A Study of Literary Genres Used to Communicate Hagiographic Themes and Perspectives

The article explores the origins and evolution of hagiographic literature in the literature of the Muslim East. It examines the connection between this literature and folk oral creativity and the “mass style” that emerged in written literature through such oral traditions. Additionally, the study focuses on the literary and artistic characteristics of various hagiographic genres, including short stories, narratives, anecdotes, wisdom, messages, benefits, prayers, and others, in both theoretical and literary contexts. The article also delves into the composite structure and functions of these genres.
One of the most notable examples of the short story genre in hagiography is Rabguzi’s The Story of Rabguzi, which dates back to the 14th century. It comprises 72 stories that narrate the lives of prophets from Hazrat Adam to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This article focuses on the artistic features of the narratives in this work, with a specific analysis of the story of Noah (peace be upon him).
During the 14th century in Chigatai literature, the narrative genre played a significant role in the dissemination of hagiographic works to the general public. The genre characteristics of this period’s stories were analyzed through a study of the stories presented in the work Nakhul Farodis.
In The Story of Rabguzi, the stories about the hero cover various topics and are presented in a didactic manner. The narrative genre preserves the principle of historicity. Therefore, it is important to maintain the vitality of narratives and stories. Similar characteristics were analyzed in Yusuf’s story using comparative, analytical, and crosssectional methods as outlined in the article