Dr. Oludamini Ogunnaike - Poetry in Praise of Prophetic Perfection: The West African Madih Tradition: AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies:Apr 19, 2023

 YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/0PD0EtMB6jY?si=RI4taVq5UWk17zsW

Arabic poetry in praise of the prophet is by far the most popular form of literature in Muslim West Africa in both composition and performance. This talk will provide an introduction to the history, functions, forms, and spiritual significance of this rich tradition. Oludamini Ogunnaike is an Assistant Professor of African Religious Thought and Democracy at the University of Virginia specializing in the intellectual and aesthetic dimensions of West African Sufism and Yoruba oriṣa traditions. He received his PhD in African and African American studies and Religion at Harvard University and his A.B. in African Studies and Cognitive Neuroscience from Harvard College. He is the author of Poetry in Praise of Prophetic Perfection: A Study of West African Madīḥ Poetry and its Precedents (Islamic Texts Society, 2020) and Deep Knowledge: Ways of Knowing in Sufism and Ifa, Two West African Intellectual Traditions (PSU Press, 2020). He is currently working on two new book projects: The Logic of the Birds: Sufi Poetry and Poetic Knowledge and Introducing Africana Philosophy (under contract with Equinox Press). This event was organized by the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason’s Fairfax Campus on March 27, 2023

Amazon Book:

Poetry in Praise of Prophetic Perfection: A Study of West African Arabic Madih Poetry and its Precedents-Oludamini Ogunnaike

https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Praise-Prophetic-Perfection-Precedents/dp/1911141465

The vibrant tradition of West African Arabic poetry is dominated by the genre of ‘madih,’ that is, poetry in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. This genre of poetry has been mostly ignored in Western scholarship and dismissed as mere ‘pious praise’ lacking any significant intellectual content. In Poetry in Praise of Prophetic Perfection, Dr Oludamini Ogunnaike challenges the misconceptions around West African madih poetry and addresses the scope and depth of this genre; he not only explores its rich lyrical nature and its foundations in the Qur’an, Hadith, pre-Islamic, and early Islamic poetry, but also its inextricable link to Sufism and Sufi doctrines of cosmology, ontology, and epistemology. Drawing on Sufi traditions and practices, the author expounds on the various ways in which West African madih poetry both describes and facilitates the ultimate fulfilment of the human potential, the Perfect Human (al-Insan al-Kamil) or the attainment of the Praiseworthy Station (al-Maqam al-Mahmud), of which the Prophet Muhammad is the highest example. Poetry in Praise of Prophetic Perfection includes translations of numerous extracts from madih poetry (accompanied by the original Arabic), while the Appendix presents a selection of complete poems—the most popular and influential poems of this tradition. Poetry in Praise of Prophetic Perfection is an opportunity for readers to gain access and appreciation of a unique genre of spiritual Islamic poetry, and, given that it includes the original Arabic, also enables the recitation of the poetry for devotional purposes.

Ottoman History Podcast:

Singing the Prophet's Praise:Episode 462: with Oludamini Ogunnaike hosted by Shireen Hamza

https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2020/04/ogunnaike.html

Dr. Oludamini Ogunnaike:Biography

https://religiousstudies.as.virginia.edu/oludamini-ogunnaike