The Ink of Excellence’: Print and the Islamic Written Tradition of East Africa

[Riftvalley]

The Ink of Excellence’: Print and the Islamic Written Tradition of East Africa​

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362926126_'The_Ink_of_Excellence'_Print_and_the_Islamic_Written_Tradition_of_East_Africa

Here is another article by the same author about Sheikh Cabdullahi Al Qudubi, a famous Somali sheikh of the Qadiriya order. The article shows how interconnected Somalis were to the rest of the Islamic world. It also shows the heated theological discussions and turmoil happening in the Islamic world at that time, with the rise of colonialism, the Salafi movement and the Sufi revivers like Sayid Muhamad. Al Qudubi famously criticised Sayid Muhammad Cabdullah Hassan in the book and he warned against unjust takfir, the issues contested by Somalis today. What I find interested is that the book was signed off by a scholar from Azhar, who happened to be another Somali.

Shaykh Abdullahi al-Qutbi and the pious believer's dilemma: local moral guidance in an age of global Islamic reform

Shaykh Abdullahi al-Qutbi and the pious believer's dilemma: local moral guidance in an age of global Islamic reform

www.academia.edu

Al Qudubi seemed to accuse some Somalis of mixing camel milk with blood. An exaggeration or an actual practice?

 

[BidaarBoy]

Al Qudubi seemed to accuse some Somalis of mixing camel milk with blood. An exaggeration or an actual practice?

This was an old East African practice, people in Ethiopia and SE Africa used to do it at one point too

 

[Riftvalley]

This was an old East African practice, people in Ethiopia and SE Africa used to do it at one point too

I know and the Borana still do it. I haven’t found any references to Somalis doing it and the colonials surveyed almost every Somali group, why was there no mention of blood drinking? Perhaps sheikh Qudubi heard some people were doing it since he was out of the country for a long time?Or maybe some far away Somalis close to Rendille and Borana practiced it? I know Somalis and Samburu hated Each other, thus the Somalis would have looked down on their blood drinking practices.

while I agree some Somalis were ignorant of elements of Islam, I don’t agree with the assessment of the author about the lack of Islamic practice in the early 20th century. He made it seem like Somalis were almost stuck in a pre jahiliya stage or at the early stages of Islam.

The shafici madhab had strongly taken hold @ this point. Somalis were gaining knowledge of Islam under trees, then they would depart to seek more knowledge if they had the means. Sheikhs called axkaanley taught students of knowledge basic Islamic knowledge. The Sufi shrine tradition and the Dugsi culture was very strong. Some scholars living today count five generations of sheikhs in their family .When Richard Burton, who was pretending to be a Muslim scholar, was seen urinating in a standing position, they thought he was a gaal. I doubt people who were that committed were drinking blood. Alcohol was never widespread amongst nomads as well. Neither was khat even though Sheikh Qudubi holds it to be halal.Sheikh Qudubi himself had 200 books burnt by the British in Aden as he was seen to be causing problems between the Sufi brotherhoods. Not content with this, some years later, he returns to Somalia with a number of books to be handed out to students of knowledge. This shows there must have been a certain amount of literate men in Arabic and Islam. It was possible to learn Arabic without ever leaving Somalia.

The case was more that the revivalist movements and the ulema thought some Somalis were too lax with some elements of Islam. I don’t believe it was to the point alcohol and blood drinking was rampant. Sheikh Qudubi was decrying these things and exaggerates to warn the masses- as scholars tend to do.

You don’t get the dervish movement; the Bardheere Jihad; the Sufi tariqas; and, the emergency of early salafis, if you don’t have a large pool of Islamic adherents. The colonials depict Somalis as uneducated and illiterate about certain elements islam yet at same being “fundamentalist Mohammadans” who hated the kaffir ways of life .

having sai that, the article is a good read and it shows how connected Somalis were to the wider Islamic world.

it would be good if anyone had info about the Somali scholar from Azhar who approved Qudubis book .

 

[Laser]

The Ink of Excellence’: Print and the Islamic Written Tradition of East Africa​

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362926126_'The_Ink_of_Excellence'_Print_and_the_Islamic_Written_Tradition_of_East_Africa

Here is another article by the same author about Sheikh Cabdullahi Al Qudubi, a famous Somali sheikh of the Qadiriya order. The article shows how interconnected Somalis were to the rest of the Islamic world. It also shows the heated theological discussions and turmoil happening in the Islamic world at that time, with the rise of colonialism, the Salafi movement and the Sufi revivers like Sayid Muhamad. Al Qudubi famously criticised Sayid Muhammad Cabdullah Hassan in the book and he warned against unjust takfir, the issues contested by Somalis today. What I find interested is that the book was signed off by a scholar from Azhar, who happened to be another Somali.

Shaykh Abdullahi al-Qutbi and the pious believer's dilemma: local moral guidance in an age of global Islamic reform

Shaykh Abdullahi al-Qutbi and the pious believer's dilemma: local moral guidance in an age of global Islamic reform

www.academia.edu

Al Qudubi seemed to accuse some Somalis of mixing camel milk with blood. An exaggeration or an actual practice?

He described sheykh ibn tamima as a "barking dog" and said the killing of a salihi is better in God's eye then the killing of 100 kuffars?!

 

[Riftvalley]

He described sheykh ibn tamima as a "barking dog" and said the killing of a salihi is better in God's eye then the killing of 100 kuffars?!

Th ibn Taymiyyah quote isn’t surprising.

As for the salihiya, Qudubis teacher was Sheikh Aweys who was killed by Salihiya Dervishes in what was considered to be one of the most henious crimes in Somali history. Still, if he wrote that he was no better than them.

 

[Laser]

Th ibn Taymiyyah quote isn’t surprising.

As for the salihiya, Qudubis teacher was Sheikh Aweys who was killed by Salihiya Dervishes in what was considered to be one of the most henious crimes in Somali history. Still, if he wrote that he was no better than them.

Salihi and qadiri beef in somalia should get it's own movie.

 

[Riftvalley]

Salihi and qadiri beef in somalia should get it's own movie.

I am not actually sure what the actual theological differences between them are. There aren’t that many of them left these days. Sayid lost a lot of support when his people killed the Sheikh Aweys and also when he assassinated the Dhulbahante clan elder.

My interest is more around the Shafi’i madhab though rather than the issues between three groups.

 

[Laser]

I am not actually sure what the actual theological differences between them are. There aren’t that many of them left these days. Sayid lost a lot of support when his people killed the Sheikh Aweys and also when he assassinated the Dhulbahante clan elder.

Huge difference, Qadiri suufis are still around but idk about salihis tho. The dhulbahante clan elder assassination was like in the beginning of the war he recovered from it + sheikh uways adherents didn't like sayyid from the very beginning.

My interest is more around the Shafi’i madhab though rather than the issues between three groups.

Interestingly some claim sayyid was a hanbali

 

[Riftvalley]

Huge difference, Qadiri suufis are still around but idk about salihis tho. The dhulbahante clan elder assassination was like in the beginning of the war he recovered from it + sheikh uways adherents didn't like sayyid from the very beginning.

Interestingly some claim sayyid was a hanbali
View attachment 326139

I doubt any Somalis were following Hanabila madhab at that time apart from those influenced by Salafiya, whom the Sayid famously called Nijaas Wahaabiyo. He may differed in some positions with traditional Somalis sufis of the shafici madhab.

 

[Shangani]

Huge difference, Qadiri suufis are still around but idk about salihis tho. The dhulbahante clan elder assassination was like in the beginning of the war he recovered from it + sheikh uways adherents didn't like sayyid from the very beginning.

Interestingly some claim sayyid was a hanbali
View attachment 326139

There both still present throughout Somalia, especially southern Somalia. They have ziyaros in Xamar and most southern cities Salahiya have a large ziyaro in Basra every year and Qadariyas are everywhere

 

[Riftvalley]

There both still present throughout Somalia, especially southern Somalia. They have ziyaros in Xamar and most southern cities Salahiya have a large ziyaro in Basra every year and Qadariyas are everywhere

The dudes up north with the slit in their hair known as xer, are they qadiriyah or salihiya?

 

[Yami]

The dudes up north with the slit in their hair known as xer, are they qadiriyah or salihiya?

If you’re referring to the Timoweyn they’re qadiriyah