African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African Americans 477
The Muslim-Arab Rubatab of northern Sudan identify an array of their discourse genres
as maqalat (singular, maqala). The word maqalat is the passive participle of the verb
yaqul (“to say”). Maqalat are described by the Rubatab as anonymous, traditional, and
orally transmitted artistic or fictitious discourses. Unarguably, these Rubatab criteria are
congruent with these contemporary folklore scholars use in defining the materials of their
discipline. One can therefore argue that maqalat is a folk gloss on the academic idea of
folklore itself (Herzfeld 1983).
Rubatab emphasize the anonymity of maqalat. An informant said a maqala is handed
down and “Ma maqtu’a min al-ras” (lit., “cut from the head,” not created by a known
individual), and its anonymity is defined as the futility of trying to tasinda (attribute
them) to known creators.
To underline the traditional aspect of maqalat, the Rubatab insist that maqalat do not
qualify without having a chain of transmission. They are described as “kalam ba’id aw
tarikh aw qadim” (past, historical, or ancient discourses). An informant even broke down
maqalat to its root, qal (said), and repeated “qal, qal, qal” to emphasize the chain of its
transmission. Telling about one’s firsthand experience, according to an informant, is not a
maqala but a wanasa (casual talk). To clarify the importance of oral transmission, a
literate informant referred to the ’an’ana (chai n of transmissi on) in Pr ophet Muha
mmad’s (his sayings and practices). To verify the authenticity of a hadith, Islamic
scholars would scrutinize its chain of transmission and accept it or dismiss it on the basis
of the character and authority of the men who recorded it for posterity.
With respect to the oral transmission of maqalat, Rubatab emphasize their circulation
as a consequence of people applying them to current situations. Three processes are
mentioned by which these old creations are reproduced in the present: ta’qib (repetition),
jar (dragging one to illuminate a current situation), and dark mathal (to analogize). One
would say “y ’mlat almaqala” (as the maqala said) as a key to applying a maqala to an
emerging situation.
Rubatab are so intrigued by their maqalat that they often engage in discussing their
artistic nature. There is a gender difference in understanding maqalat. Men are inclined to
view maqalat as fictitious and thus doubt their veracity. An informant said the maqala can
be “hasla wa mahasla, mafi zul yaqdar” (“It could have happened and it could have not.
No one can be certain”). Another informant said a maqalat can be truthful, but he did not
feel contradicted when someone else said it could also be false.
The ambiguity of maqalat is revealed in conversations and in Rubatab folktales. One
folktale tells about a young man who could not find a match in any of the village girls
paraded in front of him by a matchmaker, an old woman. In desperation, the old woman
rebuked him saying:
“You will only be married to al-Lu’ayb, I think.”
“And who is this Lu’ayb?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is a mere maqala”
“You wouldn’t have mentioned her to me had it been only so.”
The young man cajoled the old woman to reveal the place of al-Lu’ayb. He ultimately
found her after being subjected to severe trials and tribulations.