Africa : AFRICA 1492 AD

Pillars in Ethiopian History

Wow! Thank you for the references.

Dr. Frances Cress Welsing
Neely Fuller
Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannen
Dr. John Henrik Clarke
Dr. Chancellor Williams
Drusilla Dunjee Houston ["Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cu****e Empire".]
Cheik Anta Diop
Dr. Amos Wilson
Dr. Marimba Ani

I've put them in a list format so that I can refer back to this by and by. You've also mentioned "Barashango" and right after you provided him and Dr. Chancellor, I immediately did some internet research on them. Although like me [my birth name], "Barashango's" name becomes 'a question mark' in my mind because based upon my research, it is of an eastern origin! :10500:...

So, I try to keep that in mind when I research and look for the positive parts of ancient BLACK HISTORY all across the globe. I really agree with Barashango's views on the little bit that I have already read about him. He is so awesome! And as you have said in regards to Cheik Anto Diop, his bonds with a white woman makes me leary but, I'm so interested in his approach because of his SCIENCE BACKGROUND. So many Black scholars and socialist present such a DOUBLE STANDARD when they are linked with the white oppressors in relationships. But still, I try to hear their messages of BLACK UNITY and try to see if that is their true passion!? We all have to work out our salvation and maybe these issues will surface and will be dealt with in the near future.

I'm extemely interested in Drusilla Dunjee Houston ["Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cush3te Empire".], because she used the very Biblical name of CUSH in conjuction with ETHIOPIAN and therefore, I suspect her research has got to be dynamic. In my opinion the white man and woman has done such a fabulous work on separating BLACKS from the BIBLE byway of word-name usage so that they could 'make white idols' and erase the BLACK PRESENCE IN THE BIBLE and this has caused so much confusion.

When Imhotep is thought of in the secular since, he is just 'A BLACK MAN WITH NO FAMILY, NO OTHER LINKS TO THE PAST' but when NOAH is thought of, he has a family, a history, a Birthdate, death date, and a direct connection to SETH, the Black presence in the Bible. White people have benefited from the history of IMHOTEP and during the AGE OF DEMOCRACY when the WHITE GREEKS began to make white idols of ancient black gods, Imhotep became made in the image of white and called ASKLEPION [AS means WHITE] and in this way, white people could accept Imhotep. But they will never accept Imhotep with a Black wife, three Black [Seti] sons and BLACK HISTORY...They don't want to admit that they came from IMHOTEP...A Black man with a Black wife.

I think this is why my approach to Black History in connection with the Bible has sparked so much anger and controversy. Some black people believe in Imhotep being black and they don't mind that he has no family, birthdate, death date...And they think that Noah is some old white man with straight hair, a beard and a white family...

In my opinion, the white man and woman has done a perfect job of separating Black history from the Bible and it is a detriment to all humanity. But I also believe that the truth will prevail despite my opinions and white peoples motives of Black Genocide. There's a higher power in control and he knows how to win!

Thank you again Sister BLaklioness for your references and your interest in my research.

Must reading relative to your specific interest in Kush.
PILLARS IN ETHIOPIAN HISTORY,The William Leo Hansberry African History
Notebook, Volume I Edited by Joseph E. Harris
Taken from William Leo Hansberry's private papers the four essays in
Volume I, better described as narrative histories, decipher and remove
from the entanglement of myth, legend and spurious historical
documentation the pillars of Ethiopia's unity. The editor, Joseph Harris,
is the former chairman of the Department of History at Howard University.

AFRICA AND AFRICANS AS SEEN BY CLASSICAL WRITERS, The William Leo
Hansberry African History Notebook Volume II Edited by Joseph E. harris
volume II of the William Leo Hansberry Notebook interprets, classical
comments about Africa and Africans. William Leo Hansberry is considered
by many to be the father of African Studies in the United States. During
the thirty-seven years that Hansberry taught at Howard University, he laid
the foundations for the systematic study of African History culture and
politics.
 
DECLINE AND ISOLATION

1492: A heavy immigration of about 1 million Jewish and Muslim refugees from Spain brings on a strong economic growth in Morocco.Questions: Who were these "Jews" and where in Africa are they today? What role did they play in African society beginning in 1492? Where any of them among the "slaves" who were brought to the "new World"?

I think that now I need to make some connections between Jewish mysticism and a group of Islamic mystics who also have been scattered through the African Diaspora, prior to the Triangular Trade. Many of these Black folks were taken to Persian (modern Iran) from settlements in Eastern Africa, while others made their way into North East Africa, and eventually southern Europe, and prior to the East African trade actually are genetically linked to the race known as the Grimaldi, who left Egypt (Kemet) and eventually settled in what was known as Galicia. These are the peole whose REMNANT today are adherents of Sufism, specifically those who reside in Somalia (the Biblical Puanit, Punt), Persia (Iran) and Iraq (Baghdad is the seat of ancient Babylon).

Religious orders have played a significant role in Somali Islam. The rise of these orders (turuq; sing., tariqa, "way" or "path") was connected with the development of Sufism, a mystical current in Islam that began during the ninth and tenth centuries and reached its height during the twelfth and thirteenth. In Somalia Sufi orders appeared in towns during the fifteenth century and rapidly became a revitalizing force. Followers of Sufism seek a closer personal relationship to God through special spiritual disciplines. Escape from self is facilitated by poverty, seclusion, and other forms of self-denial. Members of Sufi orders are commonly called dervishes (from the Persian plural, daraawish; sing., darwish, one who gave up worldly concerns to dedicate himself to the service of God and community). Leaders of branches or congregations of these orders are given the Arabic title shaykh, a term usually reserved for these learned in Islam and rarely applied to ordinary wadaddo.

Dervishes wandered from place to place, teaching and begging. They are best known for their ceremonies, called dhikr, in which states of visionary ecstasy are induced by group- chanting of religious texts and by rhythmic gestures, dancing, and deep breathing. The object is to free oneself from the body and to be lifted into the presence of God. Dervishes have been important as founders of agricultural religious communities called jamaat (sing., jamaa). A few of these were home to celibate men only, but usually the jamaat were inhabited by families. Most Somalis were nominal members of Sufi orders but few underwent the rigors of devotion to the religious life, even for a short time.
 
The Roots of Sufism in Somalia

I think that now I need to make some connections between Jewish mysticism and a group of Islamic mystics who also have been scattered through the African Diaspora, prior to the Triangular Trade. Many of these Black folks were taken to Persian (modern Iran) from settlements in Eastern Africa, while others made their way into North East Africa, and eventually southern Europe, and prior to the East African trade actually are genetically linked to the race known as the Grimaldi, who left Egypt (Kemet) and eventually settled in what was known as Galicia. These are the peole whose REMNANT today are adherents of Sufism, specifically those who reside in Somalia (the Biblical Puanit, Punt), Persia (Iran) and Iraq (Baghdad is the seat of ancient Babylon).

Religious orders have played a significant role in Somali Islam. The rise of these orders (turuq; sing., tariqa, "way" or "path") was connected with the development of Sufism, a mystical current in Islam that began during the ninth and tenth centuries and reached its height during the twelfth and thirteenth. In Somalia Sufi orders appeared in towns during the fifteenth century and rapidly became a revitalizing force. Followers of Sufism seek a closer personal relationship to God through special spiritual disciplines. Escape from self is facilitated by poverty, seclusion, and other forms of self-denial. Members of Sufi orders are commonly called dervishes (from the Persian plural, daraawish; sing., darwish, one who gave up worldly concerns to dedicate himself to the service of God and community). Leaders of branches or congregations of these orders are given the Arabic title shaykh, a term usually reserved for these learned in Islam and rarely applied to ordinary wadaddo.

Dervishes wandered from place to place, teaching and begging. They are best known for their ceremonies, called dhikr, in which states of visionary ecstasy are induced by group- chanting of religious texts and by rhythmic gestures, dancing, and deep breathing. The object is to free oneself from the body and to be lifted into the presence of God. Dervishes have been important as founders of agricultural religious communities called jamaat (sing., jamaa). A few of these were home to celibate men only, but usually the jamaat were inhabited by families. Most Somalis were nominal members of Sufi orders but few underwent the rigors of devotion to the religious life, even for a short time.

Three Sufi orders were prominent in Somalia. In order of their introduction into the country, they were the Qadiriyah, the Ahmadiyah-Idrisiyah, and the Salihiyah. The Rifaiyah, an offshoot of the Qadiriyah, was represented mainly among Arabs resident in Mogadishu.

The Qadiriyah, the oldest order in Islam, was founded in Baghdad by Abd al Qadir al Jilani in 1166 and introduced into Harer (Ethiopia) in the fifteenth century. During the eighteenth century, it was spread among the Oromo and Somalis of Ethiopia, often under the leadership of Somali shaykhs. Its earliest known advocate in northern Somalia was Shaykh Abd ar Rahman az Zeilawi, who died in 1883. At that time, Qadiriyah adherents were merchants in the ports and elsewhere. In a separate development, the Qadiriyah order also spread into the southern Somali port cities of Baraawe and Mogadishu at an uncertain date. In 1819 Shaykh Ibrahim Hassan Jebro acquired land on the Jubba River and established a religious center in the form of a farming community, the first Somali jamaa.

Outstanding figures of the Qadiriyah in Somalia included Shaykh Awes Mahammad Baraawi (d. 1909), who spread the teaching of the order in the southern interior. He wrote much devotional poetry in Arabic and attempted to translate traditional hymns from Arabic into Somali, working out his own phonetic system. Another was Shaykh Abdirrahman Abdullah of Mogadishu, who stressed deep mysticism. Because of his reputation for sanctity, his tomb at Mogadishu became a pilgrimage center for the Shabeelle area and his writings continued to be circulated by his followers in the early 1990s.

The Ahmadiyah-Idrisiyah order was founded by Ahmad ibn Idris al Fasi (1760-1837) of Mecca. It was brought to Somalia by Shaykh Ali Maye Durogba of Merca, a distinguished poet who joined the order during a pilgrimage to Mecca. His visions and the miracles attributed to him gained him a reputation for sanctity, and his tomb became a popular objective among pilgrims. The AhmadiyahIdrisiyah , the smallest of the three orders, has few ritual requirements beyond some simple prayers and hymns. During its ceremonies, however, participants often go into trances.

A conflict over the leadership of the Ahmadiyah-Idrisiyah among its Arab founders led to the establishment of the Salihiyah in 1887 by Muhammad ibn Salih. The order spread first among the Somalis of the Ogaden area of Ethiopia, who entered Somalia about 1880. The Salihiyah's most active proselytizer was Shaykh Mahammad Guled ar Rashidi, who became a regional leader. He settled among the Shidle people (Bantu-speakers occupying the middle reaches of the Shabeelle River), where he obtained land and established a jamaa. Later he founded another jamaa among the Ajuran (a section of the Hawiye clanfamily ) and then returned to establish still another community among the Shidle before his death in 1918. Perhaps the best known Somali Salihiyah figure was Mahammad Abdille Hasan, leader of a lengthy resistance to the British until 1920.

Generally, the Salihiyah and the Ahmadiyah-Idrisiyah leaders were more interested in the establishment of jamaat along the Shabeelle and Jubba rivers and the fertile land between them than in teaching because few were learned in Islam. Their early efforts to establish farming communities resulted in cooperative cultivation and harvesting and some effective agricultural methods. In Somalia's riverine region, for example, only jamaat members thought of stripping the brush from areas around their fields to reduce the breeding places of tsetse flies.
 
Why are the mention of Sufism in Somalia and Persia Important?

For the simple fact that it is these two cultures, with common lineages, that were largely responsible for spreading a "mystical" form of Islam that was NON-ARABIC in character. It was, and remains to day the dominant branch of Islam today in Somalia, and the Somalis have a long history of resistance against the various Sunni sects descendant from "Arabia".

The backgrounds of modern Somalia and Iran also are relative in helping to explain the present conflict with western Christian nations who are threatening their soverignty, with the aid of various Sunni sects....as I shall explain later...
 
Sufism in West Africa

Three Sufi orders were prominent in Somalia. In order of their introduction into the country, they were the Qadiriyah, the Ahmadiyah-Idrisiyah, and the Salihiyah. The Rifaiyah, an offshoot of the Qadiriyah, was represented mainly among Arabs resident in Mogadishu.

The Qadiriyah, the oldest order in Islam, was founded in Baghdad by Abd al Qadir al Jilani in 1166 and introduced into Harer (Ethiopia) in the fifteenth century. During the eighteenth century, it was spread among the Oromo and Somalis of Ethiopia, often under the leadership of Somali shaykhs. Its earliest known advocate in northern Somalia was Shaykh Abd ar Rahman az Zeilawi, who died in 1883. At that time, Qadiriyah adherents were merchants in the ports and elsewhere. In a separate development, the Qadiriyah order also spread into the southern Somali port cities of Baraawe and Mogadishu at an uncertain date. In 1819 Shaykh Ibrahim Hassan Jebro acquired land on the Jubba River and established a religious center in the form of a farming community, the first Somali jamaa.

Outstanding figures of the Qadiriyah in Somalia included Shaykh Awes Mahammad Baraawi (d. 1909), who spread the teaching of the order in the southern interior. He wrote much devotional poetry in Arabic and attempted to translate traditional hymns from Arabic into Somali, working out his own phonetic system. Another was Shaykh Abdirrahman Abdullah of Mogadishu, who stressed deep mysticism. Because of his reputation for sanctity, his tomb at Mogadishu became a pilgrimage center for the Shabeelle area and his writings continued to be circulated by his followers in the early 1990s.

The Ahmadiyah-Idrisiyah order was founded by Ahmad ibn Idris al Fasi (1760-1837) of Mecca. It was brought to Somalia by Shaykh Ali Maye Durogba of Merca, a distinguished poet who joined the order during a pilgrimage to Mecca. His visions and the miracles attributed to him gained him a reputation for sanctity, and his tomb became a popular objective among pilgrims. The AhmadiyahIdrisiyah , the smallest of the three orders, has few ritual requirements beyond some simple prayers and hymns. During its ceremonies, however, participants often go into trances.

A conflict over the leadership of the Ahmadiyah-Idrisiyah among its Arab founders led to the establishment of the Salihiyah in 1887 by Muhammad ibn Salih. The order spread first among the Somalis of the Ogaden area of Ethiopia, who entered Somalia about 1880. The Salihiyah's most active proselytizer was Shaykh Mahammad Guled ar Rashidi, who became a regional leader. He settled among the Shidle people (Bantu-speakers occupying the middle reaches of the Shabeelle River), where he obtained land and established a jamaa. Later he founded another jamaa among the Ajuran (a section of the Hawiye clanfamily ) and then returned to establish still another community among the Shidle before his death in 1918. Perhaps the best known Somali Salihiyah figure was Mahammad Abdille Hasan, leader of a lengthy resistance to the British until 1920.

Generally, the Salihiyah and the Ahmadiyah-Idrisiyah leaders were more interested in the establishment of jamaat along the Shabeelle and Jubba rivers and the fertile land between them than in teaching because few were learned in Islam. Their early efforts to establish farming communities resulted in cooperative cultivation and harvesting and some effective agricultural methods. In Somalia's riverine region, for example, only jamaat members thought of stripping the brush from areas around their fields to reduce the breeding places of tsetse flies.

Why are the mention of Sufism in Somalia and Persia Important?

For the simple fact that it is these two cultures, with common lineages, that were largely responsible for spreading a "mystical" form of Islam that was NON-ARABIC in character. It was, and remains to day the dominant branch of Islam today in Somalia, and the Somalis have a long history of resistance against the various Sunni sects descendant from "Arabia".

The backgrounds of modern Somalia and Iran also are relative in helping to explain the present conflict with western Christian nations who are threatening their soverignty, with the aid of various Sunni sects....as I shall explain later...

The largest groups of Sufi associations in West Africa are the Qadiri, the Tijani, the Mouride and Sammaniyya a branch of the Halveti Order. These orders were traditionally the leading resistance to social corruption, colonial rule and tyranny, such as the case with the Sanusi Sufi Order founded by Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi and the Sammaniya, who led a revolt against Egyptian and British colonial rule in the Sudan.

Historically Sufism in West Africa has also played a significant role in the lives of women and women’s education. For example Nana Asma’u, a Fulani woman and daughter of well known Qadiri Shaykh, Uthman dan Fodio (who was also an initiate into the Naqshbandi Order), was an Islamic scholar of her own right. Asma’u was familiar with al-Ghazali’s treatise on the Duties of Brotherhood, a classic work of the highest degree. This treatise advises the devout Muslim on eight specific obligations toward his or her community members: material assistance, personal aid, holding one’s tongue, speaking out, forgiveness, prayer, loyalty and sincerity and affording relief from discomfort and inconvenience. And there were examples of the Sunnah of Muhammad (alayhi salatu wa sallim) to support these elements of society. Asma’u and her students promoted these principles in their own community speaking on the roles of women in society. By teaching women, Asma’u was by extension training whole families in orthodox Sufi practices that focused on following the Qur’an and Sunnah.
 

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