Abstract

It is common knowledge that Badi’ al-Zaman al-Hamadhani was the first to invent the art of maqamat and was able to develop it through his writings. Badi' al-Zaman discussed in his Maqamat various issues of his time and was able to pass on to future generations the most important features of that time period. He turned to irony and laughter as a way to indirectly express what he meant, and his goal was to reform society through his stinging criticism. Since irony is dominant in all parts of the Maqamat al-Hamdani, we have relied on the mechanisms of carnival reading of Bakhtin that are concerned with the subject of irony and laughter in literature. Note that this reading spread among critics in the field of analyzing the works of writers who were famous for their irony and cynicism. Accordingly, and through the use of this reading, we focused on the most important features of the carnival found in the shrines of Hamadani and how to invite the recipients to reconsider the way of life and the prevailing false values. Based on the awareness of community members. This reading helped us approach and study the shrines and opened the way for us to identify the most important cultural features that were dominant in the society at the time. Badi' al-Zaman has employed all linguistic capabilities to arouse the concerned circles in society.