Oral Literature in African Muslim Communities: Fusion of Tradition, Faith, and Morality

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Oral literature has always been central to African cultural identity, and within Muslim communities across the continent, it reflects a fascinating blend of pre-Islamic traditions and Islamic values. Through songs, tales, fables, and poems, African oral traditions embody both continuity with ancestral practices and transformation under the influence of Islam.

This article explores the two parallel genres of oral literature in African Muslim societies, the role of Islamic morality in shaping stories and songs, the contributions of Amadou Hampâté Bâ to understanding this fusion, and the enduring presence of Sufi and jihad-inspired poetry in regions such as Somalia and Hausaland.

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Parallel Genres in African Muslim Oral Literature

African Muslim oral traditions are best understood as operating within two parallel genres:

1. Pre-Islamic Heritage with Islamic Influence

   • Songs and chants tied to spirit cults, ancestor veneration, and rites of passage—especially funerals—have survived within Islamic communities.
   • However, these songs often bear the marks of Islamic influence. For example, Swahili spirit cult songs in Mombasa incorporate a tripartite hierarchy: God at the top, Prophet Muhammad next, and spirits beneath.
   • This structure demonstrates how African spirituality accommodated Islam while retaining its ritual forms.

2. Islamic Moral and Ethical Narratives

   • The second genre reflects Islamic ethics and worldview, with songs and tales emphasizing a moral order rooted in faith.
   • Common themes include:
     • Man’s relationship with God through obedience and prayer.
     • Historical tales retold from an Islamic perspective.
     • Animal fables that teach lessons aligned with Muslim values.
     • Stories of human character emphasizing morality and justice.
   • Among the Hausa, peripatetic Muslim scholars preached morality through “sermon-songs,” combining teaching and entertainment in mobile oral performances.

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Amadou Hampâté Bâ and the Fusion of Traditions

One of the most important figures in documenting and analyzing the relationship between Islam and African oral literature is Amadou Hampâté Bâ (1901–1991).

• Bâ studied the Fulani, Bambara, Dogon, and Malinke oral traditions and argued that traditional African religions provided the foundation for Islam’s growth in sub-Saharan Africa.
• In his view, Islam did not erase indigenous practices but rather fused with them, creating a rich hybrid spirituality reflected in oral literature.

His poetic trilogy on Fulani initiation illustrates this esoteric blend of African tradition and Islamic mysticism:

• Kaidïra (1964) – the quest for knowledge.
• L’Éclat de la grande étoile (1974) – the quest for wisdom.
• Njeddo Dewal, mère de la calamité (1985) – the culmination, where knowledge and wisdom are applied in the struggle between good and evil.

Through these works, Bâ demonstrates how oral literature can carry profound mystical and ethical dimensions drawn from both Islamic and indigenous sources.

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Sufi Influence in Somali Oral Poetry

Somali oral literature, particularly poetry, bears the deep imprint of Sufism. Many poems are attributed to sheikhs and saints, mainly of the Qadiriyya brotherhood, and are regarded as both spiritual compositions and prayers.

Notable figures include:

• Sheikh Abdulrahman Seylici (d. 1882)
• Sheikh Abdulrahman Abdalla, “Sheikh Sufi” (d. 1905)
• Sheikh Uways Muhammad of Brava (d. 1910)

Their poetry:

• Is sung at annual pilgrimages to their tombs.
• Often recounts miracles performed by the sheikhs.
• Functions as oral texts transmitted by teachers and preachers traveling through rural Somalia.

This tradition highlights the fusion of spirituality, oral performance, and communal devotion in Somali Muslim society.

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Oral Poetry as a Tool of Resistance

Beyond spirituality, Islamic oral literature has also served as a weapon of political mobilization and resistance.

• In Hausaland, the writings and poetry of Usman dan Fodio (d. 1817) inspired the jihad that transformed the Sokoto Caliphate, blending religious fervor with social reform.
• In Somalia, the Dervish movement led by Sayyid Muhammad Abdallah Hassan (d. 1921) used religious poetry to rally the people in jihad against British colonial forces.
• Unlike dan Fodio, however, the Dervishes faced strong opposition from fellow Somali clerics, who criticized them through counter-poetry.

This dynamic reveals how oral poetry functioned as both propaganda and critique, embodying Islam’s role in Africa not just as a spiritual force but as a political one.

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Conclusion

Oral literature in African Muslim communities reveals a dynamic interplay between tradition and faith. While one genre preserves echoes of pre-Islamic rituals, the other reflects Islamic moral and ethical teachings. Together, they form a cultural continuum where African spirituality and Islam meet, merge, and transform.

From the sermon-songs of Hausa scholars to the mystical poetry of Somali Sufis and the jihad-inspired verses of Usman dan Fodio and Sayyid Muhammad Abdallah Hassan, oral literature has been a vehicle of religious devotion, moral education, and resistance.

In this way, Islam has not only reshaped African oral traditions but has also ensured their continuity as living expressions of faith, history, and identity.