Kitab Sahaba, panegyric poem on the Prophet, Sub-Saharan Africa, 19th-20th century Manuscript on paper with 5 lines of text per page in Sudani Arabic in sepia ink, some elements in red ink, notably in the marginal medallions that adorn some pages and indicate a letter of the alphabet. Several interlinear oblique inscriptions in smaller characters. The text, with the title given in the colophon, is a poem praising the Prophet Muhammad. Unbound folios set between two skin covers. 22 x 18 cm approx. Uncollated, wetness, stains, small tears at edges, several folios eaten by rodents. Praise or panegyric (madh in Arabic), has always been an important theme in Arabic poetry since pre-Islamic times. At the time of the establishment of the Islamic Empire, the Prophet Muhammad became an important muse for this poetic genre. The text of this manuscript, by an unknown author, organizes its verses according to the letters of the alphabet inscribed in marginal cartouches.