The Converging Discourses: Rhetorical Interplay between Islamic Thought and Arabic Literature in Nigeria

2025-07-12T17:54:39+00:00

Objective

This study investigates the dynamic intersection between Islamic thought and Arabic literature in Nigeria, highlighting how their convergence has shaped cultural, religious, and intellectual identities within Muslim communities. It focuses on the rhetorical and thematic strategies used in Arabic literary forms to convey Islamic theological and ethical messages.

Method

Using a multidisciplinary, historically informed qualitative approach, the research draws from Arabic and Ajami texts, oral traditions. It includes literary and cultural analysis of works by key figures such as Shehu Usman dan Fodio, Nana Asma’u, Shaykh Adam al-Ilory, and Zakariyah Oseni. Fieldwork provided oral testimonies and insights into contemporary pedagogical practices, while archival research explored the impact of colonial and postcolonial educational policies.

Results

The findings reveal a rich rhetorical tradition where Arabic literature serves both as a medium for Islamic knowledge and as a tool for social commentary on governance, education, gender equity, and moral reform. Core Islamic themes like tawḥīd (divine unity), ʿadl (justice), and taqwā (piety) consistently emerge across texts. Sufi imagery and poetic forms infuse the literature with spiritual depth, while translations into local languages and oral performance styles help localise and broaden its impact. Modern educational systems and digital platforms further enhance the accessibility and relevance of this tradition.

Conclusion

The study concludes that this Arabic-Islamic literary tradition remains vibrant and transformative. Overcoming linguistic and institutional challenges through literacy programs, digital tools can strengthen this heritage in educational and interfaith initiatives in Nigeria.

Reviving Ceremonial Literary Practices to Restore Spiritual Influence: The Abbasid Caliphate from (550-656 AH /1155-1258AD)

2025-07-12T18:28:25+00:00

The Abbasid Caliphate, in its ascension to power in 750 AD after the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, centralized its power by merging religious legitimacy with hereditary succession, claiming descent from the Prophet Muḥammad as a way of asserting divine legitimation. Central to this centralization of power was the tactical use of poetry as a state propaganda tool. While previous scholarship has addressed the Abbasid era's political and religious institutions, poetry's instrumental role in validating the caliphate's authority is yet to be exhaustively probed. In this study, the means whereby poetry was applied to shape people's opinions, legitimize the caliphs, and aid their divine right to rule is examined. Focused on the heights of Abbasid power—namely during the periods of Caliphs Al-Nasir and Al-Mustaḍīʾ—the research highlights how poets like Sibṭ Ibn al-Taʽāwīḏī produced state-sponsored poems that assisted in elevating the political and religious status of the caliphs. The poetic compositions were accorded front-stage positions in public festivities, religious ceremonies, and official discourse, transforming cultural performances into ideological instruments. From the records of the past, literary texts, and recent scholarship, including Hayrettin Yücesoy's Disenchanting the Caliphate, this study talks about how poetry functioned not just as creative expression but as a calculated way of establishing and legitimating Abbasdauthority. Through an exploration of the intersections of literature, religion, and politics, the study provides a clearer image of how the Abbasids managed to sustain their rule and shape the sociopolitical atmosphere of medieval Islamic society. The findings contribute to broader arguments regarding political communication, literary culture, and the role of ideology in pre-modern statecraft.

Al-Qanṭara

The Converging Discourses: Rhetorical Interplay between Islamic Thought and Arabic Literature in Nigeria

Reviving Ceremonial Literary Practices to Restore Spiritual Influence: The Abbasid Caliphate from (550-656 AH /1155-1258AD)