By: Daktuur Muhammad Amaan bin Aliyy Al-Jaami (Rahimahullah)
Translation:
Misbaah Olagunju (Aboo Aamaal)
Foreword (I)
This treatise clarifies what has been obscure to some people regarding the matter of the spread of Islam and its entry into the continent of Africa, and what has entered into the minds of many of them, that Suufism had their role in this domain, and that this goodness is from the merits of Tasuwwuf and Suufism, and that if not for Suufism’s establishment of this role, the heart of Africa would never have known Islam.
However, the author, Ustaadh Muhammad Amaan bin Aliyy, a Lecturer in the faculty of Sharee’ah at the Islamic University of Madinah, uncovers this error for us, and clarified that what Suufism spread is nothing but idolatry from the forms of idolatry that the people of Africa had been upon before Suufism invaded them, and if the idolatry of the Suufism differs from these earlier idolatry in any aspect, then it is definitely in its being disguised in the mask of Islam, in name and form, however, in the true essence and reality of affair, it is a kind from the kinds of the early idolatry that has passed. And the honoured Ustaadh has presented this reality with its proof and examples derived from the environment and state of affair that these Africans are in, and he was able to do this due to his attribute of being African, an Ethiopian, and he had many trips to Africa among the delegates of the Islamic University that traversed this continent to call to Islam and enlighten the Muslims by it, in carrying out one of the activities of this global University which they engaged in, in service to Islam and the Muslims – he had observed that from a close distance and scrutinized it in person and realised that what these people who accepted Islam at the hands of the people of Suufism are upon have no semblance with Islam, it is nothing but Tasawwuf, in which the individual identity has been annulled by the identity of being adherent of Tareeqah (Suufi doctrine), or being a Qutb (Suufi magnate) or a Ghawth (Suufi supreme master believed to be able to grant succor), and the individual will not make a move except as a puppet in the hands of this Shaykh (his suufi master), or as a reflection of that Qutb! And we searched for Allah in the creeds and beliefs of this Mutasawwuf (adherent of Suufism) of Africa who (claimed to have) accepted Islam, and He was no where to be found, the Qutb or Ghawth has taken His place, after he (the Mutasawwuf of Africa) had been worshipping animals or trees or rocks. The Difference is, this first idol (Qutb and Ghawth) moves and talk while the other idol (animals, trees and rocks) does not move, and if it is able to move, it doesn’t talk, he has blotted out worship into rites, festivals and chants presented by Suufism, as a replacement for what Allah has revealed.
Another reality that the esteemed author established for us, and had we known the implications of this reality we would have eradicated the landmarks of this Suufism Idolatory, and exchange Suufism and liberate the continent into an Islamic state, because it has its account (narrative) just as the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula had from ancient times.
This reality is that Africa is the first destination of Islamic migration, when the foremost Muslims migrated, they did not depart Makkah except for Al-Habashah (Ethiopia) and they found in its people and ruler loving brothers — and they found in it a safe residence, when they missed it amongst their people and tribes, and An-Najaashi (the ruler of Ethiopia) had accepted Islam before the messenger officially invited him to Islam.
This disposition from An-Najaashi and his people presented us with the fact that Africans are people whose souls are aligned and they do not have partisanship towards falsehood, and that they are people of piercing insight, intellect and radiance, and capable of discerning good from bad. And whenever good is presented to them they respond to it and incline to it and abandon the evil behind them. This was manifested in firm figure when Amr bin Al-Aas came to An-Najaashi that he may recapture the emigrant Muslims, calumniating their religion, then when An-Najaashi got to know from the Muslims about their religion and listened to their Qur'an, he objected to Amr —Allah be pleased with him—‘s request during his encounter with him and rejected the gifts of the Quraish which he had brought with him, and said to him “By Allah I will never release them to you ever†– (Musnad Ahmad: 301-303).
To be continued Inshaa Allaah
