TEXTUAL SANCTITY AND ENGAGEMENTS: AN ASSESSMENT OF YORUBA MUSLIMS AND ABUSE OF THE QUR’AN

Ignorance (al-jahl) , error (al-khata’)

Abstract

This paper evaluates Yoruba Muslims’ engagements with the Qur’an and how those engagements, shaped by history, culture, and local religious practices, have engendered layers of textual abuse. While the Qur’an occupies a position of absolute sanctity in Islamic thought, its place within Yoruba Muslim life has been complicated by remnants of African Traditional Religion (ATR), syncretic customs, spiritual consultancy (Jalabi), and evolving Sufi and Salafi interpretations. Using historical narratives, ethnographic observations, and examples drawn from contemporary religious life, the study identifies recurring abuses, ranging from altered Qur’anic writing formulas (Hantu, Khatimi, Opa) to distorted recitations, mystical reapplications, commodification of devotional acts, misinterpretations by Sufi esoteric and Salafi literalists, and the appropriation of Qur’anic verses in popular music and Asalatu culture. These practices collectively weaken textual integrity, dilute theological meaning, and normalize an instrumentalized Qur’anic spirituality. The paper argues that the challenge is systemic, rooted in inadequate Qur’anic literacy, cultural overhangs, and the unchecked influence of clerics who commercialize sacred texts. It concludes by calling for a disciplined, knowledge-driven engagement with the Qur’an, one that restores its sanctity, curbs exploitative practices, and repositions the text as a guide for ethical, spiritual, and intellectual renewal among Yoruba Muslims.