The influence of the Arabic poetry rhyming system on modern Yoruba Islamic hymns

Language is a common denominator which bound human kind together in sharing and cross fertilizing ideas in civilization and culture irrespective of different in color, dialect and race. Language influences human relations particularly in cultures, civilizations and other artistic genres. Arabic Language since inception in Nigeria has impacted positively on Yoruba and its language and culture. It also influenced their thought, ideas and research in the way it influences other languages in Africa like Hausa however, it has been established that Yoruba language have lion share when it comes to issues on how Arabic language influences African languages. Because, Arabic influences Yoruba language in all sort of life; in learning, preaching, literature, literary works, diplomatic and others. This research aims to discusses and analyses how Yoruba language is manifest appreciable linguistics convergence with Arabic in the field of a styled religious hymns known as "waka" The paper adopts descriptive method in analyzing the development so far as affecting "waka" as a generic term having a number of subtypes but with the same appellation. The analyses also covers several other types of hymns and lyrics of different form, content, and intent composed by a scores of Yoruba religious people learned in Arabic and Islamic.