Some people have said Islam is a religion of terrorists while others say a world dominated by Islam will spell doom for all humankind. Some even say when Islam takes over the world, one can no longer engage in alcoholism and fornication (funny right? you can watch this on a documentary ‘God’s Warriors’ broadcasted by CNN). Yet these critics who say all these do not know much about the most peaceful and noblest religion, Islam and how communities which have practiced what Islam preaches have achieved decency, peace and natural and everlasting love.
I want to hereby share with the public the ‘biography’ of one such community that has proven beyond doubts that Islam is the way for this troubled world. This community is the Kangmbuli Muslim Community. But before I continue I want to express my profound gratitude to GMSA-UCC for embarking on this knowledge seeking tour to this community.
The Kangmbuli Muslim Community is a town situated in Nzemaland in the Western Region of Ghana with a population of about 5000. As its name depicts, it is a community where every single inhabitant is a practiser of the Islamic faith. In other words, all the over 5000 people in the community are Muslims.
The town of Kangmbuli is over a century years old and is a product of the Trans-Saharan trade. The founder of this noble and progressive community is Abeka Ganga who was during his living years a trader and the King of the people of Ampain. King Abeka Ganga before his reversion to Islam though dressed as a Muslim was an idol worshipper with over 300 idols. His inspirations and motivations for starting the community came to him through his dreams as a form of revelation.
During his trading days when he traveled between Ivory Coast and Ghana, King Abeka had a dream. In the dream he heard someone call him by the name Thahir. Dumfounded the king never understood the message behind the dream. Subsequently, he had another dream and this time he was being called by the name Daud.
In 1901 when the king fell ill and traveled to Accra with his wives to seek treatment, he met the country’s first National Chief Imam, Mohammed Baako. As was common during those days, King Abeka confided in the Chief Imam for an interpretation of his dreams. It was during this time that King Abeka came to understand the meaning behind his dreams.
His first dream was a call for him to join the Islamic religion and the second a prescription of the name he should be called by should he heed to the former dream. In agreement and in total submission to his destiny, King Abeka Ganga reverted to Islam.
Haven become a Muslim, and returning to his kingdom, King Daud Abeka Ganga resorted to spread his new found religion. He preached to his people to join his new faith. While some accepted his call, others did not. So the new revert decided to start a new community at Kangmbuli while those who did not heed to his call remained at Ampain.
To establish his new town on the basic foundations of Islam, King Daud traveled to Sekondi and later to Axim to look for Islamic scholars as teachers. He later had a substantive teacher, Mallam Suleiman from Damong in the Northern Region who taught his two sons Nuhu and Abdulai.
Upon his death, Abdulai became the Imam of the community and Nuhu the propagator of Islam in Kangmbuli and the whole of Nzemaland. King Daud’s nephew Alhaji Issifu also supported his two sons in the running of affairs of the town. Descendants of these three personalities still remain in the helm of affairs of this unique community.
Three key pillars that have sustained this community are knowledge, inter-marriages and unity. Two of these pillars are very obvious when one enters the town the first time. It is common to meet a child in his/her teens who has completely memorized the whole of the Qur’an and has therefore earned the title of Hafiz. Also are signs of unity that are very conspicuous.
Today, this community that started humbly is a beacon of example to the rest of the Muslim communities. For their love of unity and labour, Kangmbuli is very revered in the Western Region. The Government of Ghana also recognizes this and is always willing to lend a hand of support to the community whenever they needed it.
Through their hard work, the Muslims of Kangmbuli have the social amenities that they readily need. They have a Senior High School that run all courses except science, health centre and a large mosque among others. Their mosque is so large a row in the mosque can take 75 persons. For Friday’s congregational prayer, the mosque accommodates over a thousand Muslims.
The people of Kangmbuli whose clan name is Ezenwule indeed are practisers of the Islamic religion. They have adopted their own way of maintaining sanity, peace, security and cohesion through the use of Shariah. Anyone who engages in social vices such as fornication and stealing is publicly rebuked to deter others from committing such offences that Islam strongly prohibits. It is therefore not surprising that one feels a sense of peace and goodwill when entering this religious town.
One thing that is worth mentioning is how neat and groomed the surroundings of this town are. It is almost impossible to see filth scattered around as it is the case in other parts of the country. Their main mosque is well kept with nicely laid prayer mats. Also is the good sight of children as young as 4years willingly rushing to the mosque whenever the call for prayer was said. I had an experience when a little boy walked up to me to ask for the ablution pot. I was amazed because in my community, a boy that age will walk straight into the mosque without bothering whether he had performed ablution or not.
Undoubtedly, Kangmbuli remains a role model to other Muslim communities and the country at large. And for those who think a world dominated by Islam will be a catastrophic one should pay a visit to this inspiring town of Allah. The indigenes of Kangmbuli deserve commendation for keeping the fire of hope for Islam burning and for having a society that is peaceful, neat, devoid of negative western influences and progressive. For this reason, I want to ask the blessings of Allah on the following people of the community.
Imam: Alhaji Zakaria Abdulai
Leader: Alhaji Musah Abeka
Islamic teacher: Sheikh Ustaz Harun
Clan leader: Mahama Abdulai
Founder: King Daud Abeka Ganga
Long live Islam
