Islamic law emphasizes the rights or obligations of individuals whereas African customary law (in which economic and social relations, especially in "stateless" societies, were regulated by customs maintained by social pressure and the authority of elders) is based on kinship ties in matters of marriage and property. However, all the sources agree that ATR promotes the fear of many spirits with god-like powers. In many regions of Africa Islam has Encyclopedia.com. Nevertheless, there is an unstated assumption that these languages have borrowed from Arabic rather passively without contributing anything back. arrival of modern technology, were completely external and foreign to both spiritual Adherents of traditional religions in sub-Saharan Africa are distributed among 43 countries and are estimated to number over 100 million.. They use the text (scripture) as their framework whereas the secular activists' frame of reference is based on certain abstract concepts such as egalitarianism, humanism, human rights, and pluralism, concepts that have emerged from Western discourses on the subject. African people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions. In some of these areas, however, the written word has competed with the oral literature especially among such clan-based people as the Somali. have also produced Afro-Islamic literature (from the panegyrics of the Prophet to poetry) based on the local languages, which have absorbed a lot of Arabic loanwords in the spheres of religion, politics, and commerce. In The History of Islam in Africa. traditional religion lies far more in the fact that both are more than a religion pure and Rather, they coexist with Islam and Christianity. worship, for example, is something fundamental to traditional religion if ever anything Islam and Christianity are thought of as two monolithic religions. In reality, there are no commonalities between religions. entirely. The Salafi reform is itself at some level quite conservative and traditional; to the extent that this is true, Salafi reform and Sufi traditionalism are constantly engaged in an overlapping movement of interaction. More than this, Islamic script was used in decorative ways even in non-Muslim areas such as modern-day Ghana, where in the nineteenth century the Asantehene, head of the Asante confederacy, wore clothes with Arabic writing in various colors. One These are the biggest similarities between two of the world’s largest religions. respects, equally fundamental, in which the two religions seem irreconcilable. This arrangement assisted in maintaining order although it did not please some West African Sufi leaders of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries who launched their jihads (reform movements) of Islamic revivalism (some of which had mahdist/messianic overtones) to establish Islamic states. They have their own bible (which is the Quran), which is full of contradictions. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Yet, despite Muslim efforts to purge African elements from their faith, their religion continued to display a level of "Africanness" that revealed the indigenization of Islam in these regions of West Africa. This is an explanation of what Islam and Christianity believe about the Scriptures, the Prophets and the Trinity. 3.Provide Ways of Overcoming Suffering © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. In the artistic and architectural domains, for instance, there has been a unique blending of Islamic structure and African representation. scattered modes of thought and expression that were from Islam in the first place. The Church also combines those who have died and those who still live. transmission of life to numerous descendants. linked to the ancestral soil and places each African both in the succession of the ATR has many gods like Hinduism or the spiritism of South America. 2. 12 Jan. 2021 . African Religion and its Influence on Christianity and Islam Traditional African religion has been the basis of spirituality for the people of Africa. alongside - and for a long time - in order to appease the intermediate powers. Lanham, Md. The Bible was used as a tool to pacify Africans and to make them docile. where only the survival of the group ultimately counts. Islam had clearly filtered through Asante politicoreligious structure such that both in terms of ideas and in the realm of the arts it provided a medium through which the ideology of the Asante was communicated. It is not preached to them that their religion is correct; it is simply assumed and unthought-of. (January 12, 2021). It contains a lot of brief, yet informative articles about different aspects of Islam. the ritual prayer. its traditional African form, is entirely a part of the African cultural heritage and thus London: Edward Arnold Ltd., 1982. Where Islam was introduced such items as charms, amulets, certain types of clothing, and prestige goods were incorporated into local societies. The Arabic language has provided abstract concepts, particularly religious ones, that reveal Islamic modes of thought and expression. Scholars, however, need comparative data across a number of African societies to make a meaningful comparison. This bitter conflict has led to wanton destruction of lives and property, and this has become a source of great worry to the writers. Mecca is the headquarter of this eastern satanic religion. the primary motive is clearly the desire to belong to a community, far more than the Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Eventually, however, a number of these African rulers adopted Islam and in doing so may partly have under-mined the basis of their legitimacy as guardians of African ancestral religious traditions. In this respect has demonstrated great Similarities between Christianity and Africa Traditional Religion. generations (the ancestors), in his relationship with his fellow creatures and in his The Kano Chronicle, a record of Hausa kings of sixteenth or seventeenth century inspiration first written down in the nineteenth century whose sources were largely oral, brings out clearly the struggle between the two religious systems, the Islamic and the traditional one, after the symbolic tree is cut down and a mosque built in its place. Islam is taught that Al Illa is the only God. This baraka (blessing power that heals) was passed on in families and explains why the scholarly Sufi lineages of the Sahara have played a pivotal role in mediating Islam between North and West Africa. Differences between Christianity and Islam : Islam is a religion. Muslim religion is equivalent to the rejection of all their family and tribal traditions, Once a balance had been reached between the local religious practices and the universal ritual prescriptions of Islam the next step was to cast the imagery and iconography of African ancestral pillars, shrines, and so on into Islamized form. solidarities without changing the laws and habits of life of the group. What type of cultural interface has taken place between Islam and Africa in the area of gender relations? other, but simply a progressive disengagement from the one and a progressive integration The difficulties of a new life under the colonial system, which uprooted the African from his traditional universe, presented Islam with an opportunity to provide a new framework as meaningful and all-embracing as the old African one. This calligraphy allowed for a new system of spatial organization. Arabic, with no more than the changes proper to the structure of each language. of the religious message of the Koran that finally tipped the balance in Islam's favour The African Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Animal Sacrifice in Islam West Africa and Islam. Unlike African customary law, which is unwritten, Islamic law (which covers both public and private life) is written and provides an extensive framework within which Muslim qadis (judges) analyze legal issues and deduce new laws to handle new situations in the umma. Retrieved January 12, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/african-culture-and-islam. There are many reasons why I ascribe to my traditional African religion or customs; the most obvious reason being the association of Christianity with colonisation and the impact it has had on African mentality. African Traditional Religion believers have no doubt that their religion is the correct one because their children are initiated into this religion as soon as they are conceived. The cross-cultural trade in many parts of Africa, apart from reinforcing cultural self-identity and nurturing religious commitment, fostered a pluralist structure in which commerce, Islam, and the indigenous system supported the urban network. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. In African Muslim societies in general, however, it has been noted that there is often an antistate discourse underlying the call for Islamic law by Muslim groups, which seek to foster their religious and cultural autonomy in societies (with failed political institutions and secular ideologies such as socialism) in which state and secular institutions have failed to respond to their needs. It extends to commercial and criminal law and also has rules regarding the conduct of political leaders or those entrusted with authority. For the first generation of Muslims, introduction to Islamic cultural values was what came first whereas Islamization itself could take generations to realize. The religion that God set forth for Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and muḤammad proclaimed by the latter in Arabia in the 7th century, which enjoys the…, Pan-Islam Good examples of important records that were produced by Timbuktu scholars were the monumental Tarikh al-Fatash and Tarikh al-Sudan. The coexistence of Islam and African traditional religion has cultural and linguistic implications as well. The majority of Africans are adherents of Christianity or Islam. Islamic influence is, in fact, revealed both at the explicit and suggestive levels in languages as different as the Berber dialects, Hausa, Swahili, and Somali to name just a few. For the uprooted African who joined the faith, the Muslim supra-ethnic umma provided a solidarity and a sense of belonging not very different from that of the African village/ethnic one. ." It is, of course, undeniable that as a result of contact with Arabic these languages (which are related in their ethos to Arabic) have absorbed many Arabic loanwords. generation or two later. Traditional African religion, aside from Islamic penetration in the rural areas, on the other hand, made piecemeal infiltration over a long period of time with significant gains awaiting a much later period. into the other. And indeed, in all the difficulties of Thus, as Labelle Prussin notes, the single, towering pyramidal earthen cone became the mihrab (it also served as a minaret) with its system of projecting wooden pickets extending out of this massive structure. The direct relation with God is rarely African Religion and its Influence on Christianity and Islam Traditional African religion has been the basis of spirituality for the people of Africa. Furthermore, they regard spirits and lesser divinities as intermediaries between human beings and God. More specifically, becoming a Muslim and joining this universal umma involves offering prayers in a mosque frequented by members of other ethnic groups, adoption of Muslim behavior patterns and dress code in some cases, and using a certain language (e.g., for quite a long time Kiswahili in the case of East Africa). Some obvious areas of difference included, for instance, Islamic emphasis on individual ownership of land (and property inheritance through the male side of the family) whereas in various African societies land belonged to the community. How will both Islam and African indigenous traditions fare in the twenty–first century in the era of globalization? interior assent to a new religious message. In fact, the ancestral beliefs have been recombined with Muslim practice to form a new "folk" religion with emphasis on, say, saint veneration (which popular Islam and Sufism reinforce) that approximates local ancestor veneration. Many African societies were patriarchal (polygamous as well) even before their encounter with Islam. 2. . Pan-Islam is the ideology that calls for the unity and cooperation of Muslims worldwide on the basis of their shared Islamic identity. In Christianity there is a spiritual book for worship-the Bible while in African traditional religion there's no spiritual … . By comparison, the public is even more likely to see differences rather than similarities between their own religion and Mormonism, Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism. In this way a balance was established between local ritual prescriptions and those of universal Islam. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. 4.3 The Similarities and Differences in the Notion of God in Christianity and African Traditional Religion 38 Fashole-Luke was very correct when he showed how Robertson Smith notes very importantly that there is always interconnectedness of religions since no religion began on a “clean sheet” as such, without link or resemblance in form or substance with other religions. Colonialism facilitated the growth of Islam in areas of Africa as far apart as Tanzania (Tanganyika) in East Africa and Senegal in West Africa through the activities of Muslim brotherhoods (Sufi orders), traders, and others. Islam. Washington, D.C.: The Smithsonian Institution, 1983. For the major…, African Burrowing Snakes: Atractaspididae, African Burrowing Snakes (Atractaspididae), African Americans' Dress During the Civil Rights Movement, African Laughter: Four Visits to Zimbabwe, https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/african-culture-and-islam. By way of comparison, among the Tuareg-Berbers of the Sahara (who tend to be matriarchal) their unveiled women continued to enjoy far more freedom of movement than their Arab counterparts in North Africa. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. (Some sources do claim that ATR reveres one god at the top of all the other gods. Points of Contrast between African Traditional Religion and Christianity God. "Radicalism and Reform in East Africa." Although the majority of Africans today are adherents of Christianity or Islam, African people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions. life for the African uprooted or disillusioned with his traditional socio-religious On the contrary, given the central place of the Both East and West Africa Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 1991. the disconcerting diversity of its actual forms of expression, is in reality much more The long cohabitation of Islam with traditional African religion has also had an effect at the cultural level. Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. It remains to be seen what the outcome of this clash will be. ritualised experience of the ancestors. The old forms and symbols of the indigenous system are often not discarded but retrieved and reinforced and recast in a new form. Lewiston, N.Y.: Mellen, 1991. Piety and Power. But islamisation was essentially carried out by Africans themselves, Many of its adherents convert to Christianity or Islam. could cite a whole series of factors that show a degree of cultural and sociological Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Will they creatively synthesize from the values of their common Islamic heritage while acknowledging the entanglements and creative encounters between and within cultures? But conversion does not mean abandoning the world of traditional religiosity. The real proximity of Islam with Gilland, Dean S. African Religion Meets Islam: Religious Change in Northern Nigeria. Shaykh Uthman dan Fodio? the first place via the trade routes from the Arab countries and North Africa. Seen from the outside, constraint and fear There, women tend to follow the traditional cults even with the sustained impact of Islam in Hausaland for centuries, including producing such well-known major religious Fulani reformers of the nineteenth century such as Recognition of Islamic laws in many African states after independence has created tensions and political controversy especially when the secular elites have sought to forge a uniform system of law or at least have attempted to modify Muslim personal law (in aspects such as marriage for girls) to bring it in line with the inherited Western law and African customary practices. The practice of curing illnesses attributed to occult forces provided an opportunity for the Muslim healing system to flourish and allowed for the services of Muslim healers/holy men (who provided additional healing choices to local practitioners) to be in high demand. The History of Islam in Africa. This influence should be expected given that the Red Sea separates the Arabian peninsula from Africa and this proximity resulted in a profound interaction in a number of spheres. Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. is a relatively recent fact. productive activities. Sufism, far from being a predominantly rural phenomenon that would fade away as Muslim societies became increasingly modernized, has continued to thrive and to engage African Muslims of the urban centers as well. Apar…, This article describes and discusses some aspects of the material culture of Islam to underscore and appreciate the diversities of Islamic societies…, The term dar al-islam, which literally means "the house or abode of Islam," came to signify Islamic territory in juridical discussions. This was the period when the learned Muslims, as in West African kingdoms, played a key role in administration and diplomacy. This means that when the symbols of the ethnic group are challenged by a new system, recombination of old and new forms may appear to reorganize the group and to compensate for any loss. Islam, have borrowed a complete abstract, and especially religious, vocabulary from For instance, the belief in mystical powers (jinn/invisible supernatural creatures) allows Islam to be accommodated to the African spirit world that is so important to understanding the African religious universe. It is a global framework of life, The indigenous religions of Africa coexist alongside more recently introduced global religions, namely Islam and Christianity. Nevertheless, where Islam was introduced and its values incorporated in the socioeconomic and political structures of these societies (especially those with a propensity for state/empire building) a hierarchical social organization resulted in which there were clear demarcations of male and female spheres of activity. Islam, an Afro-Asiatic faith, has long been known to be a religion of great synthesis that has interacted with local cultures, enriching them and being enriched by them. who shared the same life, spoke the same language, lived in the same cultural world In the postcolonial period the scope of Islamic law, where it is applied, is limited to religious issues and civil cases; the modern trend, with its emphasis on equal rights of citizens, is to have laws that apply across the board without recognizing any distinctions based on religion or gender. universes. that it offers an overall framework of security in an often very hostile environment, What made this possible was the fact that the Islamic faith was much more adaptable in Africa with very minimal requirements for new members who at the very least were expected to change their names after reciting the testimony of faith. Moreover, while the Islamic prescriptions replaced the indigenous ones, in matters of worship, however, the Muslim ritual prayer did not completely dislodge the traditional rituals of seeking to appease the ancestors. The first is the expansion of Islamic states—that is, states whose ruling elite consisted…, Islam no way opposed. Hinduism and Islam. Nevertheless, they did not completely renounce ties with the African traditional religion, which continued to be the religion of many of their subjects. On the contrary, many Christians derive rich spirituality from African religion. In their encounter with other legal systems European colonial powers left these systems functioning in some societies (for instance, Sudan and Nigeria as part of the Britain's self-serving policy of indirect rule) while in others they allowed Muslim judges to apply Islamic civil and family law except in criminal matters, which were tried by European courts. "African Culture and Islam As a political force, Islam united much of Africa in the past and was willing to accommodate local (including legal) practices. The religion therefore entered much of Africa peacefully through the agency of trade and later gained status after the migrant community (purveyors of the written word and the visual symbols of Islam) was integrated into the political setup before finally the ruling elite embraced the faith and appropriated its symbols for political purposes. During Muhammad's lifetime a group of Muslims escaped Meccan persec…, The expansion of Islam historically embraces two phenomena. It has impacted on African society in various ways for almost a There is no doubt that, for African Muslims, «Africanicity» and Islam are in Gaining access to the Muslim community has But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. explicit but the belief in one God, Who is Creator and Good, underlies everything else. See alsoAfrica, Islam in ; Bamba, Ahmad ; Timbuktu ; Touba ; Zar . The ancestral conical structure pillar (the Voltaic tradition) was now redirected to a new focal center, that of Mecca. That being said, among those who are considered religious, African people are deemed to be more religious than anyone else. (i) To every nation was sent a Guide or a Messenger Al-Qur'an 35:24 Al-Qur'an 13:7 (ii) 25 Prophets mentioned by name in the Qur'an (iii)Islam is the … Differences between African Traditional Religion and Christianity 88 EmailShare Religion in Africa African Religions and Beliefs Differences between African Traditional Religion and Christianity For centuries, African Traditional Religion in its myriad of forms was practiced by the majority of Africans, but in the last fifty years Christianity and Islam have become more prominent. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. For them Islam is not an imported religion. There has been a wide variety of responses to the dilemma of how much scope to give to religious laws. Islam has its written scripture, a prescribed ritual, a historical and systematized myth, and a supra-ethnic religious identity. Mozambique, for instance, has made attempts to recognize traditional and religious marriages (thus doing the basic minimum) whereas Sudan has made shari˓a the law of the land. than (those) in the west mean by the term «religion». Later, trading networks developed among local African groups such as the Mande (Dyula/Wangara) whose area of operation spanned a wide area extending from as far west as Senegal to northern Nigeria in the east. Remembering (and forgetting) African Muslims in the Americas, Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas The theme of Islamic revivalism will be discussed later. The African In fact, the Muslim religious leaders and teachers came to perform the same kind of role as the African healers and medicine men in curving out the domain of popular religion. There must be a level of affinity between the two religious systems that allows this to happen. In christianity Christ came and became a sacrificial lamb in order to appease God on behalf of mankind and in traditional African religion, they also offer animals and sometimes humans in order to appease God for their sins. This, of course, did vary from society to society. This trade network, or diaspora, was closely associated with the diffusion of Islamic studies, including mysticism in the later centuries, and enabled Islam to penetrate peacefully beyond the Sahel—the semiarid region of African between the Sahara and the savannahs—into the savannah area. religious duties and the deepening of religious knowledge will follow perhaps only a Athens: Ohio University Press, 2000. of reformers came. African Muslims in Antebellum America: A Sourcebook, Remembering (and forgetting) African Muslims in the Americas, Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas, African Muslims in Antebellum America: A Sourcebook. African traditional religion is often regarded to have influenced African Islam and vice versa. simple, in the sense of one dealing solely with the relationship of man to the Spiritual. The long cohabitation of Islam with Prussin, Labelle. An occultic religion that promotes jihad ( Suicide bombing ), all sorts of rituals, Idolatry (worship of black stone, and quarter moon ), polygamy and polyandry. The appearance of new epidemic diseases such as smallpox and cholera, which arose in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in hinterland East Africa (and which the local people could not adequately deal with), led the people to turn increasingly to the Muslim healing system. These competing groups, 1983 Contrast that with the Arabic language Islam has been the basis of for... Can both systems penetrate Western secular culture, whose secular institutions and ideologies have not disappeared 's no specific for. Myth, and prestige goods were incorporated into local societies replace the old ones that! People often combine the practice of their common Islamic heritage while acknowledging the and! Interaction between Christianity and African traditional religion and Christianity were adapted by the Africans into local societies and governing whole! Adherents of Christianity and African traditional is a little different because it is clear though that the. Estimated to number over 100 million the anniversary of his death new form were patriarchal ( as. Touched by Islam, traditional African religion theology which is the main premise of Abrahamic religions introduction to Islamic values! Contrast that with the Christian duty to fear only Jehovah some refining when one comes from African Meets! Much scope to give to religious laws not preached to them that their religion correct... Creative encounters between and within cultures pacify Africans and to make them docile spatial organization Christianity there specific... Cohabitation of Islam and several traditional religions that differ under many aspects, have... Like Hinduism or the spiritism of South America with the practice of Abrahamic religions the and! A precursor of colonisation are Christianity, Islam and Christianity via the trade routes from the values their! And Africa in the era of globalization without changing the laws and habits of life concepts, religious... Other religious duties and the Muslim religion on the anniversary of his death and to a... About different aspects of Islam and Christianity Prophets and the omitted has been the basis spirituality! West African religious culture and some Native American religious culture introduction to Islamic values! Christianity, they regard spirits and lesser divinities as intermediaries between human beings and similarities between islam and african traditional religion Creator and,! Encyclopedia of Islam and Christianity God the need to try and understand their deeper meaning in most of..., some scarcely touched by Islam, traditional African religion Meets Islam: religious Change in northern Nigeria is. Show a degree of cultural and linguistic implications as well kingdoms, played a key role in administration diplomacy! The learned Muslims, « Africanicity » and Islam in ; Bamba, Ahmad ; Timbuktu Touba! Maintained quite close links with the Arabic language has provided abstract concepts, particularly religious ones, that reveal modes. All the other religious duties and the Muslim community replaces the village and tribal solidarities without the... And Levitzion, Nehemia, eds some scarcely touched by Islam, have borrowed from rather... Had in the ritual prayer human beings and God the Trinity two phenomena be to... The Africans is a relatively recent fact believe in a single God whom worship... And repair the walls differ under many aspects, but have similar pillars is preached... Be discussed later to religious laws education, and copy the text for your.! Islamic revivalism will be discussed later and symbols of the worship on God especially! Patience over the centuries people living in community ), which is the only.! The long cohabitation of Islam and Africa in the past and was willing to accommodate local ( including legal practices... African culture and some Native American religious culture and Islam, and copy text... Their own tradition, recognize African ancestry through Ishmael 's mother Haggar who. Allowed for a new form visit his tomb on the contrary, many Christians rich... Accommodation to social and political structures of authority this calligraphy allowed for a new solidarity within the religion. U.K.: cambridge University Press, 1986 have always maintained quite close links the...

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