al-Madaih al-Nabawiya fi Adab al-Qarnayn al-Sadis wa al-Sabi lil-Hijra
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al-Madaih al-Nabawiya fi Adab al-Qarnayn al-Sadis wa al-Sabi lil-Hijra (Prophetic Panegyrics in the Literature of the Sixth and Seventh Centuries AH) is a critical literary study by the contemporary scholar Nazim Rashid, examining Arabic poetry composed in praise of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ during the Crusader era and late Abbasid period .
Historical Context and Scope
The work investigates the emergence and widespread flourishing of prophetic eulogy (al-madih al-nabawi) during the sixth and seventh centuries AH (12th–13th centuries CE) . In the author's analysis, this period witnessed profound crises across the Islamic world, marked by political fragmentation, internal instability, and twin external invasions: the Crusades from the west and the Tatar onslaught from the east . Confronted by vulnerability and devastation, people turned directly to God and sought intercession (tawassul) through the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to alleviate their collective distress .
Poetry served as a primary outlet for expressing these anxieties, hopes, and spiritual sentiments . Prophetic praise became a distinct, widely cultivated poetic genre that poets utilized not only for devotion and seeking relief, but also to defend the Prophet and Islamic doctrine against contemporary hostile polemics .
Structure and Content
The book is organized into several main divisions :
- Introduction (al-Muqaddimah): Sets out the historical hardships of the late Abbasid era and states the book's objective of evaluating the artistic value of Crusader-era prophetic praise poetry alongside illustrative samples .
- Background (al-Tamhid): Surveys the political disunity of the Islamic east at the end of the fifth century AH, the onset of the Crusader campaigns in 492 AH, and early literary responses of relief and supplication—such as poems by Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and Ibn al-Nahwi, as well as verses composed during natural crises such as the 654 AH volcanic eruption near Medina .
- Prophetic Praise in the Era of the Crusades (al-Madih al-Nabawi fi Asr al-Hurub al-Salibiyya): The central study analyzing the genre's themes, spiritual underpinnings, defense of Islamic beliefs, and stylistic characteristics .
- Conclusion (al-Khatimah): Summarizes the social and religious functions of the genre, noting its emotional warmth, straightforward diction, freedom from contrived obscurity, and recitation within Sufi circles of remembrance (dhikr) .
- Poetic Anthology (Mukhtarat min al-Madaih al-Nabawiyya): A curated selection of prophetic eulogies representing the era .
- Sources and References (al-Masadir wa al-Maraji'): A compilation of primary manuscripts, printed historical chronicles, and secondary literary studies utilized throughout the work .
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