Prophet-Piety in the Moroccan Nūba Tradition
Dr. Carl Davila, Department of History, published his article, “Prophet-Piety in the Moroccan Nūba Tradition,” in the newly-released anthology, In Praise of the Prophet: Forms of Piety as Reflected in Arabic Literature.
Edited by Dr. Ines Weinrich of the University of Münster, Germany, the new anthology delves into reverence for the Prophet Muḥammad as expressed in various genres of Arabic literature from the Medieval through the modern period. Unique to this volume is its including aspects of performed literature expressing prophet-oriented piety.
Dr. Davila’s contribution focuses on the Moroccan nūba song tradition, which dates to at least the 17th century, and probably earlier. This song tradition includes many examples of prophet-piety, sometimes linked in surprising ways to other genres of poetry, such as love, wine-drinking, travel, and mysticism. Examples drawn from various manuscript anthologies illustrate both the depth of this literary genre and its evolution over time.