An Analysis of Arguments and Counter Arguments on the Practice of Title-Holding in a Yoruba Muslim Community

By Owoyemi Shamuwil Alade, PhD

Conferment of chieftaincy titles on members of the Muslim Community has become a recurring practice in the modern days. Title-holding is said to be an age long practice before the penetration of Islam in Yorubaland. The acceptance of Islam by Yoruba Muslims in the 19th century brought, to a large extent, a reformation on the socio-religious and cultural lives of the people. For instance, the Yoruba traditional systems of marriage, naming and burial were influenced and reformed by the teachings of Islam. However, some of Yoruba Muslims that profess Islam still retain their cultural beliefs and practices.

Consequently, there is an infiltration of Yoruba tradition and culture on certain Islamic practices including the title-holding.

Interestingly, there are arguments and counter arguments on the permissibility or otherwise of the title-holding among Islamic scholars. Title-holding, according to some scholars, can be considered as shakku (doubtful or ambiguous) matter.

Since the Prophet Muhammad advises Muslim to abstain doubtful matter, hence Muslims should keep away from title-holding. The Prophet is quoted as saying: Da’ yarbuka ila maa laa yarbukameaning “leave that which you are in doubt for that which you are in no doubt”. This implies that title-holding is an ambiguous matter and for a Muslim not to fall into an unlawful path, he has to abstain from such a practice.

The antagonists of the practice of title-holding further argue that conferment of chieftaincy titles on Muslims in a Yoruba community is a means of exploitation and extortion of money from the affluent and wealth members of the Muslim Community.

They also argue that the only recognised titles among the Muslims are those titles that are associated with mosque and these are Imam (the leader of the ritual prayers) and Mu’adhdhin (caller to prayer). Therefore, any other titles besides these two will be considered as haram or bid ‘ah (heretical innovation) which has no basis in the scriptural texts or in the history of Islam.

Hence, the opponents of the title holding submit that since bid ‘ah is strongly condemned by Prophet Muhammad, conferment of titles such as Baba Adinni, Balogun Adinni, Osupa Adinni, Arowasi and Ajanasi in a Yoruba Muslim Community should be considered as an act of bid‘ah (heretical innovation) due to the fact that the aforementioned titles were not in existence during the lifetimes of Prophet Muhammad and his faithful companions.

They buttress their argument with a prophetic saying which goes thus: Man hadtha fii amrnaa hadhamaa laysa minhu fahuwa radd meaning “Whoever introduces into this affair of ours (Islam) that which does not belong to it should be rejected”

The antagonists of the title-holding in a Yoruba Muslim Community further argue that the majority of titles being conferred on Yoruba Muslims were borrowed from the traditional religion or culture.

For instance, titles such as ApesinAdinni, Sarumi Adinni, Abese Adinni, Ogboye Adinni, Akinrogun Adinni, Apagun Adinni to mention but few are purely traditional in origin. Therefore, to adopt such titles and confer them on Muslims will lead to the practice of takhlit(syncretism, practicing or mixing two faiths-Traditional Religion and Islam together) Having briefly analysed the arguments of the opponents of the title-holding in a Yoruba Muslim Community, the counter arguments of the supporters and propagators of the conferment of titles on Muslims shall also be analysed.

Some scholars have offered counter arguments by supporting the practice of conferment of chieftaincy titles on Muslims by establishing the scriptural basis for the institution, which is traced to some verses of the Glorious where some prophets of Allah were conferred titles by Allah.

A careful study of the Glorious Qur’an on the lives and missions of some prophets of Allah reveals what appears like the practice of title holding. For instance, Prophet Ibrahim (AS), the father of monotheism was an exemplary of faith and friend of God. Hence, the titles hanif (One pure in faith) and Khalilullah (a bosom friend of Allah) are frequently used to describe Prophet Ibrahim. (Q 4:125). Kalamul-Lah (One with whom Allah spoke directly) is the title given to Prophet Musa. It was as a result of this priviledge that Prophet Musa was able to speak with Allah directly without any intervention (Q4:143, Q4:164). Likewise, Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus Christ) is known in the Qur’an with the title, Ruhullah (the Spirit of God) (Q4:171) because it was the Spirit which Allah blew into Maryam that made her conceived ‘Isa.

The proponents of the practice of title holding in a Yoruba Muslim Community further argue that Prophet Muhammad(SAW), like other prophets mentioned above, also bore some titles. Besides the titles of An-Nabiyy (Prophet) and Rasul (Messenger) which are frequently used to address Prophet Muhammad and other men of God in the Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad is also conferred specially with the title, Khatim an-Nabiyy (the zeal of the prophethood) (Qur’an 33:40).

Prophet Muhammad (SAW), during his lifetime also conferred titles of As-Siddiq (The truthful), Al-Faruq (the Distinguisher of Right from Wrong), Dhu-Nurayn (Possessor of two lights) and As-Sadulah(the Lion of Allah) on Abu-Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali respectively. Titles such as khalifah used to refer to humankind or human being as the vicegerent of God on earth (Q2:30), wazir used to describe the deputizing role played by Prophet Harun (Suratul-Taha, 20:29, Suratul-Furqan, 25:35) and makiin (one with rank firmly established) used for Prophet Yusuf for the supervisory role he played in Egypt (SuratulYusuf, 12:54).

The supporters of title-holding also offer a counter argument to those who opine that title-holding is alien to Islam. It is a well-established historical fact that before Prophet Muhammad (SAW) became a messenger of Allah at the age of forty, he was conferred the title, al-Ameen (the one that can be trusted) by the Makkans because he used to keep their property securely for them.

It is further argued that title holding is a permissible practice because it is regarded as entrusting leadership of the Muslim Community into the hands of some people who are believed to have excelled themselves in the development of their communities.

Another argument in favour of conferment of titles among Yoruba Muslims is linked to the expansion of the nascent Muslim Community in the early days of Islam in Yorubaland which had been hither to administered by the Imam and Muadhdhin, the major Muslim functionaries in the mosque. Therefore, in order to meet the challenges of the growing Muslim Community, titles such as Alfa Tafsir, (Mufassiri.eQur’an commentator, exegete), Ajanasi and Arowasi were created by Yoruba Muslim Community in order to assist the Imam to carry out his leadership role effectively and efficiently.

Similarly, titles such as Baba Adinni, Iya Sunnah, Balogun Adinni, Agbesinga Adinni, Alatunse Adinni, Olowolagba Adinni. etc are conferred on affluent and influential Yoruba Muslims of high integrity in order to seek their financial commitment to the cause of Islam or in recognition of their meaningful contributions to Islam by offering financial assistance towardsbuilding mosques, Arabic and Islamic schools, Islamic halls and sponsorship of Islamic programmes and activities on theelectronic media-radio and television. It is therefore argued that conferment of titles on Yoruba Muslims should be seen as an avenue to serve Allah and the humanity and to consider leadership position as an important position in Islam, Thus, Muslims should not only welcome the practice but also accept it as an opportunity to serve Islam and Muslims.

On the permissibility of title-holding among Yoruba Muslims, late Shaykh Adam Abdullah al-Ilory, writes thus: There is nothing wrong in the conferment of Islamic titles on deserving individuals just as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did for the first and second caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar bn al-Khattab who were respectively known as as-Sidiq and al–Faruq. The conferment of title should not be mistaken as a liberty for the titleholders to dabble into religious issues or in the affairs of mosque about which they have little or no knowledge.(Owoyemi, 2004:56)

Going by the above analysis of the arguments, titleholding can be considered as Mubah (permissible), which in Islamic jurisprudence, failure to do it may not attract punishment and doing it may attract reward. In Islamic law, everything is lawful except if it is expressly forbidden by a clear injunction of the Qur’an and Hadith. This is supported by a maxim of Islamic jurisprudence which says: Al-aslu fil-ashyaa al-ibaha, meaning “The basis of every action is its permissibility” What is important is  to examine the modus operandi of titleholding in a Yoruba Muslim Community before making judgement on it’s permissibility.

The titleholders should therefore avoid acts capable of denting their image as devout Muslims. Interestingly, arguments and counter arguments arise on the permissibility or otherwise of titleholding because any action that is not expressly and clearly prohibited in the Qur’an and authentic hadith is either Mubah (i.e. permissible) or Makruh (reprehensive or not encouraged) but not haram (forbidden).

This is because there is no any specific verse of the Qur’an or any authentic saying of Prophet Muhammad that clearly makes conferment of chieftaincy titles on Muslims haram (forbidden). Any action or practice which causes “more good than harms” to the public is acceptable in Islamic law under the principle of maslaha (public good/interest). Hence, conferment of chieftaincy titles on Yoruba Muslims is acceptable because it has brought a lot of good development to the Muslim communities in Yorubaland.

SOURCE: Owoyemi, S.A (2004). A Critical Study of the Appointments and Roles of Titleholders Among Muslims in Egbaland. An unpublished Master Dissertation, Department of Reliigons, Lagos State University, Ojo.

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