhtal, a Christian poet who used extreme exaggeration to praise the Umayyad rulers and declared them the best of Quraysh and the most deserving people for in Caliphate. Despite his differences of opinion with the Muslim Caliph, this Christian poet depicted an Islamic image of him with the language of poetry that was favored by the people. This research answers these fundamental questions: How did the Umayyads use political literature and poetry to legitimize their rule? How did al-Akhtal’s poetry get in the way of the Umayyad government's request and what concepts and tools did it use? The findings of this analytical-critical study show that al-Akhtal, using various poetic themes, attempted to introduce the Umayyad rule as a legitimate, divine and heavenly blessing. The poet used interpretations and themes that justified the Umayyad's political aims. Promoting the idea of ​​heredity of the Caliphate, sanctification, the use of religious titles and promotion of aristocratic nobility are among the poet's approaches to legitimizing Umayyad rule.