Madhur-rasūl: An Insight into Encomiastic Verses in the Arabo-Islamic Literary Tradition in Nigeria

Abstract

The genre of Arabic poetry of Nigerian authorship could broadly be classified into lyrical and didactic. They contributed significantly to didacticism with their works on religious teachings, historical exposition, morality and language studies. Lyricism in their works comprises panegyrics, threnody, satire, occasional poems and distress appeal. Madhur-rasūl, which specifically connotes the encomiastic verses composed in praise of Prophet Muhammad, is one of the themes under lyrical classification cultivated in Nigeria. The study employed both historical and contextual methods in examining the specific social and cultural contexts that spurred the development of this genre in Arabic literature and its incursion into literary space in Nigeria, through a critical study of relevant literature. The content analysis method was employed in the thematic study of the purposively selected model. Madhul-’asghar li n-nabiyyi ’l-’akbar, a 53 line panegyric on Prophet Muhammad, composed by Shaykh Luqmān Salāhud-dīn, a Nigerian Arabic poet was selected for study, to provide an insight into the components of Arabic panegyrics in Nigeria. Apart from being a compass to researchers in Arabic literary scholarship in Nigeria, the study provides information about the creativity of Nigerian ‘Ulamā’ from which further studies could evolve. Translation of the selected poem to English marks a remarkable contribution. Information obtained from this work could be a veritable tool in showcasing the ingenuity of Nigerian ‘Ulamā’ as well as the worth of .their Arabo-Islamic literary contributions and diversity in the contribution of Arabic scholars to literary activities in Nigeria