E Converting to Islam improved relations with Muslim merchants from north Africa and brought the west African kings recognition and support from Muslim states in the north. Merchants would regularly sail to the west coast of India to trade goods such as spices, gold, and African goods. -Another huge reason of conversion to Islam as a way of saving their ethnicity since they were surrounded by Slavs. But look at the growth and spread of Islam in the West. Contributed by Prof. Dr. Nazeer Ahmed, PhD. Even on the Swahili Coast, which adopted Islam with perhaps more success than anywhere else, many converts continued the practice of appeasing spirits who brought illness and other misfortunes. Sankore Mosque, Timbuktuby Radio Raheem (CC BY-NC-ND). Its territory touched the Atlantic Ocean to the west and extended as far as the bend in the Niger River to the east. Many of them went on lecture or missionary tours to convert people, while others became advisers to Sudanese Kings on how to become effective rulers. During the 9th century, Muslim Berber and Tuareg merchants brought Islam southward into West Africa. During this time, he captured Timbuktu, an important trade center, and Gao, the capital city of Songhai, spreading Islam to them both. Many native converts studied & became scholars, missionaries, & even saints, & so Islam came to be seen no longer as a foreign religion but a black African one. Many native converts studied in such places as Fez, Morocco, and became great scholars, missionaries, and even saints, and so Islam came to be seen no longer as a foreign religion but a black African one. These North African nomads had established trade with the West African kingdoms that were wealthy in gold and ivory. Ancient History Encyclopedia. There were other challenges besides the Christians of Nubia. West African fetish priest with talismans sewn on his hat and "batakari jacket. What are wildlife sanctuaries national parks biosphere reserves? Military campaigns did occur from the 14th century CE against the Christian kingdoms of Nubia, for example, while in the 18th century CE the Muslim Fulani launched a holy war in the Lake Chad region. In empires like Mali and Songhai , most of the kings were Muslims or converted to Islam, while others did not convert but supported the presence of Islamic culture and institutions. They viewed Africans as backward, barbaric and uncivilized. The two spheres of Islam and trade are closely intertwined, as here explained in the UNESCO General History of Africa: The association of Islam and trade in sub-Saharan Africa is a well-known fact. Over time, however, Islam played a growing role in West African society. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. "The Spread of Islam in Ancient Africa." Islam was a success on the coast but it made no impact at all on peoples living in the interior of East Africa until the 19th century CE. Nearly every Muslim in Timbuktu learned to read and write. Where can i find the fuse relay layout for a 1990 vw vanagon or any vw vanagon for the matter? This also encouraged peaceful trade between people of different nations. While this was a short-lived encounter, Muslims eventually left a In this way, Islam spread across and around the Sahara Desert. Not only did Muslim scholars and missionaries visit and stay in African communities but also Muslim travellers and chroniclers like Ibn Battuta and Ibn Khaldin (1332-1406 CE) who made invaluable observations and records of African life in the medieval period. Pastoral North Africans called Berbers had long traded with West Africans. converting to Islam improved relations with Muslim merchants from North Africa and brought them recognition and support from Muslim states in the north. Islam reached the Savannah region in the 8th Century C.E., the date the written history of West Africa begins The Muslim-Arab historians began to write about West Africa in the early 8th century. The states that accepted Islam first were usually states that sat astride the Trans-Saharan trade routes, they came in contact with Muslim traders and were converted. Answer. The early journeys across the Sahara were done in stages. 1965), Islam in Ethiopia (1952, repr. ". In addition, two important Muslim states in the Horn of Africa were the Sultanates of Adal (1415-1577 CE) and Ajuran (13-17th century CE). During these later years, Muhammad did not seem at all bothered by conversions that were made under obvious duress. However, just like the religion itself, there were minor local differences. In addition, the religion arrived in East Africa when Arab traders crossed the Red Sea and, in a second wave, settled along the Swahili Coast. Unbeknownst to the second caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab, his most competent general, Amr Ibn al-As’, led as many as twelve thousand soldiers and archers across what is now the Red Sea and conquered the city of Fustat (which became Cairo in 920). Some Rights Reserved (2009-2020) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. The king of Ghana did not convert to Islam. Meanwhile, the religion also spread down through Egypt and swung westwards through the Sudan region below the Sahara Desert. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/article/1382/. What was the dominant political structure in east Africa by thirteenth century CE? There were several technical innovations that came with Islam such as writing, numbers, mathematics, measurements and weights. West African rulers and common people’s introduction to and interactions with Islam were often quite different from each other. In spite of all the hurdles, it is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States of America. Following the conquest of North Africa by Muslim Arabs in the 7th century CE, Islam spread throughout West Africa via merchants, traders, scholars, and missionaries, that is largely through peaceful means whereby African rulers either tolerated the religion or converted to it themselves. Some clerics devoted a great deal of their time to writing books and instructions on all aspects of Islam for the education and conversion of people or the purification and strengthening of Islam. West African tribes spoke many different languages and so Islam gave them one language to speak. Islam's presence in African history Islam’s presence in African history dates back to the first phase of the Prophet Muhammad’s mission, when in 615 A.D. he instructed a group of Muslims to seek refuge in Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia). A third wave brought the religion to Africa’s eastern shores, the Horn of Africa and the Swahili Coast, directly from Arabia and the Persian Gulf. Wiki User Answered . Per Quran, Muslims holy book, and Islam teachings, there is no compulsion in religion and one if chooses to convert to Islam should be first convinced in the Islam teachings and basic rules. The material on this site can not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Multiply. Islam came first: They way it worked was trade and a bit of steel. The Spread of Islam in Africaby Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). Although the Berbers who converted to Islam never tried to convert the West Africans to Islam, by the start of the 12th century, Muslim scholars and clerics started accompanying the traders. The Berbers were early converts to Islam and Islam spread along those pre-existing trade routes between North and West Africa. 1949, repr. Christianity was subtly intertwined with the agenda of the West. When Genghis Khan let himself loose on the Khwarizm Empire in 1219 (Mongol invasion of Khwarezmia and Eastern Iran), the subsequent events were so traumatic for the Islamic World that the word "holocaust" has sometimes been used to describe it. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. As traders settle there, they bring Islamic scholars with them. Islam first came to West Africa as a slow and peaceful process, spread by Muslim traders and scholars. Usually worn by chiefs. It is thus perhaps more comprehensible, given the above, why so many African rulers and elites were ready to adopt a foreign religion when it also brought with it definite advantages of governance and wealth. From there, the religion spread eastwards to the Mali Empire (1240-1645 CE) and the Songhai Empire (c. 1460 - c. 1591 CE). The 1985 Constitutional Charter identifies Islam as the state religion and Sharia as the law of the land. Islam was spreading with the trade of its merchants, and it appears that in the 1300s or 1400s the kings of Hausaland converted to Islam. Latinos are one of the fastest growing groups within Islam in America. He ruled between 1217 and 1255. Cartwright, Mark. Another motivation for rulers to adopt Islam besides greater riches with which to impress their people and hold on to power was that a new dynasty may have been bolstered in its claims of legitimacy by also adopting a new religion. Why did West African people convert to Islam? This website is for people of various faiths who seek to understand Islam and Muslims. Is Series 4 of LOST being repeated on SKY? This website is for people of various faiths who seek to understand Islam and Muslims. During the Hijarat, Muslims sought refuge in Ethiopia's territory having crossed Djibouti, Somalia, as well as Eritrea. Some clerics devoted a great deal of their time to writing books and instructions on all aspects of Islam for the education and conversion of people or the purification and strengthening of Islam. For many decades, we have witnessed a phenomena of African-Americans converting to Islam. The local Bantu peoples and Arabs mixed, as did their languages, with intermarrying being common, and there was a blending of cultural practices which led to the evolution of a unique Swahili culture. Mali rose to prominence in 1230, witnessing its height under Mansa Musa, who ruled from 1312 to 1337. Western Africa - Western Africa - The early kingdoms and empires of the western Sudan: In the 10th century the kings of Ghana extended their sway over the Ṣanhājah, the congeries of Amazigh nomadic groups living around Audaghost, just north of their kingdom, who supplied them with salt and North African goods. Muslim evangelicals in the black communities and in prisons often play this up in an attempt to persuade the gullible into rejecting Christianity as the “white man’s religion.” As a result, Islam influenced the culture and lifestyle, particularly of urban residents, in the Western Sudan. Why did west African kings convert to Islam? What important knowledge did the enslaved Africans bring to south Carolina? Zeila's two-mihrab Masjid al-Qiblatayn dates to the 7th century, and is the oldest mosque in the city. In the late 9th century, Al-Yaqubi wrote that Muslims were living along the northern Somali seaboard. And remember that conversion to Islam is a one way street: "[T]he Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.'" There were many who vehemently held on to their traditional beliefs in the face of this new religion. Where the Europeans traded extensively such as on the western coast of Africa states like the Kingdom of Kongo (14-19th century CE) became Christian, and from the 16th century CE, Islamic domination of the Swahili coast was challenged. Adopting Islam permitted, too, the exchange of diplomatic embassies with North African states, as well as the possibility to send scholars for training, both of which brought the sub-Saharan states, in particular, into contact with the wider Mediterranean world and increased the prestige of rulers. Islamic architecture spread with the religion with mosques being built wherever there were worshippers. Muslim artisans and traders spread Islam to Mauritania's territory, and they were later joined by the founders of Islamic brotherhoods. Books Clothing changed, too, with women, in particular, encouraged to dress more modestly and adolescents to cover their nudity. Aside from genuine spiritual conviction, African leaders may have recognised that adopting Islam (or seeming to) or at the least tolerating it would be beneficial to trade. Learning Qur'an was important for West African Muslims. (Vol. Islam made an entrance in Africa from Asia in the 7th century. Islam was more firmly established from the 12th century CE when Shirazi merchants arrived from the Persian Gulf. Conversion to Islam linked the West African savannah through belief in one God and similar new forms of political, social and artistic accoutrements. (Qur'an 9:5, Yusuf Ali translation). Mosques on the Swahili Coast, for example, had neither the minarets or inner courtyard typical of mosques elsewhere in the Islamic world. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 10 May 2019. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Islam is a religion born in the commercial society of Mecca and preached by a Prophet who himself had for a long time been a merchant, provides a set of ethical and practical prescripts closely related to business activities. Nevertheless, for at least six centuries Islam spread largely peacefully and gradually wherever there were trade connections with the wider Muslim world of the southern Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. To be a Swahili, in later centuries, meant to be a Muslim" (125). Please help us create teaching materials on Mesopotamia (including several complete lessons with worksheets, activities, answers, essay questions, and more), which will be free to download for teachers all over the world. Contributed by Prof. Dr. Nazeer Ahmed, PhD. It is perhaps worth noting at the start that the spread of Islam in Africa was much more than the passing on and adoption of religious ideas. In the seventh century, Islam entered Africa from the northeast corner. The Swahili Coast, located along the shores of East Africa, was... Timbuktu (also Timbuctoo) is a city in Mali, West Africa which... UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. That may seem like a bad deal until you consider that without salt, we die. Part 1: Islam reaches West Africa, and a history of the Islamic Empire of Ghana. The most influential Malian king was Mansa Musa, who reigned from 1312 to 1337 and took a famous pilgrimage to Mecca, the Holy site of Islam, in 1324. All Rights Reserved. As the UNESCO General History of Africasummarises, unlike many other faiths: It is thus perhaps more comprehensible, given the above, why so many African rulers and elites were ready to adopt a foreign religion when it also brought with it definite advantages of governance and wealth. One town was Muslim and boasted 12 mosques while the other, just 10 km away and joined by many intermediate buildings, was the royal residence with many traditional cult shrines and one mosque for visiting merchants. "The Spread of Islam in Ancient Africa." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Trans-Saharan Trade Routesby Aa77zz (Public Domain). In East Africa, Islam faced stiff competition from Christianity which was firmly entrenched in Nubia and states such as the Kingdoms of Faras (aka Nobatia), Dongola, and Alodia, and in the Kingdom of Axum (1st - 8th century CE) in what is today Ethiopia. Islam first came to West Africa as a slow and peaceful process, spread by Muslim traders and scholars. Under … Great Mosque, Djenne, Maliby Carsten ten Brink (CC BY-NC-ND). So there was this king Mansa Musa, who ruled the west African empire of Mali, and in 1324-ish, he left his home and made the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Mauritania established itself as the Islamic Republic after it gained sovereignty in 1960. Some African societies were matrilineal, and these changed to a patrilineal system. Then in 1971, when I was 24, I converted to Islam and became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (meaning “the noble one, servant of the Almighty”). His son, Mansa Uli, became the new king after his father’s death. In the 11th century Kumbi, the capital of the kingdom of Ghana (in present-day Mali), was described as having a dozen mosques. Literacy spread because belief in Islam encourages Muslims to learn the Quran. Therefore, trans-Saharan trade brought Islam to the Western Sudan, and many of the kings of Mali and Songhai cultivated their relationships with Muslims in Northeast Africa and the Middle East. Islam gained more converts in Africa than has Christianity, which labored under the burden of identification with European imperialism. https://www.ancient.eu/article/1382/. What religion did the empire of Songhai practice? Furthermore, this also means that many West Africans were exposed to Islam before it was spread to Europe during the Ottoman empire and America via the Moriscos and the Transatlantic slaves. Copyright © 2020 Multiply Media, LLC. The spread of Islam in Africa began in The Mali kings who followed Sundiata Keita converted to Islam. The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, Insoll, T. "The Archaeology of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa. Western Africa - Western Africa - The early kingdoms and empires of the western Sudan: In the 10th century the kings of Ghana extended their sway over the á¹¢anhājah, the congeries of Amazigh nomadic groups living around Audaghost, just north of their kingdom, who supplied them with salt and North African goods. As noted, ancient indigenous beliefs continued to be practised, especially in rural communities, as recorded by travellers like Ibn Battuta who visited Mali c. 1352 CE. The famous scholar Ibn Munabbah wrote … Aside from genuine spiritual conviction, African leaders may have recognised that adopting Islam (or seeming to) would be beneficial to trade. The coming of Islam saw a general decline in the status of certain groups in ancient African communities. The famous scholar Ibn Munabbah wrote … Again, were religious dissent from Catholicism or Orthodoxy the cause, why did not Christianity disappear from many other areas as well as from North Africa? There were also sometimes violent resistance by supporters of traditional African beliefs such as animism and fetish, spirit and ancestor worship. Islam reached the Savannah region in the 8th Century C.E., the date the written history of West Africa begins The Muslim-Arab historians began to write about West Africa in the early 8th century. Islam had profound effects on all aspects of daily life and society but these did vary over time and place. 1087 CE, 480 A.H Soninke gain control from Al Moravids. Most Muslims who reside in the continent observe Sunni Islam. 30 Nov 2020. It is perhaps worth noting at the start that the spread of Islam in Africa was much more than the passing on and adoption of religious ideas. As more people were converted, so more Muslim clerics were attracted from abroad and the religion was spread further across West Africa. Who is the longest reigning WWE Champion of all time? they knew about Islam and its truthfulness, they knew about the authenticity of Quran and that it reflects real God words revelation to prophet Muhammad (PBUH) without single letter alterations, and. Sonni Ali Of Songhai was differ from most other West African rulers because he did not adopt Islam but, he was a follower of Islam. The religion was not adopted uniformly, and neither did it maintain its purity of origin, very often existing alongside traditional practices and rituals. The question I’m often asked is why I had to pick a religion so foreign to American culture and a name that was hard for people to pronounce. How long will the footprints on the moon last? It was not until the 14th century CE and military intervention from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt (1250-1517 CE) that these Christian kingdoms became Muslim, the exception being the Kingdom of Abyssinia (13th-20th century CE). Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 10 May 2019 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. In contrast, in the Mali Empire, the kings did convert to Islam, the first certain case being Mansa Uli (aka Mansa Wali or Yerelenku), who went on a pilgrimage to Mecca in the 1260s or 1270s CE. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. what was the dominant political structure in east Africa by the 13th century C.E? Rulers were not always so keen to adopt Islam, King Sunni Ali of the Songhai Empire (r. 1464-1492 CE), for example, was vehemently anti-Muslim, but King Mohammad I (r. 1494-1528 CE) did convert, and he imposed Islamic law on his people and appointed qadis (Islamic magistrates or judges) as heads of justice at Timbuktu, Djenne, and other towns. Islam recommends the freeing of slaves in itself as a 'good' religious act and says that slaves who convert to Islam ... Islam than it was in the West. These writers, along with archaeology, have helped enormously in the reconstruction of ancient Africa following the European colonial period where every attempt was made to obliterate the history of the continent lest it conflict with the racist belief that Africa had long been waiting to be civilised. From there, it spread via Islamized Berbers (who had been variously coerced or enticed to convert) in the 8th century CE along the trade routes which crisscrossed West Africa, moving from the east coast into the interior of central Africa, finally reaching Lake Chad. Ghana, the first large West African kingdom, reigned from 750 to 1235. Even the Islam that did take hold was a particular variation of that practised in the Arab world, perhaps because African rulers could not afford to completely dismiss the indigenous religious practices and beliefs that the majority of their people still clung onto and which very often elevated rulers to divine or semi-divine status. why did the west African kings convert to Islam? the development of the Muslim religion on the African continent. In West Africa, as was the case with Southeast Asia, it was traders who introduced Islam, and many rulers accepted it first, followed by others. How Islam spread into sub-Saharan region of West Africa, and the great civilizations it established there, taking its inhabitants out of paganism to the worship of One God. Talismans contains verses from the Holy Koran. (African Adorned. III, 39). However, in the Ghana Empire, for example, there is no evidence that kings themselves converted to Islam, rather, they tolerated Muslim merchants and those from Ghana who wished to convert. So Islam became the religion of the elites in West Africa, which meant that the Muslim kings were trying to extend their power over largely non-Muslim populations which worshipped traditional African gods … The same applies to those who found and mined such precious metals as gold and iron. In contrast, an association with Islam sometimes brought a certain prestige, a point seen most clearly in the re-recording of community histories and foundation myths to include the arrival of a founder from the East. This moral code helped to sanction and control commercial relationships and offered a unifying ideology among the members of different ethnic groups, thus providing for security and credit, two of the chief requirements of long-distance trade. Mosques were built such as Timbuktu’s Great Mosque (aka Djinguereber or Jingereber), and Koranic schools and universities were established which quickly gained an international reputation.

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