My Lord (Yaa Rabbi)
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| Title | My Lord (Yaa Rabbi) |
| Author or Owner | Aboubacar Dabo aka Arfaŋ Sitookoto Daabo or Arfang Sitokoto Dabo (author), Cheikh Ibrahima Solly (owner) |
| Subject | Prayer, Duties of Husbands and Wives, Polygamy, Hypocrites in Islam, Rewards and Punishment on Judgement Day |
| Content | This document is a copy of a poem by Sitookoto Daabo (1857-1971), one of the most famous Mandinka Ajami poets in Senegambia. It is an invocation for the protection of God on the Day of Judgment. The author describes how some will be rewarded, while others will be punished. He asks God to be brought to paradise rather than face eternal damnation. He also condemns those who pretend to be Muslim while not actively practicing the religion or following its tenets. The text speaks to the duties women owe to their husbands, and that husbands owe to their wives (including equality in polygamous marriages). Some of the targets of those who will be punished on the Day of Judgment include those who speak poorly about someone behind their back, or who pretend to be pious while forgetting their daily prayers (the most grievous sin of all). The author condemns those who put on the trappings of a proper Muslim, but their faith is just superficial, and they stray easily from the true path. Lastly, the text closes with advice for the reader/listener to live a truer life. |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Language | Mandinka |
| Script | Mandinka Ajami |
| Manuscript condition | The manuscript is in a good condition and legible |
| Type | Handwritten |
| Publisher | Unpublished |
| Provenance | Ziguinchor, Senegal |
| Source Reference | British Library: https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP1042-30-2; Ngom, Fallou, Castro, Eleni, & Diakité, Ablaye. 2018. African Ajami Library: EAP 1042. Digital Preservation of Mandinka Ajami Materials of Casamance, Senegal. Libraries: http://hdl.handle.net/2144/27112 |
| Access condition and copyright | These materials are subject to copyright and are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For use, distribution or reproduction beyond these terms, contact Professor Fallou Ngom (fngom@bu.edu). |
| Contributors | Fallou Ngom, Ablaye Diakite, Bala Saho, Ousmane Cisse, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, David Glovsky, Alison Parker, Frank Antonelli, Shawn Provencal, and Mark Lewis. |
| Required citation information | Fallou Ngom (PI), Ablaye Diakite, Bala Saho, Ousmane Cisse, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, and other contributors. 2022. “My Lord.” https://sites.bu.edu/nehajami/the-four-languages/mandinka/mandinka-manuscripts/yaa-rabbi/ |
Manuscript
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Transcription and Translations
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Multimedia