By Aziz Al Yahya
Independent Journalist and Correspondent, Iraq
Aziz Al Yahya is an Iraqi journalist with over 11 years of experience producing field reports and stories on cultural, social, and humanitarian issues for local and international audiences.
As the technological revolution accelerates into creative fields from writing and composition to music and visual arts, a fundamental question arises about the nature of creativity, its limits, and the role of humanity: Can artificial intelligence systems surpass poets in the near future? And can a machine write poetry that rivals that of poets and produce a creative experience carrying feeling, memory, and consciousness comparable to what distinguishes the human poetic experience?
These questions are no longer theoretical. They have become present in the Arab cultural scene. From the heart of the holy city of Najaf, which houses the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, and is considered one of the prominent religious and scholarly centers for Muslims, these questions came to the surface during the fifth edition of the International Festival of the Greatest Prophet for Arabic Poetry.
Arabic poetry, which has a long history and was the most prominent media of its time, has been translated into dozens of languages and has contributed to the spread of Arab culture among different peoples of the world. Today, as this revolution enters the realms of creativity, Arabic poetry finds itself facing a challenge of a new kind.
From within this atmosphere, Iraqi poet Zainal Al-Sufi from Mosul said that artificial intelligence is capable of developing its tools in writing poetry in astonishing ways and may produce beautiful and moving texts, but it will not surpass the true poet in the essence of the poetic experience. Poetry is not merely meter, rhyme, and rhetorical imagery; it is life, memory, pain, joy, and human experience. AI may imitate the poet, but it does not live what it writes about. Therefore, he sees it as a partner and a new tool for the poet, not a replacement. In short, artificial intelligence cannot be a poet.
He added that AI may produce texts that resemble poetry, but it never makes a poet, because a poet, before being a writer of text, is a person of experience, vision, a unique voice, spirit, and blood.
Speaking about his relationship with the city of Najaf, which embraced him after his displacement from Mosul during the war waged by ISIS on Iraq, Al-Sufi said he felt while walking through the city that he was moving through living pages of history, where the fragrance of the past meets the beauty of the present. Najaf is not only a religious city; it is a city rich in knowledge, literature, poetry, libraries, manuscripts, and heritage landmarks.
This cultural and spiritual context is what embraced the activities of the fifth edition of the International Festival of the Greatest Prophet for Arabic Poetry, organized by the Imam Ali Holy Shrine, the institution overseeing the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, as part of the International Sadiqain Week celebrating the birth anniversaries of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, on September 1 and 2.
The festival activities were held in the courtyard of Lady Fatima Al-Zahra, peace be upon her, within the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, with a wide official and elite presence. The Secretary-General of the Imam Ali Holy Shrine, Sayyid Isa Al-Khersan, and his deputy attended, along with representatives of the holy shrines and sacred mausoleums, representatives of the local government, religious, academic, and cultural figures, and an audience of writers, poets, and poetry enthusiasts, with attendance ranging between 350 and 400 invited guests and specialists.
The festival opened with a Quranic recitation, followed by the speech of the General Secretariat of the Imam Ali Holy Shrine, delivered by the Secretary-General's advisor for cultural and media affairs, Ahmed Al-Qurashi. In his speech, he said: "When love is met with eloquence, it reveals meanings that plain expression cannot convey. Poetry is among the most truthful means by which the nation has preserved the virtues of its Prophet and the merits of his family. The gathering of poets here in Najaf is therefore fitting for the millennium of the Hawza, which has preserved knowledge, safeguarded narration, and kept the Muhammadan meaning alive across generations."
The festival brought together 14 poets representing 7 Arab and Islamic countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, and Iran, alongside host country Iraq, in a literary gathering that united multiple poetic voices around Arabic poetry and its concerns.
From the Heart of the Festival
The participating poets expressed their pride in taking part in this literary event, affirming that the festival represents a cultural space where the poets of the nation meet in the embrace of the Arabic language.
Dr. Muhannad Jamal Al-Din from Najaf said that the Imam Ali Holy Shrine's celebration of the birth of the Greatest Prophet is not unusual, affirming that entering the city of the Messenger of God begins from the gate of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him. He added that celebrating this occasion within a full week draws the nation's attention to its cultural and intellectual role and responsibility, stressing that poetry must carry the concerns of the nation and its Islamic causes.
Iraqi poet Ahmed Kadhim Khudair described the festival as having become a landmark in the history of literature, noting that it carries special symbolism due to its connection to the city of Najaf and its ability to attract poets from various Arab and Islamic countries who have written about the Greatest Prophet. He indicated that he would present a poem titled "A Late Migration."
Omani poet Nasser Al-Ghassani expressed his happiness at participating, noting that the Arabic language represents a bridge of communication between peoples, and he expressed his appreciation for the generosity and warm reception he received from the Iraqi people.
Libyan poet Ahmed Al-Fakhri said that being in Najaf is a great honor, especially in the company of a distinguished group of Arab and Iraqi poets, adding that Iraq is the land of poetry and poets, where the Arab poet finds an authentic space for creativity.
Iranian poet Murtada Haidari Al-Kathiri described the festival as unique in its execution, the sanctity of the place, and the manner of the poet's presence, particularly in the field of religious and prophetic poetry. He said that Najaf, as the city of Al-Jawahiri and great poets, deserves to host a festival of this level. He explained that his poem is titled "The Religion of Love" and includes a call for Islamic unity and an address to Imam Ali, peace be upon him.
The Future of Language and Poetry
Speaking about the relationship between classical and colloquial Arabic, Egyptian poet Diaa Al-Kilani said that people have drifted away from classical Arabic, and poetry has become more condensed and complex, thus distancing itself from the general public. However, the public still benefits from poetry through other writers who transfer the experience into another form. He added that the gap between colloquial and classical Arabic has existed since ancient times. In the past, the public had only one source, the classical poem. Now, there are many sources, and people choose what is easier.
Moroccan poet Nawfal Al-Saeedi said that Arabic poetry will remain immortal as long as the Arabic language endures, and the Arabic language will remain everlasting as long as the Quran endures. He cited the words of God Almighty in Surah Al-Hijr: "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its guardian" (Quran 15:9). He added that the language is protected by God through the Quran, and poetry is protected by heritage. He advised young people to read, saying that a nation that does not read cannot rise, and the first word revealed to the Prophet was "Read."
Lebanese poet Mohammed Baqir Jaber said that the language is protected by God through the Quran, and naturally poetry is protected by heritage. The language is preserved by the Quran and the Prophetic tradition. There is no fear for the language. Poetry is the language, and the language is protected, God willing. He believes that the future global language will undoubtedly be Arabic, and nothing is stronger than Arabic in its rootedness and originality.
In the same context, Iranian poet Murtada Haidari Al-Kathiri said that Persian poetry, in its meters and themes, is influenced by the Arabic language, and there is deep interaction between the two languages. If one wants to know Arabic, one must read Arab poetry. Pre-Islamic poetry is full of human values and unique moments.
Artificial Intelligence and Poetry
Diaa Al-Kilani expressed doubt about AI's ability to compete with poets in the near future, saying that in the near term he does not think AI can surpass poets, because the gap is wide between what a poet can produce and what AI produces. He also pointed to a crisis in publishing houses and the conscience of writers and publishers, but this is not an indicator of AI's superiority.
Nawfal Al-Saeedi took a stronger stance, citing the words of God Almighty in Surah Ar-Ra'd: "As for the foam, it vanishes, [as] into nothing; but as for that which benefits people, it remains on the earth" (Quran 13:17). He said the original remains original. He added that he does not listen to videos modified by AI and feels it is a betrayal of art. He has never installed AI applications on his phone. Creatively, he does not favor AI at all. In work, it may facilitate some fields. The essence of poetry is emotion. When one reads poems altered by AI, one finds no feeling. Poetry remains, above all, emotion.
Mohammed Baqir Jaber adopted a balanced position, saying he does not have a definitive answer, but he does not rule out anything, because it is a science of algorithms, and it may develop. However, it lacks the soul. He added that artificial intelligence, whether we like it or not, is a landmark of this era. Just as television and computers came, it is a reality we must make the best use of. As for poets, he does not want to enter a minefield. Let the future reveal the false from the true and the chaff from the gold.
Murtada Haidari Al-Kathiri said that artificial intelligence deceives the ignorant and makes him appear knowledgeable, but it cannot live a moment of pain or sorrow, nor convey sincere emotion. It is essentially ignorant, but it plays the game of the learned. He added that AI may produce a poem and no one may notice it is not yours, but it lacks the touches that simulate emotion, and its ceiling is limited. AI is a tool, not an end. Whoever uses it as an end will be exposed before the masters.
Conclusion and Honors
The festival sessions concluded with the distribution of awards to the participating poets. The Deputy Secretary-General of the Imam Ali Holy Shrine, Ihssan Al-Taie, took the stage to present the festival award to each participant, amid official, elite, and public attendance. The conclusion also included a human gesture commemorating the late Yemeni poet Sayyid Al-Hadheri, who had participated in the previous edition of the festival.
Thus the question that opened this report remains: Can AI systems write poetry that rivals that of poets? And can a machine ever attain what distinguishes the human poetic experience of feeling, memory, lived experience, and consciousness?
