Title: The Lāmiyya of Abū Sayf Muqarrib for the Marriage of Sayyid Aḥmad al-Sharīf al-Senussī: A Critical Edition and a Study of its Context and Characteristics

Abstract

This research presents a critical edition and analytical study of a manuscript ode (Lāmiyya) by the poet Abū Sayf Muqarrib al-Barʿaṣī (1840-1896), published here for the first time. The poem was composed to congratulate Sayyid Aḥmad al-Sharīf al-Senussī (1873-1933) on the occasion of his marriage. The study provides a verified and vocalized text of the poem according to established scholarly principles, accompanied by an in-depth analysis. This analysis reveals that the poem's occasion was an early marriage of Sayyid Aḥmad al-Sharīf that took place during the poet's lifetime (before 1896), which highlights the strategic importance attributed to his personage even before he officially assumed leadership. The artistic study demonstrates the poem's sophisticated architecture, which takes the reader on a spiritual journey. It also analyzes its rich lexicon, blending Sufi and classical heritage terminology, and its skillful use of rhetorical devices, such as intertextuality with the Muʿallaqa of Imru’ al-Qays. The research concludes that this ode is not merely a congratulatory poem but a unique historical and literary document that sheds light on the culture of loyalty and spiritual hierarchy within the Senussi Order. It confirms the poet's status as the order's "official poet" and the honoree's position as a "leader-in-the-making" for the nation.