In the formative period of Islam, clear exposition and discipline in speech lead to ?ilm (knowledge) of Prophetic tradition. Language is the channel to understand uninterrupted revelation. However, other non-verbal but communicative concepts such as istim??(listening) and ?amt (silence) are conveyed as methods for the attainment and ?alab (pursuit) of ?ilm, and as such, cognitive notions of learning. Istim?? enjoys considerably less scholarship than its correlative, predominant term sam??(reading certificate) of ?ad?th and its riw?ya (transmission). Sam?? is also a key concept in the formative period of ??f? literature (4/10ct. onwards) and the emergence of spiritual manifestations of ecstasy linked to music. Silence and its semantic root-derivations are attested in the Qur??n but it is mostly in early adab writings that silence is distinguished as a prerequisite of speech in exemplary, moral conduct. Overall, it can be argued that the study of silence in the formative period of Islam shows a significant shortcoming of studies. The textual evidence of istim?? and ?amt manifests in early mu?annafs (collections) of ?ad?th, in addition to adab prose and exegetical literature dedicated to akhl?q (morals). In this contribution, I will focus on a chosen selection of ?Abb?sid sources of the aforementioned literary frameworks that portray silence and listening as aural practices of ta?allum (instruction) and symmetrical manifestations in the dimension of social norms and etiquette. In my work that examines thematic knowledge and where ?ilm narratives are inserted in a phenomenological process of knowledge formation in premodern Arabic literature within the context of Late Antiquity, istim?? and ?amt represent global, timeless motivations for knowledge attainment. Current approaches in sound offer similar perspectives to istim??and ?amt as practices of exploration surrounding silence and listening. Drawing on the contributions of Gregor Schoeler, Ida Zilio-Grandi, Lawrence Kramer or Cecile Malaspina, I will argue that aural (audible or auditory) understandings of knowledge, sound and silence – and also noise – can open new platforms of transdisciplinary enquiry into two important but neglected concepts in classical Arabic literature.

Maq?ma, translated from Arabic, means “assembly.” It is a classical, third person, prosimetric literary genre “in which entertaining anecdotes, often about rogues, mountebanks, and beggars, written in an elegant, rhymed prose (saj?), are presented in a dramatic or narrative context most suitable for the display of the author's eloquence, wit, and erudition” (Luebering, 2019). The Maq?ma is a 10th century creation influenced by the tales emanating from the Qur’an which was widely accepted in locations ranging from India to Spain. It gives an account of a fictional morally-challenged protagonist who is charismatic, erudite and well-spoken and whose ne’er-do-well behaviour often results in his escaping one step ahead of an angry mob. The author creates a cycle consisting of a dozen Maq?m?ts with tales describing different ruses (swindles, scams, lies) often enabled by and reflecting the social and human conditions that exist in the episodic milieux. A literature review of the Maq?m?t genre will explore its historical evolution and its literary and cultural antecedents and characteristics. There will be a particular focus on the seminal work of Badi al-Zamán al-Hamadhání (969-1007). In addition, an examination of the content methodology and its applicability to the research context will be presented. The objective of the research is thus to develop a framework for a systematic analysis of the typological nature of the Maq?m?ts in The Maqámát of Badí‘ al-Zamán al-Hamadhání (translated by Prendergast, 1915) in terms of descriptive variables that define the nature and the outcomes of Maq?m?tic episodes. Specifically, content analysis protocols will be formulated to examine a) the traits and behaviours embodied in the various personae assumed by the mystifying rogue Abul-Fath al-Iskanderi, b) the traits and behaviors that characterize al-Iskanderi’s mark or victim of the ruse, c) the ruse that is perpetrated on the unwitting mark, d) the reaction and the characteristics of the narrator (if discernible), e) the milieu and social and moral insights (if any) derived from the episode, and f) the literary devices/schemes employed in each episode. The results of the content analysis will be used to detect patterns emerging from al-Hamadh?n?’s work. The implications of this investigation are that a) explanatory insights into al-Hamadh?n?‘s writings can be obtained, which b) can be utilised to undertake a more systematic comparative analysis of other works in the genre and the subsequent formats that have evolved from it (such as the Picaresque), and c) provide an effective teaching methodology.

Nazhun al-Garnatiya bint al-Qulai is one of the most gifted and well-known Twelfth-century Andalusian poetesses. She masters various genres of Arabic poetry such as Madeh (praise), Wasf (description), Fakhr (pride), Ghazal (courtship/love) and Hija' (satire). Although little of her work survives, she is most read as a poetess of hija' (satire) due to her unquestionable poetic ability to duel verbally through invective prose and verse, and due to her ability to suppress her male counterparts with her powerful poetry. Hegel in his The Phenomenology of Spirit introduces the idea of “master-slave dialectic”, which deals with the concept of self-consciousness and the way it is formed through meeting the other. The master is the one in the interaction who succeeds in obtaining recognition from the other in the sense that he imposes himself as the slave's value. The slave is the one who sees his true self in the other (master). There is also the connection between the Hegelian “master and slave dialectic” and Lacanian “theory of subjectivity”, for, Lacan also focuses on the subject’s “desire for recognition” as a necessary component of its sense of subjectivity. The paper argues that Nazhun’s hija' represents her “desire” of seeking recognition from her male counterparts who act out the role of the other. While such desires for recognition recur the overturns presented in Hegel’s “master and slave dialectic”, they also echo the Lacanian theory related to the expression of desire through language (poetry) as a form of seeking recognition from the other. Nazhun’s hija' is a product of maintaining self-recognition and a means of attaining mastery in the discourse to overpower the other by reflecting his true self through her words. Nazhun’s poetry, especially her invective exchanges with Abu Bakr al-Makhzumi, showcases individualism and empowerment which make it open to multiple readings and interpretations. The polemic hija' she nuanced in particular is subjected to different interpretations depending on what purposes and by which motives. Therefore, this paper offers a new reading through the concept of mastery and self-recognition between genders in Nazhun’s poems as an approach to reading her poems. The new reading suggests the idea of Mastery and Servitude as an interpretation of the female poetic mastery towards self-recognition and subjectivity in Nazhun’s hija', taking mainly the Hegelian “Master and Slave Dialectic” as its fundamental framework, and highlighting the equivocal nature of bonding and the shifting power positions with her male counterparts.