"Prophetic Praise Poetry in the Islamic Maghreb: The Poem al Shaqrātīsiyya by al-Shaqrātīsī as a Model – An Analytical Aesthetic Reading"

Abstract

The poetic creativity in the Islamic Maghreb constituted a rich literary product that undoubtedly
expressed the culture of the authentic Moroccan society and reflected the essence of identity and its
extension through successive generations, despite the skepticism of scholars who accused it of shallowness
and sterility and of imitating the eastern poets. Those who listen to this poetry can sense the heritage of
the ancestors and their thoughts and characteristics that distinguish them from others. Evidence of this is
its response to the calls of religious, cultural, and political imperatives that were present in the Islamic
Maghreb over varying periods. Among the poetic themes that surfaced in Moroccan poetic expression are
religious poetry, elegy, praise, love poetry, in addition to new themes prompted by the uniqueness of the
Moroccan environment. In light of these backgrounds, this research examined the history of prophetic
praise and the key factors of its emergence, focusing on the poem 'Al-Shakaratisia' and highlighting its most
important themes and knowledge. After a descriptive analytical pause within it, the main aesthetic aspects
were revealed through an aesthetic reading of its most important poetic images and its prominent internal
and external rhythms, along with revealing its connotative functions.