I Madhur-rasul: An Insight into Encomiastic Verses in the Arabo-lslamic Literary, Tradition in Nigeria Dr. Mikail Adebisi FOLORUNSfIO, Department of Foreign Languages College of Humanities and Culture, (lkire CampusJ, osun State university, Osogbo, osLrn State. Nigeria. mil<ail.folo lu nsho @u nios u n,edu.ng Dr.Abdul Kabeer Tihamiyu O'TUNUYI Department of Education Support Services and lnternational Partnerships, National Commission for Colleges of Education, Abuja,Nigeria aktotun uyi @ya hoo.com Dr. Taofeel< Olalekan YUSUF, Department olArabic, School of Languages, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Noforiia-Epe, Lagos State yusuftaofeckolalel<an@gmail.co m Vol.S, Issue | | lanuary 2022 KEYWORDS ABSTRACT t Encorniastic, Madhur- rasrli, Nigcria, Panegyrics, ['octry,'UIarrra' Introduction The anthology of the Arabic encomiastic poetry in Nigeria comprises of eulogtes on Prophet Muhammad and some distinguished personalities respectively. Nigeria is an integral component of thc' The genre of Arabic poetry of Nigerian authorship coutd broadly be class-ified into tyrical and didactic. 'l'hey contnbuted significantly to didacticism with their works on religious teachings, historical exposition, morality and langtrage studjes. Lyricism in therr works conrprises panegyrics, threnody, satire, occasiortal poems and distress appeal. Madhur-rasil, which specifically connotes the encomiastic verses composed in praise of Prophet Muharnmad, is otre of the themes uncler lyrical classification cultivated in Nigeria.'lhc 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 critjcal 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 Shayl<h Luqmin Saldhud'din, a Nigerian Arabic poet was selected for srudy, to provicle an insiglrt into the components of Arabic panegyrics in Nigeria Apart from being a compass to rescarchers in Ar:rbic literary scholarship in Nigeria, lhe str.rdy provides information about thc creativity of Nigerian'lilama'from which filrther studies could evolve. 'franslation ol the selected poem to English marl<s a reurarkable contributton. Informatlotl obtained from this rvori< could be a veritable tool in showcasing the ingenuity of Nigerian 'Ularnd' as wel] as lhe worth of .their Arabo-lslanric literary contributions and diversity in the contribution of Arabic scholars to literary acfivities in Nlgeria geographical expression known as West Africa. Arabic scholars of Nigerlan provenancc have records of significant contributions to literary activities, with their works on various genres and style. Thematically, the Arabic poems composed by Nigerian 'lllama' can be classified into lyrical and l ,l lrl:rrrrrrt}tn Ll. 4., 7)iitl;Iii,r: ...:1. ii. llrsiil T' l)./' lillsryii?tl{rri.l j lol$ro/ nl'l.rrnruiiia !trr( jir:s f li:i :i. is.lue l, j,]l)tu0ry Ji.iJJl didar:ticisrn. Of thejr lyrical compositions are Madhur-rasul, the encomiastic verses on Prophet Muhammad. These eulogies of various length, style and quali[y cor]sun)e significant portions witltin [he anthologies of the Arahic verses i,t Nigeria. We observe the pauciry of research efforts targetecl at this genre within the literary contributions of Nigerian 'Ulanta'. This paper attempts to fill this vacuum with this rnodest overview. [t examines the evolution of Madhur-rasrll in Arabo-lslamic literary space, its cultivation as rvell as features in Nigeria. A model of encorniastic verses of Nigerian provenance was selected to provide us an insight into the main features of this genre. Madhul-'osghar li n-nabiyyi 'l- 'akbar, a 53 line Madh on Prophet Muhammad, colnposed by a Nigerian Arabic poet was selected for study. The paper features the translation of the text to English while fhe text was also subjected to fhematic analysis. ln the early days of Prophet Muhammad's mission, some poets led by Hasan Thdbit sang the praise of the Prophet, ernphasizing his moral qualities since childhood and highlighting the Islamic values and uniqueness of the prophetic mission to humanity (Yahya, 1.997:1.2). 0f what distinguishers madh from other poetic thernes of pre-lslamic era, according to Ameen (2018:100), is that madfi is somewhat inclusive of elements of other motifs. For instance, when Arab extolled the virtue of their clan particularly on the aftainment of victory, good gesture, boldness and courage in the battle field they employed fakhr as poetic theme. Furthermore, Hiskett (1975) submits that; By the thirteenth century such poetry had become establishe(l in a fblrnal mould and wa)- associated with a stock of intages, nriracles and pathetic fallacies known by tlre Arrbic term tnujizat, 'the evidentiary miracles', that distinguished Muharnnrad's life and demonstrated God's special favour towards him [43J. Yahya(1997:13) observes that, though poets sang in praise of the Prophet during and after his life tinie, most literary critics regard a long poem popularly known as Qasidat ol-Burdoh written by an Egyptian - Sharafud-din Muhamnrad b. Sa'id 'al-tsusayri as ttre first long poem to be identified thematically as a full- fledged Madhur-ras[rl, thus giving identity to this new genre. Writing in the same vein, Stetkerych (201.0:70) infornis us that the most renowned poem of praise to the Prophet Muhammad (madih nabawf and arguably the most famous poem in the Arabic language is that known as the Mantle Ode (Qasidat al-Burdah) originally titled by its author as ,4/- Kuwakib al-Drtrriyyah Jt Mudh lhuyr al'Bariyyah (Pearly Stals in Praisc of rhc Besl ofAll Creation. We are beholden to Abdullah {2004:375) on the classiflcation of the poetic genres jn the Arabjc literaly space in West Africa as follows: lVest African Arabic poetry included two poetic genres: lyrical (al-shi'r al-ghina'i) and didactic (al-shi'r ol'ta'limt). L,y'rical poetry represents the majority of poems. This gcnre also includes a r,vide range of forrns, from panegyric (ul-madth) to elegy (al-ritha). lts types include pride [a/- fakhr), desoiption (al-wasfl, love (al- ghazat), fortitude {al'hamasah), nrilitantisrn (shi'r al'iihad),, cotnplaint and Mutlhur-rasul; Evolution, Cultivation in Nigeria Features anrl Panegyric verses ernbrace Madhur-rasul, whicli is the eulogy on Prophet Muhammad, as well as traditional rulcrs arrrl, in some case-s, clistinguisl.red personalities. Madhur-rasAl specifically connotes the panegyric vcrses conrposed in praise of Prophet Muhammad, both in his liFe time and after his death. Folorunsho [2020150) draws our attention to the fact that these verses in the anthology of the Arabic poetry of Nigeri:ln 'Ulonta'are not meant to earn the poets a li',,ing or help them to acquire wealth, but to celebrate the sterling qualities in the eulogized personalities. Iliskett (1975:431 infornrs us that the origin of Madhur-rasLl can be traced to the days of thc Plophet hirnsell Writing in the sante vein, Yahya {1,997:12) states that rhough the origin of panegyric on Prophet Muharrmad dates back to the days of the l'ropiret hiurself, it did not develop into an in(trl)e ndent genre ol Arabic literaturc rvith its own nlotif.s "tnd cl,tss of exponents, until abr.rttt seven centlrries later, 1'racitrg the evolution of encomiastic verses in Arabr';-lslarnlc literary tradition, Stetkevych (201 0l says: 'l'he first poem to bear the sobriquet of Mantle Ode (Qasidat al-Burclah) is Ka'b ibn Zuhayr's Su'ad Has Departed (Binat Su'id) that, t|rdition tells us, the pagan poet presented to the Prophet Muhammad on the occasion oF his conversion to Islam In many respects, then, l(a'b's poem ntarks the transitron frotrt tlre pre-lslamic poetic tradition, the earliest extant exarnples of which are dated to around 500C.E. to the lslamic, which begins in 622 C.E. (1J 40 nostalgia (al-shakwa we al-hanrn), occasionai poetry (shr'r al munAsabat), ancl enconliastic verse praising the Prophet Mohamrnad (u l- rna d a' i h a I - nabaw iyya h). It is comrnonly believed amongst the Muslims that eulogising the Prophet is a fulfillment of Qur'anic injunction which the Almighty Allah commands all believers to discharge thus: God and llis angels send blessings otr th€, Prophet, O you who belreve, send your blessing ou IIim and salute him with all respect (Q.33:56) In addition to tlre colnposition of panegyncs as a fulfillment of Qur'anic injunction, other vital nrotifs that serve as catalysts for the composition oF fhese verses have turther been identified by Hunwick (1997:217) as followr 'another avenue for expressing personal piety, while creating a work of devotional nature for the con'rrnunity was , the writing of poems in praise of the Prophet and the 'treatment' of some of the classical works of this genre. Poems extolling the Prophet's virtues and relninding MusJims oFthr: model he provides for them such ,as the'lshriniyyot of 'Al'FAzAzi, or the Burrla ot 'Al-Blsiri, or the more 'secular' praises of Ka'b b,ZrrJr..,r1,r''s celcbrated Lamiyyalt lldnat Su'arl, a|e studied, recited and imitated'. Wlrrle arrll),.s;ng tllc slyle of the West Afiit;an 'Ulurrtti' in the composition of thelr enconliastic verses, Abdullah ('2004:375) observes that west African panegyric poetry rescnlble in style the panegyric poetry of Zuhayr Ibn Abi Sulma, famous panegyrist of the pre-lslarulc pcriod in Arabia. Particularly, he notes lhat Zuhayr woulcl only applaud a truiy pralsewothy person, unlike some proiiteers arnong the panegyric poets rvho were only anxious to fill their pockets with gold and silver. To the West African poets, praise seems to be an echo of admiration from the depth, of the soul. Praise was to lhem an expression of the love of absolttte ideals and the passion fol'pure values (p.375) Froiri the ibrcgoirlg, we call discover the irctive participation of West African 'Ulama' in the cultrvatrort of encotttiastic verses. Specifically ilt Nigeria, we have records of active participation of the Arabic literati in the cultivation of this genre. 0f the earliest contribution to this genre was Hal lr mqsirah of the celeblated twentieth century jihadist, Shayklr Uthman b.Fudi. Yahya[1997:13) also informs us about the preponderance of panegyric poetry within the anthologies of Kanem-Bo rno'L)lama'. According to him: Eulogies of varying Iength and qualiry fornr a notable part of the corpus of the Kanern- Borno Arabic poetry. However, it is the eulogy of the Prophet hirnself rather than members of his household that seems to be popular arnong Kanem-IJorno poc,ts (p.13) tvladhul-'asghar li n-nabiyyi '!-'akbar of Shaykh LuqmAn Salahud-din Madhul-'asghar is an encorniastic poem of 53 lines devoted to the eulogy of the Prophet Muharnrnad. It is the longest in the anthologu of Shaykh Luqmin Salahud-din. The composer, Shaykh l,uqmart Salahrrd-din, a budding Arabist of Ilorin extraction belongs to a family with long history of active participatiou in lslamic proselitization and diffusiott of Arabic scholarship in Yorubaland. It is apposite to recall that his grandfather was Shaykh Salahud-din Muharnmadul-'A'"vwal , popularly known as Alfa Agba. Folorunsho (201L:134) rrotes that Alfa Agba was a schoiar of llorin origin rvho laid solid foundation for Arabic and lslamic scholarship in Il<irun, a prorninent rendez'''otts of Arabic literary scholarship in Yorubaland(Nigeria). This scholar [Alfa Agba], produced a good nttnrber of scholars who llter became prontinertt jrt Yorubaland. Madhul-'asghar is not as long as Qasidotu'l-burdah yet it is also a lengthy poem, devoted solely to tht' eulogy of Prophet Muhammad. [t is selected for study as a model of the Arabic enconliastic production within the anthologies of the Arabic verse makers in Nigeria. Furthermore, it is selected to protect it fronl going into oblivion as it is not pubiished and widely circulated. j..i\C)\- JH e"J rflrC ,r-\\ U ^- J\ ,.;i Jrl "-+ \"'v'\ fL.J *F ..F g- 6iJt /) lL)\ u.+-l -r1aji or-*- J''-Gr\ ,.l '+l C' .,L L,, ,.\-! ".?!"!\ ,),i )ltr"" Ur .r!-!\ 4t ZI it' 6rrqd 3 t 1q- K +r.fr 6r: .1dv * !f al- e ^t *1n /.'\r' 6 c, ,re.-.: d ;i tFIh s i >'. 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Ii.. Y*su;' ?) i.,1 ,1 l)'rlerlrritioiio,i J$.,rn*l o/ 'llmfillljr.\;rudie.q 1i'il/ lJ, rJJirP i. /irn!rtr]'.:ii?J.:j-,i ln the name olAllan, the Compassionate the Mercifitl 0! Allah shower your blessing and peace on MuLrammad. I rem;rin grateful to Allah the Provider, for being Magnanirnous and for giving us the religion of Islam as sl.eps (towards Hinr). No one reflects except the intelligent ones. I seek blessing and peace on the ever-rr:penf:rnt Prophet, in whom is our hope of rrredlation on [he day ol rcckoning" Whoevcr follor,r,s hinr rvili get rervard srrnilar to his (lvlultantntnd) own and will get a befitting abode, ,,vhoever tllfirs a\.nay fl om him has gone astray, r,vavering in destrrrction, hopeless of getting rewlrrcl, ending up in punrshrnent [we seek for protection agairlst the wrilth of Allah and degrading punishment) May the peace be on the Muhammad's virtuous household and beloved companion. This ode entitled "Panegyric of a Smoller )ne on the Greatest Prophet" was composed b1, Shaykh l,uqnrin b. 'Abdur-Rafi' b. SalAhud-dt-n "Al- 'llfiri, 0l AIlah do rot tlelay showering your blessing on the precursors irr his praise, whose footstelrs I follorved, lroni wl-rose illr,rmination I derived light and on ,,vhose model I remained. No wortder on nry tapping frorn their tasteful flowing (of l<nowledgeJ, thr:ir superb inteiligelrce and nry imitating in tirerr attractive adyentures. 'fhey are eloquent schoiars, not stanln)cr(,r's, they are eruriitt,:-cholar:; rvhile I artt a learncr, dri,rzle cannot be cornpared to downporrr just ils leopar(l c;rnnot be equated with a lion. If you cr)ii(iz(,rre firr his slrr)ng affectjorr in rny heart, I ant nor irothered. I say: 1. [)r'.rise be to Allah, lhe Alnrighty, may the blessing bt: ()n the orre (corrmr>nly) portrayed as a generous one. 2. Blessedness is his withoul whom I could not be aright, ancl know the certairlfy, ancl I could have reniained deal in a place of destructior. 3, 0! Yc with n4rose nrission falsehood is destroyed, ancl the sparkhng light ol lsiam remains intr:tinllursha trle. 4. 0i 'l'he best Ie,rtlcr anrong ntankind and other creirl.Lrres, r\llah iras purified ';\l-Mukhtar IMuhanrmadl belore his birth 5. )lis light h.rd been pleserved rrnder the,,r,atclrlrrl ()\,(rs ,)l Aliirir, lteforr: !he creation of the sl<y, slate anrl trr0 n 6 l.ike [tlrc ])rcscl'vation ofl lrLrit in the couch and su n in the orbit, moving quietly unslopped with Allati's pernrission 7. Allah has con)pL,Le11 his creation with beauty and has pulilied him fiorn vilerress, unreliability and nr isclr ievousn ess B. Ilis rnotlrel l,,,iis frightr.necl in the state of progllarrcy, slre snifered no pain as a result of the I)r'8iln a l rcy 9. His scent is sweeter than a perfume kept in the shell, he is [unto us) like a vernal period bringing gifts without severance 10. Muhammad is the one whose eulogy relieves us of our affliction, and in it is healing for our sickness 11. He is our intercessor when we remain in shackles in the hereafter, we have none like you, as generous as river, pro-,,irting corrplete blessing 12. 0! The one who honoured His divine invitation by his ascension, lrt: journeycd qriietly without being seen by any mort:rl 13. 0! The most dignified mankind here and hereafter, the most resolute in administration and disposition 14. His light is extracted from Adam, the father of mankind; His Lord raised him as mercy for the world 15. The mastigure's testimony of yore is one oi his signs; Allah has exonerated Ahmad from being doubted 1-6. O! the one who saw the Almighty with naked eyes [advanring to a point] whc|e Jibril remalned teeble of going further 17. Muhamrnad, an Hashmite, the most eloquent of the Arabs, of the Prophets and the generality of mankind. 18. Why the haste in reprimanding our leader? By Allah he is well above being defamed or castigated. 19. O! The most dignified of the people in sturdiness and piousness, he is unrivalled in (good) leadership and adnrinistration 20. Muhammad the occupant of the highest place among nianl<ind, so prominent like beneticial rainfall, beyorrd ilnaginiition. 2l-. fle was greater than all creatures in dignify and intellii{ence; none is praiseworthy Iike unto him, the seal 22. Ol l'he one coverecl by trright light, O! 'fhe seal of the Prophets and remover of affliction 23. 0! 'l'he beautiful one ill rlatural disposition and expressing novel ideas, Ol the one honoured with our safetl, ;1's111 me ntal derattgement 24. (Endowed with) good health, uprightness, subtle in characters, his miracles [areJ contained in his dignitv and greatness. 25, It is enough a joyful matter that he was granted explicit (r'eligiousJ ir.rjunctions wlrile manl<ind lined up in confusion 44 jiriii)l'trirrlii ,\L ,.l.. ?',il;i;i,ii;'rr ";1. i(. .'iiiri l. i).,j /nl*r'f?rri;iiirdi Jiiu,'r;(l/ rf 'Urlri fit:ig i{ridier; I lj{il :;, i.nirtr i, /r.t,rilni'}' J{.iJJ-} 26. Whoever lails to seek lor blessing on him has l'allen tlown (spiritLraliy') wirirl an abundance of reperltance he has lo offer! 27. Allah and the angels seek ibr blessing on him, so trlso are the It' li|nerl nlen of fhr, f orrlmiutities 28. 0l rhe son of (tne lribe ofJ Quraysh whose origrn is grear, who obtained closeness to his Lord with ardour 29. His garment is endurance, asceticism is his !'ocal.jon, his treasrrry is confiderrce and forgiveness with suppres:ron o' anger' 30 His face is bcautiful without blemish, what a beautified one! , The one who arneliorates difficulties 31. I'lis heart is pure, free from filth; he is beautitled by Allah with revel;rtion of the Qur'an 3'2. His positjon i.s elevated, likewise his vrrtues, irr thc uppcrnost heaveri rernaining like that from tinre irnnre morial 3:J. \Vater gushed out frorn iris lingers fbr the thilslli -oues lil<e rv"tve.s of the water of the river 3nd flowing oF the downpour 34. Khadilah surrcu(lered herseif [in marriage) to or,rr' leadr:r after assessing the depth ol his kindness and stateliness 35. Seek blessing on him constantly fbr his being honoured, in doing that is succour for every mankjnd 3(; In lris nlessage is a fortune for his tbllower, there is gladrress as they desjre wherever they are 37. Whoeve't disbelieves him rematns squalid for long, lie lvili bc con:;utrred by f ire, wrecked thereitt l.ill. Whoei'el derives attractiotl I't'ottl tlte iiillllu i)f Mukhtar has benelirted fiom getting a step towards thc lavour of irur [Jt'ncficent l,ord :l() il! [.or'(l blcsI llre best ol the ctt:atures itt clislrlsitron, artd tht' nrost eloquent of thern in maliirig slr!'('cl)r's 40. lte t'oltqucrecl his cnemies and their accoruplices, lcaving lirrtlt canrir desolatc, getting t.huir stcrr ri p r"o 0t0cl. 41. fixtinction ovi:rtook their light on his birth; fatigue overtook their gods, bowing down for tlte honourod onr: 42 But lor cleath, he could have remained with us but Cotl has dt:sign.'d death for every soul to taste 43 Willy-nilly we shail clie, where is Muhammad the lrcst ol lhtr huntalt r':rcc, if [le is tt ieave Lr''; 'tl p{vpetr all / l 44 Undoubtedly, he deserves living perpetually, but he Ieft r-rs unblemished 45 Provide an outpouring persister)t illumination for the rising of n1y intimate friend; you are Generous, All-Holy and Provider of seculity 46 I conrmend Abr"rbakri, the caliph of cornmunity, next to him was Umar, the powerful one in defense. 47 'Uthnran the just whose cognomerr is "owuer of tvvo lights", also 'Aliyy a valiant leader of conquering battalion 48 And all his followers who constituted large body of troops, happiness is for whoever enters the paradise rvith them 49 You may be asked about tJle composer, tell them he is poor servant (who isJ interested in poetic composition 50 His name is Luqmin frorn an humble background, protect my shortconrrngs fiom the filLh and protect rne frorrr getting perisi-,ed .51 Pardon lhe composer of his rnisdeeds and the readers 0! the 0wner ofvengeance 52 For the sal<e of our most honourable exemplar, who brought us the revelation without concea)ment. 53 The number of lines is equivalent to Ahmad --, Provide our needs O! Allah with ease Thematic Analysis t>f Madhul''osghor lin'nabiyyi l-'akbat This fau'ly long panegyric on l)rophet Muhainmad can be divided into three units; [aJ Introduction Badawi [1975:3) describes Nasib (prologueJ in the poetry of the classical Arab-lslamic period "as the traditional arnatory preamble, and elegiac remlniscence of love jn which the poet expresses his gloonry ancl nostalgic mcditation over the ruins of the deserted encampment of the beloved". ln the Arabic writings of Nigerian provenance, doxology replaces the Nasilr with a view to erasing the un- lslamic elements in the prologues. The NasrD, the First unit of this text introduces the poem. It is in prose' It features doxology, a componel)t of the prologues that is commonly employed by West African Arabic writers lt features in thc buginlilg ol eithcr thri. plosc or versc rvritings, Abclu) Il;,thrnott (1995:.125) notes thit 45 Il,'.;rr.,slio ll ,'1. ?jjrr:lrri'i, .'1 i.l. '/rst,i i i.) /liilsrJrltj6lriljoiirrt;jrr,l'l,fr,,r',tlti{.Slu{li{,s i l,r:l ti ;'rrt-., :,;rCIiriI_1/ Ji,i;,1') doxology also tal(es a signilicant portion of their closings. 'l.hcir versr:s end not only witlr doxology but the nurnber of lines as well as the poetic lr)etre adopted probabiy, because the Qur'iin speciflcally enjoins believers to sr:ek blessings for the Prophet of (lcid and to ol'fer rhanks to Allah. '1'he tradition of I)r'ophet lvluhamnr:rrl also advises Musiinrs to begin and cnci:rctivities by see)<ing blessings for the Prophet and emphasizes the magniFicent of the rewards that await those who do so as earlier noted in this paper, The introduction goes further to cnumerale the motif for the composition of' the poe$\, Modh 'al:qsghar, describing the attempt as a fulfilhrent ol'divjne iniunction. The unit also contilllrs th(' exp] ession of iru rrrilit,v rvlrich is a comrnon I'eature in t-he prologues of the Arabic lil0r.rry productir.rns of Nigerian authorship. ExltressJons of sell-aLrnegat.ion feirlrire pronlncnlly on lhe pages r;f therr writings. [b) liukrgy Thr: seroncl liues l-48 unit contains the eulogy. It opens with religiou)^ cloxology. Tlre second line of the Po(,nr lrratur-i':i the exprossion ol'selI abnegatiorl, a style lh.rt is comln()n lo the Arabic worl<s of Nigerian aLrthorship. 'l'lie content of this r-rnit rallies with the rlcscriptiorr ol encorniastjc pocm ol'Yoruba'UIarno ;ts notr:d by Bidrnus(1 972): In praising the Prophet, Yoruba Arabic poets narrate thc lifc history ol the Prollhet, recount his achievements an(i KorAmat (mu'iizat) and, as Muslims they shou' their gratitude to the Prophet f t-rl' [rlirilling lslltrrr u,lt,.]]] iccording ttr thcttt rs tJte on)1' acceptable religion to (;od[98). '1 )rc lroe m iixtols tlie virtues of Prophet Mrrlrar-nmad as a messenger o1 Allah. citing the importance ol' erriogising the Prophet, the poet ciaims, in line 10, that the Prophet Mrthamtnacl is lhe one wilose eLrlog,y relie,.,e-s ntan of his afl'liclion, and ill it is healing for' man's sickness, This spiritual effect of eulogizing the Prophet had been established earlier by a panegyrist - Shrrlaiud- dirt 'ai-Btrsayri r'vhose Qasitlot 'ol ISurdo was cornposed in ntemory of ltis miracrrlous cure of a paralytic stroke by a vision of the Prophet [S.A.W ) casting his nrarttle on hirn(llaji,1993:50J. 'l'he poenr contains a lot oF historical facts abotrt the [)rophec. Lirre 12 discusses 'Al'' Isra'wa'l'Mi'rej, drc ascelrsion oF the Prophet as narrated in the Qtlr'in (Q17: l). lt eulogizes the noble descent of the I)rrrpnet, ltis birth, childhood gl-olvth amorlSst tho Mal<lians ancl his L:all to prophethood. Miracies he priti-rrutt'tl ar(, also tliscussetl llis marit:rl lile is also cirscLrssltl st.rtiug in line 34 that "Khadijah surrendered herself [in rnarriage) to our leader, after assessing the depth of his kindness and stateliness". The poem, apart From commending the virtuous conduct of the Prophet contains prayer for the blessings of Allah on the Prophet and his householil. The four rightly guided caiiphs are also mentioned with prayer offered fol them also. (c) Closing The last unit flines 49 - 54) reveals the"identify of the comp0ser and traits of humiliry in him are shown by the expression of self abnegation contained in Iines 49 and 50. Lines 51and 52 contain srrpplicatiort for Allah's forgiveness, not only for the composer bur also for the reaclers. 'Ihe last lines contain information on the nr"rmbel of lirres c(inlained in the poenr, rrsing the rnethod known as Abjadiyyoh (chronr,gramJ. English alphabet serves the purpose of sub-numbering. In standard Arabic, Arabic lefters are assigned arithmetical value and they are used in dating rrr numbering l<nown as Abjadiyyah. It is one of the i:onrmon fealules of thc Arabic rvritings of Nigerian'Ulcrma'. Sanni (2017:42J discusses the lrroperrsitl, for the lrir(iition of using Abjodiy.vah in the Sudanic African literary 1rroductions and indeed lry Yoruba al.rhors irr ,1rrbic. Gwarzo(1967,116-l'23) confirms further that Abjadiyyah serves prinlarily the purpose of sub- numbering or listing which Roman figures or alphabets serve in English prose. Conclusion 'I'he ol.rsclved paucjty r,rf researcJr uftbrts targered at this g('rlre within the Arabo-[slanic Iiterary corrlribirUous ol Nigcrian 'LJlutrto'hls been motiestly aclrlre:^sed ily liris paper. TI'aciug the evolution of encomi;rsljc verses in Arabo-lslamic literary traditlon, the study (liscovered that the origin of panegyric on Prophet Muhammad dates back to the days ol the I'}rophet. It discovered the active participation of West African 'Ulama' in the cultivation of encomiastic verses. Specifically in Nigeria, we have records of active participation of the AraDic Iilerati in the cultivatioll of this genl'e This paper examined the classification of the genre of Arabic poetry of Nigerian autholship with atte ntiorl paid to Madhur-rasul(the encomiastic verses) under the lyrical classification.'fhe study exat'nined the specitic social and cultural contexts that stimulated the development of this Senre in Arabic literature and its incursion into literary space in Nigeria, Thematic study ol the purposively selected rnodel, MaclhLrl''asghor li n-nobiyyi 'l''akbar, a 5.1 line parregyr'ic on l)rophet Muharntnird, cornposed by Shaykh Lucynan Salahud-din, a Nigerian Arabic poet 46 j,i'ii ;.ttiitj. \.1' I ':.lr r, ii i,.i .. l;iiii. ' I.ii.ii.,,.1,':q,,1;':....t,iitll;' r];i1,1;irr'l :'i::,'if:i I r"r'ri I ls.r,ir' l, r,:trtt:r::t .'Jilil'.'i \v;[; uttria|taken lo provide an inslght ( (i rll l)or1cl )1 s ol Aral)ic !)Jllegyl-1cs in N iy,eri;r. It cliscrlvrred thaL the anthology of thc Arabic erlcotlliastrc p()etry in Nigeria conlprises of eulogies orr l'ropiict 14uh:imrrrarl arrd some distinguished personalities respcctively. Nigeria is an integral cornl)onent oF the fjeographical expression known as Wcsl Airicl. Arabic scholars ot Nigerian provenance havc records of significant contributions to literary acr-ivities, lvith their works on various genres and s t1,l e. Ile [crence's "A = t, tl .. 10, I\4,, 40, [) = 4 = 55 lines, Contrary to this figure thr'lroerr conlains only 5:l lines. Ijor rletails on thc system of assigning aIithmetical values to tlre Arabic alphabet, see (iw;rn.o, H.l. ( l()67): 'l'he Theoly ol Lhronogr;:nrs as Expounded by the Iightcentlr Century Katsina Astronomer- IUathcn:atician-Muhamrnad b. Muhammad. Ilesearch Dulletin 3.2: 176-L23. Abdtrliah, A (20041. Arabic Poetry in West Aflica: An Assessnerrt ol' Pauegyric and Elegy Genres in Arabic Poetry of the 19th and 20rh Centuries in Senegal ancl Nigeria, Journol oJ Arabic Literature,Yol.35, No. 3, p. 375 Abdul Rahnion, M.0.,(1995) An Approach to the .'jtylislic 41;pr';risal ol Arabic Poetry of Nigenan 'Ulama', lslamic il:/d/rs,Vo i.3 4, N o.3, r\irrc,rrr,l,i-.1201[J]; lvladh (leru'e in Afiica: Att irrcursion irrto ibn Nali's Suppiicatoly I)anegylicr; to Ilis Sufj N{entor, Shayl<lt SalahLrdeen I'e)evvula, liuropean ScientiJ'it f ournal , VoL L4., No.11 Railawr, M.N'1.,(1975) A Criticul Introduction of lr'loclet'n Poetr.t'. Canrblidgc: CarnbridgcUniversity Prcss llidrnus, ll i<. [197:l): A [,iterary r\ppraisai of ArabiL \Vlitings of Yoruba 'Ulonta'. M.A. Projecr. []cpartnle|rt of Arabic and lslanric Stuciics, Arts, Llniversity of Ibadan. 98. !'olorunslro, M.A. (20111: Peripatetrc 'Ulama' and 'l'raditionai Ilulers as Collaborators in the lslarnizatioit of the Yoruba People,'i'le i:larttic Qr,artcril', [).slarnic Cultulal (.0r)lrc, Ltrrrtton, i.iitited KirrgdornJ, VoL.62, No,4, pr;.4.(r9-481 into the Folonrrrsho, M.A. (2020): Cultivation of [,yricism by the Arabic Versernal<ers ot Yoruba [xtraction, Journal of LL]nguages, Linguistics ond l,iterory Studies omo State University, OweriJ, Vol.9. No. 3, pp.49-54 Gwarzo, H.l. [1967): The Theory of Chronograms as i:xpounclcci lty th<: Iiiglrteentlr Centuty I(atsina Astronomer-Mathematician- Muhammad b. Muhammad. Research llu lletin 3.2: 1 1 6-1 2 3. Hiskett ,M. (1975): A History of Hausa Islamic Verse, l,ondon: School of Oriental and Af,rican Studies Ilunwick, I. (1997) 'l'he Arabic Literary 'l'radition of Nigeria, Reseitrch in Afrlcon Literature.s ,Yol. 2, No.3, p.217. Raji, R. A. [1993): 'lhe Inf']uence of lbn Durayd and his Maqsurah on the 'Ulama' and social ethics in Nigeria. lournal of Arobic and lleligious SrLdies 10: 60. Yahya, M.T. (1997): Ilulogy in Kanenr-Borno Arabic Poetry, Al-Fikr (Department of Arabic and lslamic StLldies, University ol Ibadan), Vols. 17&18 Sanni, A.0.,(2017J From the lntellectual Porverhouse ofllorin [Nigeria): Elegy in the lVork of Adam AbdLrllah ;rl-llori,l"he Piery of [,earning: Islttrnlc Studies in ]lonour of Stefnn keii:hmttth, editr.d iry Mit:hael Kemper and Ralf Elger,Leiden: Brill, Stetkewkh,S.P.[2010): The Mantle Odes: Arabrc Praise Poems to the Prophet Muhammad, lndianapolis: lndiana University Press i1 \/