Medieval Sermon Studies, Vol. 50, 2006 © 2006 International Medieval Sermon Studies Society DOI: 10.1179/136606906X119598 IBN g ABBAD OF RONDA’S SERMON ON THE PROPHET’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: PREACHING THE SUFI AND SUNNI PATHS OF ISLAM Linda G. Jones University of Ramon Llull This article focuses on the sermons and preaching method of Ibn gAbbad of Ronda (d. 1390), a Sufi mystic and chief liturgical preacher of Fez, in order to introduce the tradition of medieval Islamic preaching to specialists of its Christian counterpart. It begins with a brief description of the formal characteristics of Islamic homiletic genres and of the social milieu in which Ibn gAbbad preached. Particular attention will be given to an eyewitness account of Ibn gAbbad’s preaching and his own writings on the subject, the latter of which must be understood less as a preaching manual than a manifesto of the preacher’s social roles and responsibilities. Finally, a detailed analysis of his most famous sermon for the Prophet’s birthday celebration (mawlid al-nabi) will be undertaken to highlight the key characteristics of the gAbbadian homily. It is argued that the rhetorical devices that he employs, namely the citation of the canonical authorities of Sunni Islam, as well as Sufi mystics; the use of semantic condensation (talkhis al-magani), which allows for multiple interpretations of a concept; and his composition of sermons for canonical as well as para-liturgical occasions, clearly position him in the ongoing debate among jurists, theologians and Sufis over definitions of orthopraxy. Liturgical preaching (khitaba shargiyya) is but one sub-genre of a vast Arabic tradition of oratory that pre-dates Islam and was performed in a variety of public ceremonial contexts. 1 Preaching was the instrument through which the Prophet Muhammad spread his message of religious and political reform. Following his death in 632 CE, Muslims integrated the khutba (sermon) into their canonical worship, converting it into a mass medium for communicating religious doctrine and ideology as well as for promoting reform and revolutionary movements. Given the historical longevity and status of Islamic preaching in the Islamic world, scholars of the medieval Christian sermon might be surprised at how 1 Arabic khitaba, like Greco-Roman oratory, served multiple social functions and appeared in many guises: as panegyric, proclamations of war or peace, speeches at official receptions, weddings, and gift-exchange ceremonies and public moral exhortation, to name just a few. Qur'anic references throughout the article are from The Holy Qura an, trans. and commentaries by A. Yusuf Ali (Brentwood [Maryland], 1983). 50-MES89932.pmd 6/21/2006, 11:06 PM 29