Akan Institute

Afrika and Islam

What is the Source of
Islamic Culture?

Source of Islamic Culture

The world’s religions originated in Asia. This is certainly the sentiment among many scholars, but what do they mean if they say the world religions originated in Asia? By Asia, they mean ancient Egypt or the region called meddle east today. Truthfully, this is where civilisation like religion began. Started by the original people of the planet, Afrikans. The landmass now called the Middle East is one of the oldest continuously living places on the planet. First inhabited by the original cultures of the world, Afrikans.
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Many argue that indeed, it was the ancient Egyptians who originated the three prominent religions of the world today, but who were the ancient Egyptians? They were, of course, Afrikans. Afrikans originated the three main religions in the world today. it was out of the culture of Afrikans that birthed not only the three main religions but also Buddhism and Hinduism.

SALAT

Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam that every Muslim must perform, which comprises of five different prayers from before sunrise to right after sunset. During these prayers, Muslims perform some postures which are all taken from the cultures of the ancient Egyptians or  Afrikans.
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When Muslims bow to pray with their hands on their knees, it is known as ruku, in the Akan language, one will say Ku-tu which means to bow, bend or kneel. These postures are done normally in the presence of ruling elites when one goes to see the King, you are expected to bow. These Afrikan and Egyptian cultural practices gave birth to the cultural practices of Islam. Kun, in the Akan language, means to bend. Kun w၁ mu, bend or bow down which became Ruku or bow in Arabic. There are three postures, qiyam (standing), Ruku (bowing) and Sajdah, which is prostration. 
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Sajdah, which is considered extreme prostration, is derived from Afrikan cultural practice and the Akan word, Aseda. In the Akan language, Aseda means thanksgiving. It is a  compound word consisting of ase (beneath) and da, which means to lie or sleep. From Aseda comes the Islamic terms sajdah (saj, beneath) and dah (lie). When Muslims bow with their face to the ground, they are lying beneath (to thank Allah), for what he has done in their lives. This will be called Aseda (lying beneath) or Sajdah in Arabic.
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These are all Afrikan cultural practices that one performs in the presence of royalties, dignitaries or elderly persons. In most Afrikan cultures, one is expected to bow before their elders when greeting their elders or people of higher stature. Aseda (sajdah) is performed to show gratitude to any person who has granted you favour. The concept or practices of bowing is also prevalent in most Asian cultures as these are universal concepts observed by Afrikan and indigenous cultures around the world, and it is through these ancient cultural practices, that gave rise to these religious practices in Islam.

Picture of an ancient Egyptian statue depicting a Muslim prayer pose.
Another picture of an ancient Egyptian statue depicting a muslim prayer pose.

In many Afrikan cultures, we bow, to show respect, admiration or appreciation to someone. In the English language, one will say thank you. This translates as aseda, in the Akan language, which means, I lie beneath you. (as in I lie beneath you, to exalt you, for what you have done for me). Me da wo ase. When Muslims bow and prostrate during prayers, it is to give thanks (aseda) and gratitude to the creator. All are derived from Afrikan cultures.

SAJDAH

Sahdaj is not Islamic in origin, like most Islamic cultures, it is deep-rooted in Afrikan cultures. The practice of prostration can be found in many cultures around the world. Kou tou in Chinese Mandarin is, to be excessively subservient, to kneel and touch the ground with the forehead in worship or in submission. Kou tou in Mandarin is the root and origins of the English word kowtow. Which is also related to the Akan term kᴐto, which means to bow.
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They are all derived from mε da ase, which means, to lie beneath in worship or in submission to and more importantly, as a form of thanksgiving, and showing appreciation to a person, or a deity.

Muslim form of prayer, prostration, as first done by the ancient egytians.
Three men in prostration, a form of muslim prayer pose.
In our Afrikan cultures, we bow to show respect, admiration or gratitude to a higher authority. Ase Da

ABLUTION

Water purifies and the use of water as a form of purification, is not once again, Islamic in origin, like most cultural practices in Islam, they are taken from the cultures of the oldest cultures in the world, Afrikan and indigenous cultures. In India, people go to the Ganges to purify themselves, in most rural Afrika, people troop to the riverside for this exact same purpose, to cleanse and purify themselves.
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It behoves a person to purify themselves every now and then, physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and the use of water is the only means to purify one’s physical self. Islamic culture is taken from the oldest culture in the world.

DUA

In Akan culture, dua b၁  is supplication. It is a solemn plea where you speak humbly and earnestly into the universe seeking help and assistance. When all human justice systems have failed you and you have been wrongly accused. This is your last resort. A cry, a plea into the universe to exact justice on your behalf. From here comes dua, in Islamic culture, which is the prayer of invocation, supplication or request asking God for help and assistance.
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This is also known as ugo na ofor in the culture of the Igbo people. It is the last form of justice when all human justice systems have wrongly failed you. You cry to the universe for help and assistance.

Dua bo, a cry. A plea to the universe to exact justice on your behalf.

HALAL

In most Afrikan cultures, we have what the Akan people call Kra-Boa, which is, spirit animal. These are totemic totems most Afrikan tribes have. These totems either represent the people (tribe) as a whole or represent the clans who make up the various tribes. Totems come in many forms; some as animals, others as plants, rivers, some come in the form of rocks and other elements found in nature. If your totem is an animal, you must not kill that animal. You must not destroy that animal and you must not consume that animal. You give the animal the right burial if you see or find it dead or dying.
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In most Afrikan cultures, plant life, animal life, human life and other natural elements such as water and inanimate objects such as rocks, are all seen to be a part of the same entity, Ab၁dea or Creation. So you do not wantonly destroy all that makeup of creation. The reverence of nature is prominent in not just Afrikan cultures but also, indigenous cultures around the world and from these ancient concepts and ways of living, comes the notion of halal and kosher.
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Animals have to be killed only for the right reasons such as food, and even then, they have to be killed as humanly as possible or under certain circumstances such as when your life is endangered by the animal. You only take life to preserve life. When killing an animal, the blood of the animal must be split to the ground and covered with soil. This was observed by most Afrikan cultures, the blood of the animal must always be buried into the ground and as it is seen as unclean. Halal like Kosher are all derived from ancient Afrikan dietary and cultural laws. 
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In Kongo cosmology, this is conceptualised as Nkisi, presented in the form of a doll, a doll which encapsulates, the animal life, the plant life, the human life and mineral life, as one and the same, so there is an important need to cater for all and view all these life forms as one and the same, so when you kill an animal, it has to be for the right reasons and done humanely as possible. This practice is certainly prevalent in most if not all Afrikan cultures. The advent of Islam and Christianity has undermined most of the ancient practises. This is also true for most indigenous cultures found around the world who lived harmoniously with nature and the world around them, as exemplified by the San people in this short excerpt.

Halal is based on Afrikan dietary needs where you must not consume certain animals or even kill them.

ETYMOLOGY OF THE TERM ISLAM

Here are some preambles. Osram means the moon. The moon is an important iconography in Islam. The meaning of the term Islam means peace or submission. These should certainly bring us to our mean question and objective. What is the etymology of the term Islam? Why does the moon play an important role in Islamic iconography? 

Osram in the Akan language is the moon. Osram is the root and origin of the term Islam. Osram (the moon) is peaceful in nature compared to its significant other, the sun and unlike the sun, you submit to the moon. You sit under the moonlight willingly. In Afrikan and indigenous cultures, we sit under the moonlight to tell stories (not so much under the harsh sun).
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In languages certain alphabets can be interchanged, the letter R and L are prime examples, Letter K and H being another. Osram, Islam. It is believed that the term Islam is derived from the words aslama or salam which denotes peace. This is false etymology, and even then both words are cognate with and derived from the word osram. The word Islam denotes peace or submission, because the root word is osram, which means the moon, and the moon is more peaceful and calm in nature compared to its significant other, the sun. 
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Another name for the moon is Dwo, which means calm, peaceful, tranquillity. Dwo-da is Monday, which means, the day of peace or the day of the moon. The moon is to Islam what the sun is to Christianity. A symbolic representation of each other.

Islam denotes peace or submission because the root word is Osram, which is the moon, and the moon is peaceful in nature.

THE EARLY ARABS

Painting of a muslim and arab in a fancy turban.

Leon Fortunski - Portrait of an Oriental Man

A painting depicting of a north African man in a turban. Painting by Johann Viktor Kramer.

Johan Viktor Kramer - Portrait of a north African

Portrait of an Arab. Painting by Horace Vernet.

Horace Vernet - Nubian Man

“The Nubians are mostly of Arabian descent and chiefly Mohammedans (Muslims) They are perfectly black with thick lips”

The Afrikan influence on Islam is not only in culture. Indeed, one can make the argument that the early Arabs were people of Afrikan descent or will be classified as Afrikans in today racial discourse. Certainly, the depiction of the early Arabs in Oriental European Paintings seems to paint such a picture. Below are a few descriptions of the Arab occupying the northern parts of Afrika. Once called the Mohammedans, they were described as,
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“The Nubians are mostly of Arabian descent and chiefly Mohammedans (Muslims) They are perfectly black with thick lips” 
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This is documented in the book, Geography on the Productive System by Roswell Chamberlain Smith, which can be found on Google Books. The perfectly black Arabs, as described above, were the most numerous in Egypt with the Turks (Ottoman) being the ruling elite and was so until the succession of Egypt by European forces right before, during and after both the first and second world wars. 
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Another description of the north Afrikan occupants from the same book mentioned above, “The inhabitants consist of four classes. 1st the Moors, the ruling people and also the most numerous. 2dly, the Jews, who live in cities and control the trade. 3dly the Arabs who generally lead a wandering life, 4thly the Berbers or brebers.
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The Brebers or Berbers are the supposed descendants of the original people from whom the country is said to be named”. The word “Berber'' or “breber” is a corruption of Bibini, which in the Akan language denotes a person of Afrikan descent, a black, a person of a darker hue. The Afrikan roots of Islam as well as the Arab people. The composition of most Arabs in north Afrika, today, comes from the Turks and Europeans who occupied north Afrika from the beginning of the 19th century. The term Arab is not a racial disposition but cultural.

Afrika Seeded the Middle East.

A person from Afghanistan is known as Afghani. A person from Pakistan is known as Pakistani. A person from Oman is known as Omani, from Yemen, Yemeni. A question. What is the etymology of the term ni? In what language does this term come from? 
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Ni is an Akan term that denotes, a person of, or, a person from. It is the short form of the term nipa, which means, good human. The good human from Zulu, Zulu-ni. The good human of Fula, Fula-ni. The good human from Papua, Papua-ni. Indeed in Ghana and in the Akan/Twi language today, people of other nationalities are referred to as, China-ni, America-ni, Nigeria-ni, Togo-ni.
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So we revisit our question. What is the etymology of the term ni, which is prevalent all throughout Asia and also finds its way into the Latin and now the Italian language?

islamic terminologies

Mahdi in Islam means, the guided one, a redeemer of Islam. The word Mahdi is derived from the root Akan word Di ma, (which is reversed). Di ma in Akan language means to intercede on the behalf of another. Odimafo, therefore, will mean, a saviour or a person who intercedes on the behalf of another or a people.
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Sunna means living traditions of a community. In the Akan language, we say Suban, which means, character or habits, of a person, an individual, society or a community.
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Hadith means oral teaching (of the Prophet Mohammed.) In the Akan language, we say akade or kade which means utterances or sayings, something that is uttered. The alphabets K and H are interchangeable letters so hadith, akade or kade are all one and the same thing.
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Ummah is a community or society in Arabic. In the Akan language, we say ၁man which also means a community, society or nation. 
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Quran means recitation. Koran is cognate to the Akan term kenkan , akenkan or kan which all means to recite or recitation.

Arabic. A composition of Afrikan languages, just as Islam is composed of Afrikan spiritual and cultural practices.

Many take Arabic to be an original language, just as they take Islam to be an original religion or teachings. Arabic is a composition of Afrikan languages, just as Islam is composed of Afrikan spiritual and cultural practices. Below are some examples of the similarities between the Arabic and Afrikan languages, especially the Akan language. Afrikan origins of Islam is not only cultural but also in linguistics.
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Meat is lahm in Arabic. Is it nam in the Akan, nyama in the Isizulu or nama in the setwena.
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Kitaab is a book. Krataa is a document or paper.
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Sikken is a knife. Sikane in the Akan language also means knife.Desert, Sahara. Desert esere.
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Khatam means to seal. Katum means, close, in the Akan language.
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Si in Arabic is teeth. Se or ese in the Akan language is teeth.
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Awlad/walad means boy or boys in Arabic. Owura/owula means boy or young man. Ewura is a young woman in the Akan language.
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Ulama in the Ekegusii language means those who are learned in matters of religion. Ulema, Arabic, scholarly elite.
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Kalam means theology in Arabic. Kalama means the same in Bantu languages.
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Ra/re in the isiZulu language means top or head. Ra’s, in Arabic, is head or chief. 
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Ba, Akan, means child. Bana, Sesotho, child. Bana, Arabic Daughter. Abn also means son. 
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Forno means oven in the Fante dialect, which is the same with Arabic. 
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Water in Arabic is ma’an and water in the following Afrikan languages and Hebrew. Swahili (mayi). Lingala (mai). Luba (magi). Gikuyu (mai) Ga (ayin). Hebrew (Mayim).
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Somali and Swahili are the few languages purported to have been derived or influenced by Arabic but then Arabic also shares words with other Afrikan languages. Afrikan languages are also older than the Arabic language, so how can Arabic influence Afrikan languages? Traces of Arabic can be found in the Kikongo, Lingala, Yoruba, Igbo, the Isizulu and many other languages found in Afrikan. Some Afrikan languages can be traced back to Greek and Latin as well as Sanskrit, and all these three languages are older than Arabic, so how then can Arabic influence Afrikan languages? Arabic, like other European languages, was influenced by the oldest languages in the world, which are Afrikan.

Meat is lahm in Arabic. Is it nam in the Akan, nyama in the Isizulu or nama in the setwena.

Kitaab is a book. Krataa is a document or paper.

‍Sikken is a knife. Sikane in the Akan language also means knife.

Desert, sahara. Desert esere.

Khatam means to seal. Katum means, close, in the Akan language.

Si in the Arabic is teeth. Se or ese in the Akan language is teeth.

Awlad/walad means boy or boys in Arabic. Owura/owula means boy or young man. Ewura is a young woman in the Akan language.

Ulama in the Ekegusii language means those who are learned in matters of religion. Ulema, Arabic, scholarly elite.

Kalam means theology in Arabic. Kalama means the same in Bantu languages.Ra/re in the isiZulu language means top or head.

Ra’s, in Arabic, is head or chief. 

‍Ba, Akan, means child. Bana, Sesotho, child. Bana, Arabic Daughter. Abn also means son. 

Forno means oven in the Fante dialect, which is the same with Arabic.

ARABIC LANGUAGE FEATURES

Arabic, like Afrikan languages, share the same language features. In some Afrikan languages, to repeat is to emphasise. Repetition means Emphasis. In most Afrikan languages, to repeat a word is to emphasise the means or importance of the word or point you are making. In Arabic, this is called the balagha, in which repetition of words is used to convey a greater emphasis and a deeper meaning. 
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Pronouns also precede adjectives in Afrikan languages and Arabic, unlike European languages where the adjectives come before pronouns. Afrikan languages like Arabic have pronouns that precede adjectives. So when we say Akwaada pa (good child) it is the same in Arabic.
In Arabic language, al denotes the which is also the same in the Akan language, the letter A is used as a prefix to also denote the. Kropon means an important or royal town, the letter A can also be added to make Akropon, which denotes the important city, the royal city. 
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Arabic is not an original language as it has been purported but rather a composition of more ancient languages which are Afrikan. This is just the tip of the iceberg and the onus is now on us as Afrikans to fully delve into, for further mpensenpensenmu, which in the Akan language means a thorough investigation. There is a European version of events. There is the Arabic or Islamic version of events and then, there is the more ancient version of events, which is Afrikan.
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Traces of Arabic can be found in the Kikongo, Lingala, Yoruba, Igbo, the Isizulu and many other languages found in Afrikan. Some Afrikan languages can be traced back to Greek and Latin as well as Sanskrit, and all these three languages are older than Arabic, so how then can Arabic influence Afrikan languages? Arabic, like other European languages, was influenced by the oldest languages in the world, which are Afrikan.

islamic cultural beliefs

Most Afrikan cultural practises are sourced or based directly on natural laws and principles. Every Islamic custom, however, is derived directly from the Koran. This certainly begs the question, before the Koran was written, what cultural practises did the Arabs practice? What is the source of Islamic culture?
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 Islam like Christianity and Judaism are all plagiarisation of ancient cultures. This can also be demonstrated in the Islamic text, the Six Articles of Islam. These articles of Islam like much of Christian doctrines are all based on ancient Afrikan philosophies and spiritual texts.
1. The belief in God.2. Believe in angels.3. Believe in prophets and messengers.4. Belief in the sacred text.5. Believe in life after death.6. Believe in divine decree.
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These decrees are not unique to Islam. All cultures around the world believed in a Godone way or the other. In our Afrikan cultures, we often hold a belief that even when animals and insects come into your homes and within close proximity of you, this could be a sign from the creator or from your ancestors. This form of manifestation can be both in human and animal form. Obofo, means messenger, they can all be a message, a sign from the creator or ancestors.

LIFE AFTER DEATH

"People of the eternal world"

Nananom Nsamanfo. This is what we call our ancestors in the Akan language. It means people of the eternal world or people from the world which does not end. The concept of life after death is prevalent in every Afrikan and indigenous culture around the world and not specific to Islam. Death is merely a transition into another world, Asamando. Again you can easily argue, it is from our very cultures that this concept in Islam was derived.

What is the Source of Islamic Culture?

So we revisit our question. What is the source of Islamic culture? And the answer is Afrikan. Islamic beliefs like ideals are sourced from the oldest culture in the world, Afrikan. All Islamic laws are derived from the Koran or the Hadith. Before these texts existed, what was the culture of the Arabs and Islam? You cannot receive revelations from the void, there has to be a framework, a cultural framework. In what language and cultural framework did Muhammed receive his revelations? All from the original cultures of the world. In our Afrikan cultures, we bow and lower ourselves to show respect, acknowledge or appreciation to someone, from here comes the various poses during prayers in Islam. The use of water as a form of purification is found in many Afrikan and indigenous cultures.
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Certainly, there is an agenda to skew the Afrikan origins of Islam and the Abrahamic religions. So today the narrative of Arab and Islamic enslavement of Afrikans for thousands of years is often pushed. A narrative that has no basis in any truth. The first and early Arabs were people of Afrikan descent. The first and early inhabitants of north Afrika were Afrikans, Abibifo. From the original inhabitants, Bibifo comes the name Brebre or Berber. And it is from here comes both the Arabic people as well as Islamic culture. These narratives only serve as ways to distort and discredit Afrikan history and the Afrika origins of the three main religions of the world, and not only that, it is also to discredit the Afrikan origins of ancient Egypt.
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The Afrikan origins of Islam also reinforce the notion of the ancient Egyptians being nothing but Afrikans. It is from ancient Egypt where the world religions were birthed, and from there Islamic teachings and ideals rose. Afrikan cultures are the foundation of Islamic cultures as well as both Christianity and Judaism, and therefore the ancient Egyptians can only be Afrikans. After all the culture and language of the ancient Egyptians can only be compatible with Afrikan and indigenous cultures.
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The history of Afrika is the history of humanity. The history of Afrika is the history of the first people, and it was Afrikans, Akanfo (the first people) that instituted the world. The world's religions Islam are all indebted to the cultures of the first and original people of Afrika.

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Afrika and Islam

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