THE ORAL AND WRITTEN NARRATIVES AND ITS EFFECT ON PRESERVING THE LINEAGE OF THE ARAB

Abstract

The oral narration used to be known to the Arabs since the pre-Islamic Era. At the
time, Arab society was a tribal filled with illiteracy in which bragging of ancestry,
narration of feats, listing the disadvantages of opponents to amuse listeners were
prevailed. We are indebted to what we know about the Arabs at the time to the oral
narration that was transmitted from generation to generation. Although some of these
narratives are not based on real events but they have a great effect to provide lots of
news, events and sort of living of ancient Arabs.The research consists of three
sections and a conclusion. The first section concerns with the oral narrative referring
to its idiomatic significance and its historical roots.The second section is devoted to
the oral narrative and its role in documenting lineage in the Islamic era. In the third
section, the research discusses the significance of lineage and its social and historical
significance. Finally, the research ends up with conclusion which encapsulates the
most important results of the research.