Abstract:
The article addresses the development of Arabic poetry (shi’r) among the Muslim
researchers and writers in Sri Lanka who have gained the knowledge about the Arabic
language from Arab traders, the individuals who were travelling around the world for the
purpose of trade. The Arab traders presented the Arabic language and Islam to the
individuals they came across around the world. The investigation of Arabic poems written
by Sri Lankan Muslim scholars is very important. Thus the main objective of this article
is to examine the contents of their poems in Arabic. This study depends basically on
textual analysis where the primary and secondary sources in Arabic, Tamil and Arabic
Tamil are consulted. The results show that Muslims of Sri Lanka have a good interaction
with Arabic language and literature, and clearly expressed the Islamic principles and
morals in their texts.
