How Waka music invites people to Allah

An Islamic scholar and the lead Imam at The Wings Schools in Iwo, Osun State, Ustaz Imam Haroun Bilal Olurode, recently made a public presentation to a distinguished audience of his findings on Themes in Selected Yoruba Waka.

The presentation came up at the CBT registration Hall of the school.

The songs were grouped into such themes as Dawah – inviting to the way of Allah, Death and Living, Trials, Peaceful Coexistence, Knowledge, Gender Differences, Marriage, Socialisation and Care of Vulnerable Groups in Society.

The author and writer emphasised the civil nature of Islam and the wisdom of early Muslims and clerics in Yorubaland, who employ scientific methodology in inviting people to the cause of Allah

He decried the use of force in Islamic evangelism and maintained that this was foreign to Islam.

The royal guest at the occasion was the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdurrasheed Adewale Akanbi, who commended the role of scholars in propagating Islam and particularly the special place of waka songs as a great innovation in inviting people to the path of Allah.

Oluwo recalled that waka songs soften the hard, biting, scathing and direct message of preaching and make them to sink and memorable.

An expert in Islamic science and jurisprudence, Dr. Bilal Sirojudeen Al-Asrau, who is the proprietor of Inayyathullah Groups of Schools, chaired the event.

In his opening remarks, Al-Asrau commended the author for researching into a most difficult but insightful topic in Islam.

He admitted that the Qur’an never erased the significant place of music in religious promptings and that it is well justified as a rational mode of using wisdom to invite people to the path of Allah.

He acknowledged the author’s contribution as a novelty and urged him to quickly complete the research work.

A former governorship candidate under the African Democratic Party, ADP, Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti, praised the author, saying that music is equally helpful in political mobilisation. Music in religion, according to Adeoti, “is a peaceful weapon and shouldn’t be discarded.”