Islam first came to West Africa as a slow and peaceful process, spread by Muslim traders and scholars. … Goods passed through chains of Muslim traders, purchased, finally, by local non-Muslims at the southern most end of the route.
Who brought Islam to Africa?
According to Arab oral tradition, Islam first came to Africa with Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in the Arab peninsula. This was followed by a military invasion, some seven years after the death of the prophet Mohammed in 639, under the command of the Muslim Arab General, Amr ibn al-Asi.
When did Islam came to West Africa?
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.
How was West Africa influenced by Islam?
Islam promoted trade between West Africa and the Mediterranean. The religion developed and widened the trans-Saharan Caravan trade. The trade enriched the West African and the Muslim traders. Muslims from North Africa came in their numbers and settled in the commercial centres.
What happened to religion in West Africa when Islam was introduced?
What happened to religion in West Africa when Islam was first introduced? West Africans remained faithful to their original religions. Islam quickly became the leading religion of the region. … West Africans were resistant to Islam’s new ideas and ignored the religion.
How did Islam affect Africa?
Islam in Africa has linked together diverse peoples through better cultural understanding and a spirit of cooperation and common weal. … The historial impact of Islam upon trade, particularly in West Africa, greatly increased the wealth of African people and helped form many great African empires.
Why did African kings convert to Islam?
While the motivations of early conversions remain unclear, it is apparent that the early presence of Islam in West Africa was linked to trade and commerce with North Africa. Trade between West Africa and the Mediterranean predated Islam, however, North African Muslims intensified the Trans-Saharan trade.
Which country has the most Muslims?
The largest Muslim population in a country is in Indonesia, a country home to 12.7% of the world’s Muslims, followed by Pakistan (11.0%), and India (10.9%).
What is the original religion of Africa?
The Story of Africa| BBC World Service. Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was still alive (he died in 632). Thus both religions have been on the continent of Africa for over 1,300 years.
Was Islam forced in Africa?
Centuries before African Muslims were forced to colonial America, Islam made its way to West Africa through traders, merchant-scholars, and religious teachers.
What was the religion of Africa before Christianity?
OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa.
Who brought Islam to Ghana?
Sunni Islam was introduced into Ghana as part of the 1940s reformist activities of late Ghanaian Mujaddid, Afa Ajura.
How did Christianity spread in Africa?
Once in North Africa, Christianity spread slowly West from Alexandria and East to Ethiopia. Through North Africa, Christianity was embraced as the religion of dissent against the expanding Roman Empire. In the 4th century AD the Ethiopian King Ezana made Christianity the kingdom’s official religion.
How did Islam affect Mali?
Islam also spread in the region by the founders of Sufi brotherhoods (tariqah). … Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim who was reported to have built various major mosques throughout the Mali sphere of influence; his gold-laden pilgrimage to Mecca made him a well-known figure in the historical record.
When did Islam come to Nigeria?
Islam was introduced to northern and central Nigeria in the middle ages as early as the 11th century and was well established in the major capitals of the region by the 16th century, spreading into the countryside and toward the Middle Belt uplands.
Why did North African rulers and nobles convert to Islam?
But most of the people of the Sudan in this period, especially farmers followed local, non-Muslim religions. A few rulers chose to convert to Islam because it was useful for trade and because it had a written language. The Kings of Takrur and Kanem became Muslim by the eleventh century, for example.