Reincarnation and incarnation are two words that are used interchangeably but with different meanings. While the former has to do with rebirth, the latter is the physical embodiment of a deity or spiritual being. Either ways it is used, the fact still remains that the belief in the existence of both is nothing but a mirage, as some people find it difficult to belief in its reality.
Ayobami Mercy Oladiran
Reincarnation also known as transmigration or metempsychosis is a concept that is related to a belief in the continuous existence of the soul or energy of a body after death. It is the belief that the soul upon death of the body come back to earth in another body or form.
Despite the researches that have been carried out over the years to unravel the mystery of Reincarnation, all effort still proves futile as the various perspectives have still not answered the questions that linger in people’s mind such as what is reincarnation? How many times can a soul be embodied? What is the origin of reincarnation and the predestination of souls, among others.
Different religions and cultures pose different understanding and uses of the concept. The Islamic religion for instance holds the belief that there is nothing called incarnation or reincarnation as the word implies, once a person is dead, then he is dead. It was said that when a person dies, the soul can never return as there is a barrier between the person and the actual world that can never be crossed. After death such a person pass through the phase of judgement in heaven (Alikiamo), where he will be judged based on his or her past lifestyle.
Stressing it further, they regarded reincarnated spirit or body as unseen spirit called Jinn, that has been with the deceased right from the very day of his existence till death and the Jinn knows everything about the dead soul which makes it possible to possess the soul.
This Islamic perspective is however different from the perspective of Indian Buddhism, Induism, .Janism as well as China Taoism where the issue of reincarnation is openly discussed and believed. The venda of South Africa believes that when a person dies, the soul stays near the grave for a short period of time and then seek a new resting place or another body either of Human, mammalian or reptician.
Nowadays, many babies are seen having similar traits or physical features with dead relatives. Among the Yoruba ethnic group, these babies are giving names such as Babajide, Iyabo, Akintunde, Babatunde, Babawande, among others. This form of reincarnation is believed to be a partial one as the soul of the dead upon completing the cycle is found in an entirely new body or host with a different destiny.
Aside from the partial reincarnation or rebirth, there is also what is believed to be a ‘’transmigration of the dead or soul known as incarnation’’ . It is believed that a person who has died in a particular country can be seen in another country or within that country but a different locality living fine and comfortable. Some are even said to have been married with either a child or children. This set of people are called ‘Akudaya’ among the Yorubas.
Akudaya means a resurrected person who now lives away from family and friends so as to avoid been seen or discovered. A particular man who was said to have died in one of the villages in Ile-Ife, Osun state, was said to have been seen in a church in Lagos still maintaining his status as a deacon just as it was when he was still in Ile-Ife. The man was said to have vanished immediately his eyes met with the delegates that were sent to confirm the efficacy of the report.
There is also a story of a woman whose husband was an incarnate but she was unaware. She was said to have been persistently disturbing the man on the need to know his relatives even if it’s one. He later agreed after several years and took the woman to his hometown, telling her and the children to go in first while he greet some people around, only for the woman to discover the man he has been living with over a couple of years is an incarnate. That was the last time she ever set her eyes on him.
Speaking from the traditionalist perspective. In an interview that was was conducted by BBC Yoruba news on reincarnation, the Araba Awo of Osogbo, in person of Baba Ifayemi Elebuibon stated that, reincarnation is real and this constitute the numerous population of people in the society. Many of the popular market squares such as Tejuosho in Lagos, Dosunmu market, Bodija market in Ibadan and so on are populated by these reincarnated spirits that people are unaware of. In his words, such people cannot be blamed as some of them are yet to live up to their destined years on earth. Some people’s death are unnatural and untimely, they need to return to earth to complete their life span but in another place where they are not known.
This traditionalist perspective is however condemned by the Christian religion which believes that a person cannot die twice, once a human dies, judgement follows. Though there are several cases of reincarnated people in the bible who rose upon Jesus resurrection, that instance is believed to be more of a miracle than it is seen. As a matter of fact, Hebrew 9 vs 27 says ‘For it is appointed unto men to die once, but after this is judgement’.
Reincarnation though spiritual and mystical is indeed an object of confusion, a mystery that is yet to be unraveled. If reincarnation is real, then how many times can a person die?
