Concerning the relationship between Isese (Ifa/Orisa) and islam - TopicsExpress

Concerning the relationship between Isese (Ifa/Orisa) and islam from my book Iwakiri: The Quest for Afrikan Spirituality restorationhealing/iwakiri The Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria record the Afrikan/Islamic relationship in the Holy Scriptures called the Odu Ifa, which date back over 6000 years ago. The Holy Odu Ogundabele refers to the Muslims by the word imale, and they are referred to as constant liars in this particular scripture. Why are they referred to as liars? This expresses the kind of relationship that the indigenous Yoruba traditionally have had with the Muslims since they began their influx into Yorubaland in the latter 18th century through the Fulani invasions. Just as any other group trying to take Afrikans away from their own center, the Muslims would often falsify information concerning the Ifa spiritual system in which the Yoruba have upheld for thousands of years and culture during their initial contact with the Yoruba. The word imale itself is indicative of this. It literally translates as hard doctrine. According to Yoruba records, the Muslims came with the Quran in one hand and a sword in the other to make sure they accepted Islam. Thus, imale is used to denote the doctrine of Islam that had come by forced (hard) methods. A praise song (oriki) to Ifa Orisha Oşun (oh-shoon), representing the Divine Feminine power of the Creator, further expounds on this view. One line states: “Where did he say I should put/leave my Ye Ye? The man with the terrible turban who asked me to embrace Islam”. (Badejo; Osun). What does this mean? ..put/leave my Ye Ye refers directly to the worship/veneration of Oshun which is inevitably connected to the whole system of Yoruba way of life called Ifa. To leave...Ye Ye is to abandon Yoruba/Ifa religion, and accept the Islamic/Arabic worldview of life. Fortunately this praise song represents the strong resistance that many West Afrikans have put up against foreign religion and its accompanying culture. The Muslim invasion into the Yoruba Oyo Kingdom caused many of the Yoruba to flow more southward of Yorubaland proper. This caused a major backlash that disrupted harmony in the areas into which they fled. Indirectly, and unfortunately, this would be the beginning of some of the tribalistic mentality that plagues us unto this day! Timbuktu scholar Ahmad Baba wrote a treatise of slavery in 1615-16. The Yoruba are included in a list of non-Muslim people that it was legitimate to enslave according to Islamic law. Ironically, but not surprisingly, even now in the Sudan and Mauritania the Arabs have an ongoing slave trade directed at non-Muslim Afrikans. Many make fuss over the supposed universalism with the religion of Islam and the Arabs not being racists. The record does not support this. Expressing the sentiment of the average Arab of his time, a 7th century Arab poet states The children of a stinking Nubian Black-God put no light in their complexion. Even the Islamic prophet Mohammed is noted as saying in a hadith Obey your master even if he be a Black Ethiopian with hair like a raisin. The evident racial bias does not need to be expounded upon. The interesting point is that he had to specify a black Ethiopian being in charge and that, yes, they even have to obey him. If he had to say this then it is evident the average Arab did not care for Afrikans regardless of the supposed Islamic catholicism. Even though Islamic history shows that it was a Black/Afrikan man, Mihdja, that first gave his life for Islam Afrikans like him and his descendants were still looked down upon by their Arab brothers. Arabic/Islamic history is clear that even Bilals descendants were treated negatively!