SUFI POETRY IN SOMALI

23.

I

The Sufi Way

There is an abundance of Sufi poems in Somali oral literature.
Although Arabic remains the sacred language of Islam and
as such is regarded as particularly apt for religious ex-
pression in prayers, hymns and litanies, the Somali language

has also been adapted for the use of religious thought and

feeling. Since the majority of the Somalis are non-literate

in Arabic and consequently cannot have direct access to the

intellectual garner of Islam, Somali oral literature, es-

pecially Somali poetry, has become indispensable for the

expression and propagation of the Islamic doctrine among the

Somali nomads. This has led to the creation of a large

repertoire of Sufi poetry inspired by traditional Sufism

but affected by the pastoral character of the Somali culture

and environment. In order to understand how Sufism contri-

buted to the development of religious and mystical poetry

in Somali, it is important to explain some of its essential

characteristic~. Therefore, I shall first give an outline

of the Sufi Waj. But, before I undertake my brief intro-

duction to Sufism, I would like to mention that this subject

has been extensively covered in the literature on Islam and

has attracted a considerable number of both Muslim and non-

Muslim scholars whose interests were, for the most part,

to study it in depth. This brief summary, however, aims

only at highlighting some of the most important aspects of

the universal Sufi doctrine and practice which are relevant

to the study of Somali religious poetry.