Hamza Shehata (; 1910/11-1971/72) was a philosopher, poet and civic leader from the

Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...

in the western part of modern

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. The eccentric Hejazi genius was born in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

and raised in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

.Biographical details in ''The Literature of Modern Arabia'' (ed. S.K. Jayyusi), Kegan Paul International, 1988 He studied at the Al-Falah School (established in 1905), then moved to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

where he worked at the Zainal trading house for a number of years. Upon his return, he joined the Jeddah Council of Commerce. He was influenced by key social and political leaders in the Hejaz such as Qassim Zainal and Mohammed Suroor Sabban. His literary work was influenced by, among others,

Khalil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist; he was also considered a philosopher, although he himself rejected the title. ...

, Iliyya Abu Madi and

Mikha'il Na'ima Mikha'il Nu'ayma (, ; US legal name: Michael Joseph Naimy), better known in English by his pen name Mikhail Naimy (October 17, 1889 – February 28, 1988), was a Lebanese poet, novelist, and philosopher, famous for his spiritual writings, notabl ...

Notable works

* ''Al-Rojollah 'Imad Al-Kholoqu Al-Fadil'' (speech on ethics) * ''Rifat Akkl'' (work on ethics) * ''Himar Hamzah Shihatta'' (work on ethics, religion and social reform) * ''Diwan Hamzah Shihatta'' (complete poems) * ''Ghadat Bulaqu'' (poetry) * ''Eila Ibbnaty Sheiren'' (romantic literature; letters to his daughter in Jeddah)

References

People from Jeddah 20th-century Saudi Arabian poets Saudi Arabian writers 1910s births 1972 deaths Recipients of Saudi Arabian royal pardons {{SaudiArabia-bio-stub