Aw Barkhadle Iyo Yusuf Al Kawnayn, Ma Isku Mid Ah?

are they the same person or different individuals? (please vote after having read the thread)


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Long read ahead: you have been warned.


In 1848 Ltd curttenden in his travel among the Isaaq titled:

"Memoir on the Western or Edoor Tribes Inhabiting the Somali Coast of N. E. Africa;: Cruttenden".

On pages 61-62 (attached) he unequivocally states that Aw Barkhadle was an Isaaq saint from the Garxajis clan.



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In 1854 , Richard Burton wrote that Yuusuf Al Baghdadi arrived on the Somali coast in mid 1200s. Then he narrates the killing of the Yibir magician and the subsequent eternal compensation accepted by Al Baghdadi and his followers.

No mention of Aw Barkhadle name or the tomb.

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Somali oral tradition and also poetry adds validation to Curttenden version of a Somali, Isaaq saints.

Qawdhan Ducaale ( 1858-1941) in his verses boasted of Aw Barkhadle having been a Garxajis saint and him being his ancestor compared to the Ogaden whom he derided as converted pagans.

The post dervish years have intensified the eternal daarood vs Isaaq wars and while Guba poems and it's equivalent in upper Hawd on the western Isaaq clans was raging, Xarbi Dheere an Ogaden poet denigrated sheekh Isxaaq lineage & progeny in a vulgar spiteful manner.

overwhelmed by the Isaaq Raids the Daarood had nothing to challenge the Isaaq with daarood resorted to a foul form of poetry. Xarbi Dheere for instance composed such verses:

Idoor waa iidoori inanta weeyaane
Arki maysid nimu Isaaq dhalay oo aabo leeyahaye.

Qawdhan replied in a higher class of poetry to Xarabi, accusing the Ogaden of paganism & boasting of his saintly ancestors Yuusuf Aw Barkhadle:

Anakay awowyaal no ahaayeen awliyada qaare
Sheekh Yuusuf baa noo muddo ah Iida loo kacae
Goortu ishaaray baa Qudbiga ururku joogaaye.

There Qawdhan and Curttenden account conforms. Curttenden account in 1848 is validated a century later by one of the greatest garxajis poet, that Aw Barkhadle was an Isaaq saint not to be conflated with the Arab Yuusuf Al Baghdadi a.k.a Al Kownayn.

Other evidence of Aw Barkhadle having been an Isaaq Garxajis individual is the joint cooperation in keeping the shrine one keeper been isxaaq HY and the ciidagale till this day.

In 1935 the Garxajis renovated the shrine after a destructive flood.

Aw Barkhadle estimate era was the 1600s. His missionary work and Arabic reading style adopted in Somali verse is also evidence of him being of local Somali stock.

What Arab can even pronounce the Somali Dh sounds?

"Alif la hoos dhabay "
"Alif la kor dhabay."

To top it off, a Ciidagale subclan of Musa Abokor claims direct paternal descent from Aw Barkhadle. Further evidencing that he was indeed Garxajis and a decedent of Da'uud Ismaacill (Ciidagale).
 
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I've come to the conclusion that Yusuf Al Kawayn and Aw Barkhadle were two different individuals that have been combined into 1 figure in recent times. Similar to Imam Ahmed Gurey of the Karnale Hawiye being combined with Garad Ahmed Gurey of the Habar Magaadle.
 

one

ᶜᵃʷᵒ ᶜᵃʷˡᵒ
Hmm, interesting. I never thought of it that way, that they could be two separate people.

If Awbarkhadle descended from was one of Sh. Isaaq's sons, then he can't be Yusuf Al-Kawnayn, right? Because Al-Kawnayn and Sh. Isaaq knew each other.


One thing I never understood though is did Al-Kawnayn have offsprings, yes or not?

1.When the yibir king's descendants demanded blood money from Al-Kawnayn, he directed them to Sh. Isaaq because he didn't have any offspring. That's why Isaaq's descendants pay the diyya even though they had nothing to do with the Yibir king's killing.

2. According to Sh. Isaaq oral traditions, after Sh. Isaaq settled in Maydh and married from the Magaado and Heis communities, he made a short trip to Galbeedka and met his friend Al-Kawnayn. Al-Kawnayn gave his granddaughter Shariifo to Sh. Isaaq.

3. According to Sada Mire: In her book she mentions how she interviewed the guardians of Awbarkhadle and they said he didn't have any offspring. And that was one of the many reasons he was so beloved to Somalis from everywhere?

4. The Walashama dynasty traces their origin to Al Kawnayn. Al Kawnayn was the third(fourth or 6th, I can't remember atm?) awoowe of the founder, Umar-something.

5. After Al Kawnayn killed the Yibir king, why didn't he go back Zeila since he was from there originally? Why did he stay in Dogor/aw-Barkhadle?

Imo, Richard Burton is not really reliable. That guy was full of shit. He lacked source criticism.

I have been to Gubanka in East Sahil many, many times. I have been to Siyaarah twice.
The place is abandoned now, but from what I heard in oral history, that tuulo was approximately 200 years ago founded by an oday from the Makahil clan. Also I heard prior to that Toljecle(a small Isaaq clan that lives in Gabiley region) used to live there before they migrated to Galbeed, 2 of Toljecle's sons who were saints are buried there.

Since Awbarkhadle is place where people do Siyaro, it's possible that Richard mixed that place with the one in East Sahil.
 

one

ᶜᵃʷᵒ ᶜᵃʷˡᵒ
I've come to the conclusion that Yusuf Al Kawayn and Aw Barkhadle were two different individuals that have been combined into 1 figure in recent times. Similar to Imam Ahmed Gurey of the Karnale Hawiye being combined with Garad Ahmed Gurey of the Habar Magaadle.
to add on, Bucur Bacayr and Mahamed Hanif where two different people too.

Bucur Bacayr was a pagan whilst Mahamed Hanif was the one who converted the Yibir clan into Islam. He's a few hundred years younger than the Yibir king.
 

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