Nana Amadu, alias Nana Kwaku Duah: The first Ashanti prince to accept Islam
This article is a short biography of an Ashanti prince (oheneba) who accepted Islam.
Nana Kwaku Duah, as he was called, shall ever go down in Ashanti history as the first Ashanti royal to accept Islam.
Such a momentous decision, that altered his life for good, could only have come from a man of story, will power and independent thought.
This should be so for the fact that at the time when he took that decision he had a lot of misgivings and doubts concerning Islamic teachings and practices. This was because a lot, especially of the Islamic practices were deemed by the Akans to be in conflict with their traditions and customs. Principal among these were: That Islam was wrongly deemed to be religion of the Northerner.
Secondly, there was much suspicion about the simple and less costly burial rites of Islam. Thirdly, that Islam practised circumcision.
If therefore a commoner, fearful of being given a simple burial should he die would not join Islam, then what compelled a whole Ashanti prince to accept Islam?
Before answering that question let me give a sketch of things noble and deeply religious man guided by principles. He was the grandson of Nana Kwaku Duah I (1834 – 1867), king of Ashanti. It is customary among Ashantis to name their grandsons after their grandfathers to enable them mould their lives after them as role models, hence perpetuate their good deeds and names. The king had five sons who are as follows: Akwasi Gyambibi, Kwame Sirebuor, Akwasi Abayie, Boakye and Yaw Dweneh. One of the sons Oheneba Kwame Sirebuor married Amah Tiwaah from which marriage was born Nana Kwaku Duah, who is the topic of discussion in this article. Since efforts to get a second child proved futile the marriage broke down, with the result that Nana Ama Tiwaah married a second time a man from Bampenase near Fawoade. She gave birth to a baby girl called Ama Pokuaa. Nana Kwaku Duah did all that was humanly possible to assist the mother in getting the second born. He was said to have consulted a mallam of Zambrama origin who lived at Mprim on the way to Mampong. The Mallam is said to have prepared some medicine for Nana Tiwaah and prophesised at the same time that if taken by Tiwaah it would lead to the birth of a baby girl who was named Amah Pokuaa. He also prophesised that the two children (Kwaku Duah and Tiwaah), would age and die before their mother. Nana Kwaku Duah in dire need of a sister accepted the challenge, and so did it happen that both lived, had offsprings and died before their mother Tiwaah. It is this clear that Nana Kwaku Duah could clearly discern strong divine intervention in the birth. If so then the man’s religion, Islam, must be good, so he became a Muslim and was named Amadu Ahmad).
The forefathers of Nana Tiwaah who later became the wife of Nana Kwaku Duah hailed from Denkyirah and migrated to Ashanti after the Ntim-Gyakari war with Osei Tutu.
They settled at Essumejah as guests of its chief. Unfortunately, members of the family died one after the other till only an old man and two girls (Fosua and Owsusuwaa) remained. Following the advice of the old man they left Essumejah for Kumasi, where they were received as the guests of the Asantehene. They were put into the custody of Nana Buabasa who settled them at Atim-Atim. After surveying the land they found a more suitable place at Fawoade near the Ankanim stream. It was in the course of paying a visit to the Asantehene when Nana Kwaku Duah, the prince, saw her future wife that developed into marriage.
Nana Kwame Boateng was a cousin of Nana Kwaku Duah who also became a Muslim and was called Sadiq Abubakar. He was also from the same royal family (Oyokoko).
Later Papa Abubakar Sadiq converted to Ahmadiyyat. He was the grandfather of Rt. Rev. Bishop Nuh, Methodist Bishop, Ashanti Diocese. Nana Kwaku Duah was a trader and dealt in hides of animals. He also had a rubber palm plantation, from which he used to tap the raw material for export. The plantation covered the stretch of land from the Suame roundabout to Mbrom to the Kumasi race course.
He also bought slaves from the north and used them to develop his plantation and other businesses. Nana Kwaku Duah, said to be kind and generous, set one of his slaves free without taking from him the usual ransom. Here he was acting in accordance with the true teachings of Islam which encourages slave owners to set their slaves free without necessarily demanding ransoms. Finally Nana Amadu passed away in 1925 and was buried at Esunua.
Owing to the great divine blessings associated with Nana Kwaku Duah, his progenies keep on expanding at an exponential rate such that members of his family are to be found at Suame Asantenkromon, Kwadaso and Ashanti Newtown. At the appropriate time we shall put forth a formal request to the New Ashanti Regional Imam, Sheikh Zakariyya, through the Asantenkramom Imam to be elected, to pay a visit to his grave at Esunua and offer special prayers for the deceased. May Allah reward him with a lofty place in paradise. Amin!!!
In the end I wish to convey my sincere thanks and heart felt gratefulness to Omar Waraqas of Kwadaso Asantenkramon for giving me the detailed document on the biography of Nana Kwaku Duah that enabled me to write this article.
BY KHALID KOFI AHMAD
