The Mawlid Tradition in Works of Early Twentieth-Century Central Asian Poets: Historical and Literary Aspects

Introduction. The article examines the literary tradition of ‘Mawlid’ in works of early twentieth-century Central Asian poets, the latter be represented by Kazakh and Uzbek authors. Central Asian literature proves a synthesis of Islam and the Turkic world that would articulate the history of Islam for religious and educational purposes, develop motifs, plots, images from the Quran, Hadiths and other religious texts. The literary Mawlid tradition celebrating the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (PBUH) holds a particular place in Muslim culture. In the literature of Central Asia of the early twentieth century this tradition acquired a special significance since it would combine elements of classical Islamic literature and local cultural features. Goals. The study seeks to consider how the literary tradition of Mawlid formed, its thematic and genre originality, and the role of such works in the world of Islam. Materials and methods. The article provides a historical/literary analysis into Mawlid-type works by Kazakh and Uzbek poets from the period in question, in particular, dastans by Mulla Yoʻldosh Xilvatiy (Mawlid [al-] Sharif) and Shadi Zhangiruly (Siyar Sharif). The original texts examined herein are housed at the Institute of Oriental Studies (Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan) and Institute of Turkic Studies (Manuscript Collection, Ahmet Yassawi University). Results. The paper outlines thematic scopes of the texts, their genre and artistic originality, identifies some key references and reminiscences from the Quran and Hadiths, explains their utmost didactic potential in transmitting religious and moral values, in strengthening faith and national identity. Conclusions. The religious and literary narratives made a significant contribution to the development of Mawlid traditions in Uzbek and Kazakh literatures in the early twentieth century.