Historical Research Letter ISSN 2224-3178 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0964 (Online) Vol 9, 2014
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assimilation and dualism, which with time, change to parallelism. The influence of Arabic language became widely used in commercial, educational, religious and social interaction (Oyekola: 2011). At this point, the question may be asked, in what area (s) was the religion of Islam seen as a religion of “peace?” Literarily, the word Islam is derived from the word Salaam, which means ‘peace’ (Gallagher: 1968). It connotes by implication the act of submission to Almighty Allah by those who believe in the religion (Muslims). It is the most widely acceptable term used by Muslims to describe the religion of those who believe in the Qur’an as the true word of God transmitted to mankind through the medium of the prophet and messenger of Allah. As a matter of fact, it may be difficult to state with precision why the religion has been described as a religion of ‘peace’ or aspect of which the religion has been seen as peaceful. The name Islam in the opinion of Muslims has been named by Almighty Allah through the divine message of the Qur’an. This is evident in the verse of the holy Qur’an Chapter 5, verse 3: مد ور ت م أ م ا وم أ ت م د م وأ ت Meaning “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (Holy Qur’an: Ch. 5 V. 3) Muslims dislike using the term Mohammedanism to describe the religion of Islam because it carries the implication of the worship of Mohammed as a more than human figure and thus contain the symptom of polytheism (Yekeen: 2013). Islam is one of the world’s religions that have not been named after their founders like Christianity, Buddhism and Judaism (Balogun: 2013). The area where Islam is construed as a religion of peace is the giving of charity support to those who are in need, maintenance of good neighbourliness with people within and outside the religious faith of Islam, linking family ties and social relationship with one another and avoiding or committing acts that were forbidden to persons and to the creator of the universe (Allah) (Amuda: 2013). All these briefly summarises aspect of Islam that made it to be regarded as the religion of peace. The Imamate in Ibadan The Imamate issue in Ibadan under colonial rule was central to corporate existence and development of the Muslim community. The Imam is recognized as the spiritual head of the Muslims and his responsibility is to lead in the performance of prayers and stand against any form of attack from other relgious adherents, colonial dominance and influence (Gbadamosi: 1972). The Muslim community in Ibadan consists of people bound together by common beliefs, experience and aspirations derived from their common religions, outlook and customs, as the population of Muslim continue to grow in the town due to the movements of refugees from Oyo, Ife and other Yoruba towns; people became more attracted to the new religion and began to have loss of confidence in the traditional religious system (Jimoh: 2010). Besides, the activity of the Imam and the influence of the class of Muslim locally known as “Afa” swayed a large number of people to Islam through the course of their teaching, preaching and healing of the sick. The expansion of the Muslim community transformed the desire for a purposeful leadership of the Muslim Ummah. The Imam under the leadership of Alhaji Muhammed Ajagbe (1935-1940) wrote a petition on behalf of the Muslim community on 7 June, 1938, through the Olubadan and council, the district officer to the Honourable Resident of Oyo Province requesting for the appointment of a Muslim judge knowledgeable in the Qur’an as a leader of the native court in Ibadan (NAI: 247/101). This petition was resisted as a rejoinder by the Olubadan to the resident officer declining the approval of the appointment of a Muslim judge in the native court of Ibadan. This point shows that the traditional authorities of Ibadan resisted the imposition of Islamic judge in the organisation and administration of native court system (NAI: 247/101). Furthermore, the reconstruction of the central Mosque after destruction earlier in the 19th Century is an important point to focus on in the development of Islam during the colonial period. The Mosque is regarded as an important place of worship among the Muslims. It is a place specifically designed for the adherents of Islam to engage in ritual worship in the canonical five daily prayers and the congregation prayer (Salatul Jumuah) as well as Eid prayers in the central Mosque and praying ground respectively. In the words of Gbadamosi, under the reign of Bale Situ, between 1914 and1925, that large number of Ibadan people became Muslims (Gbadamosi: 1978). The central Mosque in Ibadan is the corporate entity under which the organization of the Imam and the affairs of the Muslim in the town are coordinated. Between 1921 and 1924, an attempt was made by the Ibadan Muslim community to extend and enlarge the Mosque premises to accommodate the steady rise in the increase of the Muslim population in the town willing to worship for the weekly congregational prayer of (Salatul Jumaah). The 8