Abstract:
This study investigates the evolution and enduring cultural significance of “Ma’ama’are,” a canonical Fulfulde praise poem (madahu) composed by the 19th-century scholar-reformer Shaykh Uthman bn Foduye. Its distinctive structure, centred on the ma’a (“yours”) refrain, makes it a critical case for understanding the intersection of Islamic scholarship, linguistic translation, and cultural adaptation in West Africa. The primary aim of this paper is to chronologically trace the poem’s transmission and stylistic legacy across three centuries, analysing how successive generations of poets, from Shaykh’s son Isa bn Foduye (translator) to Abdullahi Mai Bodinga (expander) and 21st-century adaptors (e.g., Bashir Basma), preserved and reinvented its form. The study seeks to illuminate Ma’ama’are’s pivotal role as a linguistic and theological bridge between Fulfulde and Hausa literary traditions. The analysis is situated within the theological framework of Sufi devotional poetics (O’Fahey, Hunwick) and the literary context of Hausa metric structures (Furniss). The study critically engages with the complexities of textual continuity, using Venuti’s and Appiah’s translation theories to analyze the shift from the original qasida to the five-line tahmisi. Furthermore, it identifies and addresses a key archival gap by probing female contributions to the poem’s preservation and translation beyond the established work on Nana Asma’u. The poem’s shift from oral performance to digital media is framed by performance and media studies (Zumthor, Larkin, Traoré). This research employs a rigorous qualitative, interdisciplinary framework combining Textual Analysis, Historical Contextualization, and Performance Ethnography. Data is drawn from three interrelated sources, Primary Manuscripts (original Fulfulde and Hausa tahmis variants), 20th-Century Madahu texts; and audio Recordings and Interviews with contemporary poets and scholars. This comparative methodology allows for the analysis of the poem’s evolution, highlighting the tension between classical preservation and technological innovation across three centuries. The study concludes that Ma’ama’are established a lasting template for madahu, facilitating the spread of Islamic knowledge by bridging Fulfulde and Hausa literary cultures. Historically, it served as a spiritual catalyst for the Sokoto Jihad and a tool for cultural resistance against colonial rule. In the 21st century, its persistent recitation and successful adaptation into studio-produced musical renditions demonstrate its enduring canonical status, ensuring its survival as a living tradition that reinforces shared Muslim identity and theological discourse in Northern Nigeria.