Moroccan literature are the written and oral works of Moroccan culture. These works have been produced and shared by people who lived in Morocco and the historical states that have existed partially or entirely within the geographical area of modern-day Morocco. Apart from the various forms of oral literature, the written literature of Morocco encompasses various genres, including poetry, prose, theater, and nonfiction including philosophical and religious literature. Moroccan literature has mainly been written in Arabic and French, and to a lesser extent also in Berber languages, Judeo-Arabic, Spanish, and after the mid-19th century in English.[pages needed] Through translations into English and other languages, Moroccan literature has become accessible to readers worldwide.
Most of the literature written by Moroccans was created since the arrival of Islam in the 8th century, before which native Berber communities primarily had oral literary traditions.
Introduction Early works of Moroccan national literary history sought to affirm the place and contributions of Arabic literature in Morocco within the Arabic literary canon. Abdellah Guennoun's 1937 anthology An-Nubūgh al-Maghribī fī al-Adab al-'Arabī ( Moroccan Excellence in Arabic Literature)—generally regarded as the first work on the literary history of Morocco—places the origin of literature in Morocco at the arrival time of Arabic and Islam in North Africa. The poet 1929 anthology of Moroccan poets had similar aims. 1982 anthology al-Wafī fī al-adab al-‘arabī fī al-Maghrib al-aqṣā (Compendium of Arabic Literature in Morocco) largely followed the same pattern.
In the 1970s, writers such as ʿAbbās al-Jarārī, the first professor of Moroccan literature at a Moroccan university and author of the 1979 al-Adab al-maghribī min khilāl ḍawāhirihi wa-qaḍāyāhu (Moroccan Literature Through Its Phenomena and Issues), began to discuss the idea of a more geographically defined national 'Moroccan literature' as opposed to the idea of 'Arabic literature in Morocco. In addition to affirming the place of Moroccan contributions within Arabic literature, al-Jarārī expanded the scope of literature in Morocco to include oral and popular culture in pre-Islamic Morocco, the culture of Western Sahara, and Andalusi literature. The interweaving of Moroccan and Andalusi literary traditions was a point of continuity between early writers such as Guennoun and al-Qabbāj and later writers such as al-Jarārī. Saʿīd Yaqṭīn described Moroccan literature as a “natural extension” (امتداد طبيعي) to Andalusi literature.The term Maghrebin arose in the 1960s to denote the phenomenon of North African authors writing in French. Among them were Moroccan writers associated with the literary magazine Souffles-Anfas led by Abdellatif Laabi, including Abdelkebir Khatibi, Mohammed Berrada, and others. This trend embraced a more inclusive spirit in the consideration of literature and pushed against monolingualism and the hegemony of the Arab-Islamic national identity promoted by the old intellectual elite associated with the Moroccan Nationalist Movement. Scholars writing on the idea of Moroccan literature in French include and Abderrahman Tenkoul.By the early 21st century, conceptions of Moroccan literature became more capacious. Literature in Amazigh and Moroccan vernacular Arabic (Darija), neglected in earlier conceptions of literature in Morocco, started to gain recognition and prominence. The 2001 establishment of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) had an important role in the recognition and promotion of Amazigh literature and culture. In the case of Darija, poets such as Ahmed Lemsyeh expounded upon heritage vernacular poetic forms such as zajal and malhun. Particularly following the 2011 Moroccan constitutional referendum, Sahrawi popular culture—including poetry, music, and folklore in Hassaniya Arabic—rose in importance in the construction of Moroccanness. 21st century conceptions of Moroccan literature also include works in various languages, by Moroccan writers living inside the territory of Morocco as well as abroad. al-Adab al-maghribī al-muʿāṣir (1926-2007) ('Contemporary Moroccan Literature, 1926-2007'), which included works in Amazigh, Spanish, and English in addition to works in Arabic and French, was published by the Ministry or Culture in 2009. Mauro-Andalusi
Abdellah Guennoun, in his 1937 anthology an-Nubūgh al-Maghribī fī al-Adab al-'Arabī, cited the "Khutba of Tariq Ibn Ziyad", the Friday sermon given by Tariq ibn Ziyad at the time of the conquest of Iberia as the origin of the Arabic literary tradition in al-Maghrib al-Aqsa and wrote in response to Mashriqi scholars critical of the authenticity of the speech: "Ṭāriq Ibn Ziyād, even if of Berber origin, was brought up in the atmosphere of Arabness and Islam." Mohamed El Fassi described it as "the oldest Moroccan literary text" in his 1940 essay "." According to Gonzalo Fernández Parrilla and Eric Calderwood, citing Tariq ibn Ziyad's speech as the origin of Moroccan literature is a "rhetorical strategy" employed in "the effort to interweave Moroccan literature with the history of al-Andalus." Those making such claims have cited the fact that the territories were politically united under the Almoravid and Almohad empires. Additionally, a number of writers from medieval al-Andalus migrated to Morocco for different reasons; some, such as Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, Maimonides, Ibn al-Khatib, and Leo Africanus were forced to leave, while others, such as Ibn Rushd, went in search of opportunity.
Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi, a Muslim scholar of Masmuda Berber ancestry and a grandson of one of the conquerors of al-Andalus, was responsible for spreading Maliki jurisprudence in al-Andalus and the Maghreb and is considered the most important transmitter of Malik ibn Anas's Muwatta (compilation of Hadith).
Idrissid period Sebta, Tangier, Basra (a settlement founded by the Idrissids near al-Qasar al-Kebir), and Asilah were important cultural centers during the Idrissid period.
Barghwata Al-Bakri mentions in his Book of Roads and Kingdoms that Salih ibn Tarif, king of the Barghawata, professed to be a prophet, and claimed that a new Quran was revealed to him. Ibn Khaldun also mentions the "Quran of Salih" in Kitāb al-ʿIbar, writing that it contained "surahs" named after prophets such as Adam, Noah, and Moses, as well as after animals such as the rooster, the camel, and the elephant.
University of al-Qarawiyyin Fatima al-Fihri founded al-Qarawiyiin University in Fes in 859. Particularly from the beginning of the 12th century, this university played an important role in the development of Moroccan literature, welcoming scholars and writers from throughout the Maghreb, al-Andalus, and the Mediterranean Basin. Among the scholars who studied and taught there were Ibn Khaldoun, Ibn al-Khatib, Al-Bannani, al-Bitruji, Ibn Hirzihim (Sidi Harazim) and Al-Wazzan (Leo Africanus) as well as the Jewish theologian Maimonides and the Catholic Pope Sylvester II. The writings of Sufi leaders played an important role in literary and intellectual life in Morocco from this early period (e.g. Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili and al-Jazouli) until the present (e.g. Muhammad ibn al-Habib).
Judeo-Moroccan literature An early example of Judeo-Moroccan literature is the 9th-century Risalah of Judah ibn Kuraish to the Jews of Fes, written in Judeo-Arabic with Hebrew script.
Almoravid period The cultural interchange between Morocco and al-Andalusi rapidly accelerated with this political unification and Almoravid sultans stimulated culture in their courts and in the country. This process began when Yusuf Bin Tashfin, upon taking control of al-Andalus after the Battle of az-Zallaqah (Sagrajas), and continued with al-Mu'tamid Bin Abbad, poet king of the Taifa of Seville, to Tangier and ultimately Aghmat.
The historian Ibn Hayyan lived the end of his life in the Almoravid empire, as did Al-Bakri, author of Roads and Kingdoms. In the Almoravid period two writers stand out: Ayyad ben Moussa and Ibn Bajja. Ayyad is known for having authored Kitāb al-Shifāʾ bīTaʾrif Ḥuqūq al-Muṣṭafá.ʿA'isha Bint ʿAbdurrahman Bewley, Muhammad Messenger of Allah: ash-Shifa' of Qadi ʿIyad (Granada: Madinah Press, 1992) The writings of Abu Imran al-Fasi, a Moroccan Maliki scholar, influenced Yahya Ibn Ibrahim and the early Almoravid movement.
Zajal
Under the Almoravids, Mauro-Andalusi strophic zajal poetry flourished. In his Muqaddimah, Ibn Khaldun discusses the development of zajal in al-Andalus under the Almoravids, mentioning Ibn Quzman, Ibn Zuhr, and others. Although Andalusi zajal was originally composed in the local Arabic of Cordoba, Ibn Khaldun also mentions the importance of zajal in Moroccan cities such as Fes.
Muwashah poetry
A great number of poets from the Almoravid period in al-Andalus, such as the writers of muwashahat Al-Tutili, Ibn Baqi, Ibn Khafaja and Ibn Sahl, are mentioned in anthological works such as Kharidat al-Qasr (),Imad al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad Katib al-Isfahani, Kharidat al-qasr wa-jaridat al-asr: Fi dhikr fudala ahl Isfahan (Miras-i maktub) Ibn Dihya's Al Mutrib (), and Abū Ṭāhir al-Silafī's Mujam as-Sifr ().cited in: Mohammed Berrada, La Grande Encyclopédie du Maroc, 1987, p. 41
Almohad period
Under the Almohad dynasty (1147–1269) Morocco experienced another period of prosperity and learning. The Imam Ibn Tumart, founding leader of the Almohad movement, authored a book entitled E'az Ma Yutlab ( The Most Noble Calling).
The Almohad rulers built the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh, which accommodated no fewer than 25,000 people, but was also famed for its books, manuscripts, libraries and book shops, which gave it its name. The Almoha] sultan Abu Yaqub Yusuf had a great love for collecting books.[pages needed] He founded a great private library, which was eventually moved to the kasbah of Marrakesh and turned into a public library. Under the Almohads, the sovereigns encouraged the construction of schools and sponsored scholars of every sort. Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Tufail, Ibn al-Abbar, Ibn Amira and many more poets, philosophers and scholars found sanctuary and served the Almohad rulers. The female poet Hafsa bint al-Hajj al-Rukuniyya settled in at the Almohad court in Marrakesh and taught the sultan's family.
Mohamed Jabroun argued that it was under the Almohads that madrasas first appeared in Morocco, starting under the reign of Abd al-Mu'min, in order to train those who would take roles in the empire's leadership and administration.
In this period, Ibn Arabi established himself in Fes and studied under Mohammed ibn Qasim al-Tamimi, author of An-Najm al-Mushriqa. Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi, an Afro-Arab poet from Kanem, wrote panegyric qasidas in praise of Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur..
Judeo-Moroccan literature in the Middle Ages Jewish culture experienced a golden age in the medieval Western Islamic world, particularly in literature. Among the most prominent Jewish writers of this period were Isaac Alfasi, Joseph ben Judah ibn Aknin, and Maimonides, author of The Guide for the Perplexed.
Decline of Mauro-Andalusi literature Lisan ad-Din Ibn al-Khatib, considered the "last great man of letters" of the Mauro-Andalusi tradition, spent significant periods of his life exiled in Morocco, and was executed in Fes. Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan, who would later take the name Leo Africanus and write the Cosmographia et geographia de Affrica, also lived in Morocco after the fall of Granada in 1492, before travelling to Mecca and eventually being captured and taken to the Papal States.
Marinid period