Narration and Narrators

Abstract

Narrationoriginally and literally meant (the camel or donkey on which water was carried). Then, the word came to mean (transportation) at large.It has been metaphorically used inlanguage and has widely spread in the Islamic Arab environmentwhere it acquired basic rules and established its roots ever since the Pre-Islamic period through poetry, wars’ news, proverbs and linages. After the spread of Islam, religious narration became prominent. It relied on the sayings of the prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and his actions. After that, narration assumed an academic turn by relying on single and collective authorities. Most of the times, narration depended on oral sources due to the scarcity of writing till the dawn of the second hijriCentury. Thus, (listening, reading or exposition, confirmation and presentations) became the basics of the narration science.As for narrators, they narrated stories and news whereby they provided prolific material for historical studies after the second hijricentury. After the usage of paper in 178 H., there appeared a specialization in narration specifiedfor each environment. Narrators, in their early works,were so keen on relying on authorities. They occupied a significant position in caliphs’ and princes’ courts where they had been nominated among the scientists and reporters of the court.