ʻSpeaking for Islamʼ and Religious Authority in Zongos in Asante, Ghana

Abstract

Abstract In presenting and comparing three different endeavors of ʻspeaking for Islamʼ in the Muslim communities of zongos in Asante, this essay analyzes what renders this act into a felicitous performance. Accordingly, I delineate and discuss the grounds on which one is accorded or denied the authority to make consequential pronouncements on Islamic matters within the discursive tradition of this religion. As I argue, this authority does not solely hinge on one’s erudite Islamic learning and one’s abilities to implement it in one’s rhetoric; it also depends on one’s personal demeanor and reputation in the community. In order to have the actual chance to make consequential pronouncements on Islamic matters, which include religious as well as moral issues, one’s authority has to be accorded by those over whom it is exercised, and can neither be claimed nor enforced as such.

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