The Rope of Allah ( ِ َ ح َ بل ِ اّلل) in Imran 3:103

This article examines the concept of the Rope of Allah in Imran 3:103 from African perspectives. The rope of Allah is a metaphorical expression in the Quranic text, widely quoted to address concerns of (dis)unity and harmony among Muslims, calling Muslims not to depart from the rope of Allah. While this expression may have had clarity of meaning in the writer’s context and the immediate audience of the Quranic era, its transmission over time and space may have lost or blurred its theological value, especially in the African Islamic context. Using the constructivist theoretical paradigm and African epistemological lenses, the article attempts to reconstruct the meaning of the rope of Allah. What is the rope in the rope of Allah to African Muslims? The article draws examples from various African cultural myths and stories about ropes to generate the theological meaning of the rope of Allah. It highlights the importance of African religious heritage and myths as essential theological resources and infrastructure in understanding abstract concepts of the Quran and developing an African grounded theological overview.