Maghazi Literature
American University of Sharjah
Department of Arabic
ARA 301
The Maghazi Literature
Name: | Lieth Al-Fityani |
July 21, 2011
Abstract
Arabic was chiefly a spoken language with an oral literature of elaborate poetry and, to a lesser extent, prose. It is certainly known that the revelation of Quran had an important impact on the development of the Arabic literature. In the pre-Islamic era, both poetry and prose dealt with a restricted range of topics; however with the rise of Islam and the revelation of Quran, the range of topics had expanded dramatically to encourage for developments in prose and poetry. In this paper, I provide a historical overview about the development of the Maghazi literature in Islamic prose between the first/seventh century and second/eighth century. This paper also discusses the different styles and characteristics in a comparison context between three of the most recognized compilers of maghazi in the Islamic prose; Musa b. ‘Uqba, Ibn Ishaq, and al-Waqidi. It also discusses the different issues which exist in this genre of literature.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: 4 2. Historical overview: 4 3. Characteristics of Maghazi literature: 5 3.1 Presentation: 5 3.2 Chronological framework: 6 4. Issue of plagiarism: 7 5. Issue of authenticity: 7 6. Conclusion: 8 References 10
1. Introduction:
The word maghazi means raiding expeditions. As a literature, it is specifically applied to the accounts of the early Muslim military expeditions in which the Prophet took part, as Kritzeck states in his book Anthology of Islamic Literature: From the Rise of Islam to Modern Times (1975). In other words, it is a literature that has signified the expeditions and raids organized by the Prophet Muhammad after the hijra. As literature, the Maghazi literature goes under the Sirah literature as it forms a sub-category within the Sirah of the Prophet.
2. Historical overview:
As this kind of literature falls under the
Department of Arabic
ARA 301
The Maghazi Literature
Name: | Lieth Al-Fityani |
July 21, 2011
Abstract
Arabic was chiefly a spoken language with an oral literature of elaborate poetry and, to a lesser extent, prose. It is certainly known that the revelation of Quran had an important impact on the development of the Arabic literature. In the pre-Islamic era, both poetry and prose dealt with a restricted range of topics; however with the rise of Islam and the revelation of Quran, the range of topics had expanded dramatically to encourage for developments in prose and poetry. In this paper, I provide a historical overview about the development of the Maghazi literature in Islamic prose between the first/seventh century and second/eighth century. This paper also discusses the different styles and characteristics in a comparison context between three of the most recognized compilers of maghazi in the Islamic prose; Musa b. ‘Uqba, Ibn Ishaq, and al-Waqidi. It also discusses the different issues which exist in this genre of literature.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: 4 2. Historical overview: 4 3. Characteristics of Maghazi literature: 5 3.1 Presentation: 5 3.2 Chronological framework: 6 4. Issue of plagiarism: 7 5. Issue of authenticity: 7 6. Conclusion: 8 References 10
1. Introduction:
The word maghazi means raiding expeditions. As a literature, it is specifically applied to the accounts of the early Muslim military expeditions in which the Prophet took part, as Kritzeck states in his book Anthology of Islamic Literature: From the Rise of Islam to Modern Times (1975). In other words, it is a literature that has signified the expeditions and raids organized by the Prophet Muhammad after the hijra. As literature, the Maghazi literature goes under the Sirah literature as it forms a sub-category within the Sirah of the Prophet.
2. Historical overview:
As this kind of literature falls under the
References: Kritzeck, J. (ed.), Anthology of Islamic Literature: From the Rise of Islam toModern Times. New York: Meridian, 1975. Rizwi S. Faizer. The Issue of Authenticity regarding the Traditions of al-Wāqidī as Established in His Kitāb al-Maghāzī. Journal of Near Eastern Studies. Vol. 58, No. 2 (Apr., 1999), pp. 97-106