The Image of Islam and The Use of Imagination in some selected poems by Daniel Abd Al hayy Moore and Lord Byron

Research Abstract

Abstract This study examines the representation of Islam and the use of imagination in specific poems: Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore’s Remember Your Origin and Goal, The Inevitable, Headache ,and Lord Byron’s The Giaour and The Corsair. Through a comparative analytical approach, it explores how each poet incorporates Islamic imagers, symbolism, and concepts of the divine, reflecting distinct cultural and spiritual perspectives. Employing an interpretive methodology grounded in close reading and data synthesis, the research investigates Moore’s integration of Sufi-inspired spirituality, luminous cosmic imagery, and devotional language that evokes intimacy with the divine. This is contrasted with Byron’s use of Islamic motifs such as the harem, the veil, and the figure of the Giaour—framed within a Romantic Orientalist narrative marked by exoticism, moral ambiguity, and dramatic contrast. The analysis reveals that Moore’s poems function as a celebration of divine love and spiritual awakening using celestial and natural images to dissolve boundaries between the earthly and the sacred. In contrast, Byron’s work positions Islamic themes within a tragic and foreignzed tableau, aligning with 19th-century Western fascination with the East. Beyond highlighting these differences, the study contributes to debates on Orientalism by juxtaposing a Western Romantic’s mediated vision of Islam with a Muslim poet’s Insider articulation of faith. It further enriches scholarship on Moore by situating his work within broader conversations about cross-cultural literary engagement, spirituality, and the imaginative reworking of Islamic symbols in English poetry. Keywords: Islam, Islamic Images, Islamic symbolism, Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, Lord Byron, Remember Your Origin and Goal, The Inevitable, Headache, The Giaour, Corsair, Orientalism, Romantic poetry, spirituality, comparative analysis

Research Keywords

Islam, Islamic Images, Islamic symbolism, Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, Lord Byron, Remember Your Origin and Goal, The Inevitable, Headache, The Giaour, Corsair, Orientalism, Romantic poetry, spirituality, comparative analysis