Is oration literature? Establishing the khuṭbah of the pre- and early Islamic oral period as the foundational genre of classical Arabic prose

Journal article

Is oration literature? More specifically, can we read the multi-functional Arabic oration (khuṭbah) of the 1st/7th and 2nd/8th centuries as part of the classical prose canon? In this article, I argue that if our definition of literature includes beautiful language, admiration expressed by literary theorists, and masterful articulation of themes to evoke audience response, early Arabic oration is most certainly literature. I demonstrate this claim by analyzing the rhythmic and graphic oral aesthetics of early Arabic oration, the views of medieval theorists regarding its distinguished place and literary nature, and its crucial influence on the development of the chancery epistle (risālah), the first written genre of Arabic literary prose. I contend that khuṭbah is the foundational prose genre of Arabic and it has materially influenced the major genres of risālah and maqāmāt that followed. The history of Arabic literature cannot be written without oration.

Authors: Qutbuddin, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers
• Journal: Journal of Arabic Literature
• Volume: 55
• Pages: 213-237
• Publication date: 2024-10-16
• Acceptance date: 2024-05-26
• DOI: 10.1163/1570064x-12341516
• EISSN: 1570-064X
• ISSN: 0085-2376
• Language: English
• Keywords: khaṭābah; oratory; speech; sermon; orality; mnemonics; classical Arabic prose; chancery epistle