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By Prof. Wande Abímbọ́lá

“After the advent of Islam in Saudi Arabia, Mali was the first country in Africa where the religion was embraced. The natives pronounce the country as Ma-le up to today; it was Europeans who spelt it Mali. Ma-le is what is called Mali. That is why the Yoruba call Islam Esin Ma-le. The Ma-le people were the first in black Africa to accept Islam into their country. It was there that the whole (black) world went to learn the religion.

“Three babalawos went to Ma-le from Otu Ife to learn the religion. Ifa talks a lot about this in Otua Meji, Baba Ma-le, Odu Kan (a certain Odu). Three babalawos referred to as Orunmila’s sons, Ganbi, Kalitu and Dawodu (names they returned with from Mali), went to Ma-le to learn the Ma-le religion. They were converted to Islam there. When they returned to Otu Ife, they made a square demarcation on the ground with four wooden sticks and then stood in the middle, prostrating and rising. Then people went to report to Orunmila we normally prostrate to the gods and raised and heads back up immediately, but now these your children who just came back from Ilu Ma-le prostrate endlessly like they would never rise again from the position. “What sort of thing have they brought back with them?” “Orunmila said as long as it was a good thing that would bring us the fortunes of prosperity, procreation and atubotan, they should carry on with it; he said “it is a good thing.” Atubotan is to grow old as I have grown old or older without going blind, deaf or senile. That is atubotan. Islam entered Yorubaland in the 11th century, that is, 1000 AD.
“Now, here is something that many people, including a lot of Muslims, do not know: for about 400 years, there existed a system of writing based on Arabic. It looked like Arabic, but it was Yoruba that was written that way. They called it Ajami. If a prominent king then like the Alaafin wanted to write to the Syrian Emir, for instance, he would invite Yoruba people who were versed in Ajami. Islam has been in Yorubaland for a very long time. “No religion is bad as long as it is about prosperity, procreation and well-being. We don’t know a religion that is bad. But when anyone says we should not practise our own religion, they want to start hostilities, and they will face the wrath of the gods.”

* Source: Nigerian Tribune