The Oral story-telling tradition is the process by which a culture’s myths, legends, tales and lore are formulated, communicated, and preserved in language by word of mouth. The art of the oral tradition encompasses such essential considerations as memorization, intonation, inflection, precision of statement, brevity, rhythm, pace and dramatic effect. The language becomes the vehicle for producing meaning as well as emotional effect. Thus, in telling and retelling stories, cultural memories become living memories, which serve to bridge the gap between generations.

Oral tradition has been evident in Arabia for centuries and in some areas continues to exist today. Nevertheless, its instigation and prevalence in the culture predates Islam and its founder, Muhammad. Pre-Islamic oral tradition had a substantial purpose in Arabia, accentuated by the absence of a written language. This rich tradition had its foundations in tribal life. The role of the ‘hikawati’ or storyteller was the most reputable position of each tribe. These storytellers would pass along tales of tribal rivalry, hedonism, heroic tales, poems, myths, proverbs, epics, and pagan religious practices. The poet of the tribe was regarded as a seer, endowed with special gifts of eloquence, and also as a learned man who understood the history of his people. He was entrusted with the role of defending the honor of the tribe against detractors.

The tales, which were largely spoken to increase tribal loyalty, told mainly of heroic figures and their great achievements. Often a detailed description was given of the hero’s birth, with his sense of destiny, the emblems of his authority, and the parameters of his identity. The hero was spoken of as a father, son, mother or daughter, a member of a human family, in order for listeners to better identify with the hero. The tales also spoke of villains, described in a variety of manners. They took on the role in non-human (the devil), super-human (giants), and human form.

These oral traditions were transmitted in a formal, controlled manner, displaying various degrees of flexibility.  No flexibility was evident in the relaying of proverbs or poems. The reciter was bound to repeat word for word. If he quoted a proverb with so much as a word missing, he was subject to public correction and thereby humiliation. Some flexibility was allotted to the storyteller in emulating stories and parables, and the order of events could be reversed. However, the flow of the story and its characters and conclusion had to remain the same. To change the story line while retelling the account was unthinkable. The poet was afforded total flexibility in the relation of jokes or casual news, and material that was irrelevant to the identity of the community.

It is remarkable to observe how highly developed the Arabic language already was at this early time. In its poetical idiosyncrasy of speech, which was common to all tribes, it spoke of the inclinations existing in all languages, replacing the dialectical differences of everyday speech. This oral tradition was a compilation of a vast number of words with unique brevity in its pattern or structure. The accuracy of the spoken word along with the beauty in its oration bound together the people of the community and provided for a strong and vivid tradition that in various areas continues to flourish.