@gubbet interesting I’ve noticed a lot of Somalis these days claim that Somalis were waaq worshipers is this true what do you have to say about this situation sxb
Hiding behind this faux controversy is the worst form of xenophobia on the basis of modern socio-politics and all of it made possible by unadulterated ignorance.
That xenophobia seems to be thinly disguised anti-Oromo cultural referencing.
But the thing is "waaq" doesn't belong to Oromo. In fact, the first recorded mention of the word "waaq" as a name for God anywhere in East Africa is from. Zaylac!
200 years before Ahmed Gurey's war and almost 300 years before the Oromo famous invasion of Ethiopia including settling between Muslim coast and Abbysinia.
Maqrizi recorded "Waaq from Zayla" among the many words for "Allah" or "God" in the Muslim world.
There is virtually no scholarly criticism or contestation of this ever since Cerulli argued it was very apparent that the source of the word to Maqrizi was from Somali usage.
1. Somali is a Cushitic language, just like Oromo, and Waaq is very much a part of many root words even today
2. Zayla was virtually almost completely Somali inhabited even then
3. Somalis were Muslims and the it was Muslims who used it
Waaq my friend is even, along with the "Guulle", the most artistic reference to God even today in Somali poetry.
It also is part of ao many religious inspired roots like "cawaaqib" (fate)and barwaaqo (thanksgiving) including directional referencing liKE "Waaqooyi" (north).
Waaq's root is EARTH/MOUND speaking to creation and strength, evem in other Afro-asiatic languages like Arabic QUWA is strength and waaqa'a is to have the strength to get up
In the Qur'am it is even used as an adjective for God (wali walaa waaq, guardian and protector).
So my friend, behind your question is a general Somali cultural xenophobia rooted in ignorance about their own linguistic and cultural history going by why the predominant motivation always behind this question.
Waaq is a Cushitic language word for God, it can be used by a Somali Muslim for Allah as maqrizi wrote in the 12th century or it can be used by a Borana Animist today in 2021.
That's all there is to this word.
Before Islam , there was probably another concept of God, monotheistic even, that we probably referred to as "God" so that concept would have been the object of reference to Waaq, but I have come across no research that theorizes that conception might havr been Waqaffena concept informing the traditional Oromo belief system.
So that is the extent of informalion concerning Waaq.
It was (and is) one of our references for God as an Cushitic speaking people, but there is no evidence Somalis practiced Waqaffena or practiced Gadda, two institutionalized social and religious systems used by our Oromo cousins.
