Imfiraaji
Permanent Link
http://hdl.handle.net/2144/11724Abstract
The material contains a collection of nine Hausa Ajami poems written by Dr. Alhaji Aliyu Namangi (1894-1990), entitled Imfiraaji (in Arabic, Imfiraaji is a concept that means 'salvation'). Each poem discusses a particular subject, including eulogies for the prophet Mohammed and oppositions to "un-Islamic and pre-Islamic cultures, superstitions, fetish practices, and frivolous songs. As with many Hausa poems, Imfiraaji has insertions of Arabic words, phrases, and prayers, including doxology: an opening and closing with invocations and praises for the prophet, Mohammed. Namangi was a blind poet, preacher, and scholar, who hailed from Zaria, Kaduna State. He was greatly influenced by his readings on asceticism, Sufism, eulogy, and general exhortation and he felt he had a duty to impart the knowledge he had acquired to others. He composed many poems, including Kanzil A'azam (The Greatest Treasure) and Tanbihul Anami; but Imfiraaji is certainly his magnum opus. Dr. Namangi's Imfiraji was originally written in Hausa Ajami, but later the Gaskiya Corporation of Zaria transliterated it into a nine-volume book written in Hausa Latin script. The collection contains 232 pages in total.
Description
Date created: unknown. The entire manuscript is available for download below as a single PDF file. Because of the large size of this manuscript, it is also available in three partial PDF files. In addition, each page is available as a separate, larger, JPG file. If higher-resolution JP2 files are needed (WARNING: files average 11-14MB in size), please contact open-help@bu.edu. Fieldwork Team: Mustapha Kurfi (PI, Hausa Ajami Scholar), Abdurra'uf Hashim (Research Assistant) and Bara'u Musa (Research Assistant). Technical Team: Vika Zafrin (Institutional Repository Librarian, Boston University Libraries), Dr. Fallou Ngom (Director, African Language Program), Dr. Peter Quella (Assistant Director, African Studies Center), and Zachary Gersten (Coordinator, African Language Program). This collection of Hausa Ajami materials is copied as part of the African Studies Center's African Ajami Library. This project is funded by the Boston University African Studies Center. We thank Prof. Tim Longman, Director of the African Studies Center, and the entire African Studies Team for their support. Access Condition and Copyright: The materials are subject to copyright. Access is for research and educational purposes only. Materials are not to be reproduced without written permission. Citation: Kurfi, Mustapha and Ngom, Fallou. 2015. African Ajami Library: Digital Preservation of Hausa Ajami Manuscripts of Nigeria. Boston: Boston University Library: http://hdl.handle.net/2144/11724 For Inquires: Please, contact Professor Fallou Ngom (fngom@bu.edu).