ISLAM FOR BEGINNERS BRS 107.pdf - CUEA

very prominent and successful in Africa, especially in the North, West and East for variousreasons. The establishment of facts in this matter is always a difficult task; the truth aboutIslamic Brotherhoods remains questionable and sometimes controversial. Here are themajor ones:Sufism with its emphasis on renowned religious knowledge, piety and miracle-working;Qadiriyya with its tolerance and moral rectitude; Shadihiliyya with its political awareness;Tijaniyya taken as the supporter of enculturation, Idrisiyya with its emphasis onrenaissance and expansion of Islam; Sanussiya and Khatmiyya characterized by itsascetic way of life; Ahmadiyya with its vibrant centers for learning have made their wayinto Africa, especially in Western and Eastern parts. It is in these Brotherhoods that wemeet the majority of African Muslims. Wahhabism is another old Brotherhood in SaudiArabia but also present in Africa. Historically, Wahhabis call themselves “al-Muwahhiddun” (the monotheists). They advocates a fundamentalist, puritanical andlegalistic stance in matters of faith and religious practice for the restoration of pure Islamdistorted by a number of new practices such as invoking any prophet, saint or angel inprayer, other than God alone; grave worship, whether to saints'graves or the prophet'sgrave, celebrating annual feasts for dead saints, wearing of charms, and believing in theirhealing power, practicing magic or going to witches for healing , erecting elaboratemonuments over any grave. According to Wahhab and Wahhabi , all these practices aremerely forms of polytheism or idolatry. Maitatsine movement (in the North of Nigeria)known to be very radical or violent, for the number of riots, killings and destruction itsmembers have carried out in 1980 and 1984. Muridiyya or Muridism (Senegal), which istaken as a new African way of following the recommendations of the Qur’ân.Nevertheless, all Muslims are not fundamentalist. Although Shi’ites tend to be moreradical, the average Muslim is like the average Christian. Fundamentalists call themselvesMuslims, but basically they are materialistic, want a good job, and hope to live a goodcomfortable life. The fundamentalist Muslims are somehow disapproved of and disownedby some of their brothers. Three groups emerge nowadays in Islam.Frederic N. Mvumbi,OP Page 80 of 85