Classical Arabic Poetry and Its Influence on Yoruba Islamic Panegyric Verse in Oyo State

Yoruba Islamic panegyric poetry, known locally as Ewi Isilamu, represents a vibrant oral and written tradition that draws extensively on the conventions of Classical Arabic panegyric forms, particularly the qasida. This study explores the thematic, structural, and stylistic influences of Classical Arabic poetry on Yoruba Islamic panegyric verse in selected Muslim communities in Oyo State. Employing a literary-comparative methodology, the research collects and analyses fifteen contemporary Yoruba Islamic panegyric texts composed between 2020 and 2024, sourced from local Islamic cultural events, published chapbooks, and recorded performances. The texts are examined against canonical Classical Arabic panegyric models, with attention to structural divisions and rhetorical devices including metaphor, alliteration, and hyperbole. Interviews with seven practising panegyric poets provide additional contextual insights into compositional processes and sources of literary influence. The study finds that while Yoruba Islamic panegyric poetry retains distinct indigenous tonal and lexical features, its structural scaffolding reflects deliberate engagement with Arabic literary tradition mediated through Islamic education. The findings enrich scholarship on African Islamic literatures and contribute to ongoing debates about cultural hybridity in Nigerian Muslim artistic production. This research is positioned within recent interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of literary studies and Islamic studies in West Africa. Keywords: Classical Arabic poetry, Yoruba Islamic verse, panegyric, qasida, literary influence.