Religious Beliefs of the Fulani Essay Example

The Fulani are the world's largest nomadic group who reside in West Africa in countries like Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Senegal, and Niger. Their nomadic nature has also resulted in their spread to other neighboring countries too. Numbering 38 to 40 million people, the group is well known in West Africa and beyond and have an influential role in political, economic and religious advancement in West Africa. This paper explores the religious beliefs of the Fulani people and how it has evolved (McKenna, 2010).

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The Fulani people were the earliest group of Africans to convert to Islam. Islam has been a characteristic feature of the region ever since the conversion happened between the 8th and 14th centuries. Little is known about the religious beliefs of the people before the advent of Islam. It is believed that just like other African communities during the pre-Islam and pre-Christianity era, most of them found in African traditional religions or pursued pagan lives. At the onset, the Fulani speakers from a region called Takrur, an ancient state in the West African region, produced the earliest group of Muslim clerics called the Torodbe. These clerics undertook the job of converting other people from their religious affiliations into Islam.

The Fulani are one of the few communities in the world with more than 99% of its members being Muslims. Small groups of Fulani communities resisted the faith and sought to pursue their African beliefs while an even smaller population converted to Islam. The people consider themselves missionaries of the gospel in West Africa and have relentlessly spread the gospel over the years in the region. They are demonstrably strict adherents of Allah and follow the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. In the 19th century, they waged Jihadi or religious wars to resist increased taxation and other repressive measures from the political systems of the time. They resisted conscription into the military and fought to maintain their grazing lands. From these wars, there was the emergence of several Muslim theocracies such as the Sokoto caliphate. This caliphate was headed by Uthman ibn Fudi. War conquests waged by the Fulani people are responsible for the advancement of Islamic faith and influence northwards, and also for advancing political and economic dominance hence building the Fulani Empire.

As mentioned above, the Fulani people are strong adherents of Islamic teachings. They are known to pray five times every day, and most of them diligently do so. They are also known to learn the Holy Qur'an by heart which is a critical component of the Islamic faith. Most of them, especially the wealthy, strive to visit Mecca, the Islamic Holy City, at least once in their lifetimes as this is an essential pillar of the faith. Considering the level of adherence to the doctrine, everyone adheres to at least some basic levels.

In most cases, the wealthier and more powerful members of the society are also some of the strongest adherents and advocates of the faith. The practice of Islam among the people serves as a distinguishing factor and a mark of superiority from other people in the region. Islam is an important faith in the west of Sudan region and the Fulani people used it as a link with other Islamic faithful from different African tribes and outsiders, especially Arabs. In furtherance of their faith, the Fulani are renowned to have highly trained Imams and Muslim clerics who teach the tenets of the gospel. These imams are prominent members of the society and are part of the leadership class (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002).

Till now, the Fulani practice a behavior code called Pulaaku which consists of attributes such as patience, discipline, modesty, respect, self-control, prudence, respect for others, hospitality, personal responsibility, and hard work. These qualities are easily relatable to Islamic teachings. This could explain why the people were easily endeared to the faith.

Conclusion

While Islam has influenced most of the cultural aspects of the Fulani people, there are still few non-Islam traditions that are mainly borrowed from the African cultures. Several myths and rituals regard normal living and stages such as the birth of a child, naming ceremonies, cultural ceremonies, and other significant events. The community has blended African cultural components with Islamic principles, and this characterizes their lifestyle (Shillington, 2013). While the society retained their nomadic nature of the years and spread in almost every country in West Africa, segments today exist. With urbanization, there is a growing section of urban Fulani and the countryside. These urbanized populations made up lawyers, teachers, judges, and other professionals, filling up elite positions in the emerging states. The largest majority of them still pursue the nomadic life, preferring to live in hinterlands away from other communities, especially the agriculturalists (Anter, 2011). Today, the Fulani are a critical part of the western population and the advancement of Islam is directly attributed to them. With the raging modernity, the community has successfully maintained the religion and cultural practices almost intact.

References

Anter, T., (2011). Who Are the Fulani People & Their Origins? Tarig Anter on Protect & Reinvent Democracy. Retrieved 19 November 2018, from https://tariganter.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/who-are-the-fulani-people-their-origins/

McKenna, A. (Ed.). (2010). The History of Western Africa. Britannica Educational Publishing.

Shillington, K. (Ed.). (2013). Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set. Routledge.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, (2002). Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. "The Fulani/Fulbe People." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/fula_2/hd_fula_2.htm (October 2002)