Badi‘iyyat in Praise of the Prophet: Gift Exchange Theory

this study approaches badi‘iyyat in light of gift exchange theory by Marcel Mauss. It tries to solve the problem of badi‘iyyat definition and their goal. The value of the study lies in the new practical way of applying this theory on badi‘iyyat, which will pave the way for future studies to apply the same theory on other literary texts. It begins with exploring different notions of understanding badi‘iyyat and their goal. The study proposes a definition of them. Then, it moves to apply the gift exchange theory on three of badi‘iyyat to observe their potential to be a reward or gift, the textual aspects that poets have added to enhance their badi‘iyyat as a reward or gift, and how the poets have increased the value of badi‘iyyat by employing metapoetry and mythic concordance. The study then reaches its conclusion.