Islamic Conversions in Medieval West Africa

Introduction

Islam is one of the leading religions globally to date. Thanks to its widespread in most regions worldwide, scholars and religious fanatics have always wondered about the factors that facilitated the huge spread of Islam. Africa, a continent that has raised most of the questions based on the origin of its cultures and people, is amongst the continents widely characterized by the Muslim religion¹. West Africa, in particular, is highly characterized by people who identify and pass as Arabs, thanks to the huge Islam conversion that the residents have adopted. This paper investigates the spread of Muslims across Africa over the past years about how factors such as trade, Colonialism, and conquests led to the spread of Islam in West Africa. The intergration of the literature sources based on conversation with merchants, scholars and missionaries is considered in drafting of the paper as evidence. The spread of Islam in Africa was characterized by various political, social, and economic factors that facilitated the widespread of Islam.

How the Prophet Sent Muslims to Africa

Prophet Muhammed is a huge religious figure in Islam characterized by laying down some of the coherent foundations of Islam and its culture. Mohammed is characterized by enhancing different reforms, laws, and expectations of the Muslim people and is one of the most respected figures in the Islam Culture². The holy city of Islam is also adapted from where Muhammed hailed and was thought to spread his words³. Thanks to his strong influence, Bilal and other Islam scholars recount his contribution to the spread of Islam through the stewardship that man played to ensure a continuation of the Islamic religion.

Prophet Mohammed’s service to the Muslim people was constantly being rebuked by several members of the society, especially the governing region of Mecca, during Prophet Muhammed. In his religious service, most of the helpers of Prophet Muhammed were constantly being attacked based on their religious instincts and foundations that were spread under the leadership of Muhammed⁴. So it happened that during the reign of Quraysh, most of the believers and followers of Mohhamed were killed and strongly persecuted by the members of the Quraysh believers, a move that threatened the historical continuation of Islam as the Prophet comprehended it⁵.

Thanks to the constant prayers that Prophet Mohammed made, he sought to send out his believers and missionaries into the different parts of the world so that they could spread the good news that came to the Islam religion⁶. Among the missionaries’ areas were sent was the kingdom of Aknum, which is modern-day Eritrea and Ethiopia. Under the kingship of the Ethiopian king who reigned at the time, the members of the Islam religion were introduced to the Ethiopian land and welcomed after they made it clear of their intent to why they had resolved to settle in the land⁷. What followed the latter mediation from the followers of the Islam religion was more immigration of the Arabs to the lands of Ethiopia, where they sought to seek refuge against their ongoing wars back in Mecca. Soon, after integrating with the cultures of the Ethiopian people, the missionaries who were sent out s refuges began to preach their word to the inhabitants of Aknum⁸. Islam was born in Africa with conversions through marriage, societal influence, and acceptance.

The spread of Islam from the Kingdom of Aknum, on the other hand, was characterized by more refugees settling in various parts of Africa and beyond the borders after great kingdoms like Egypt and the Songhai kingdom.⁹. As most of the African regions were peaceful during the 7^th century and beyond till Colonialism, Arabs sought that settling in Africa would hibernate the remnants of the religious and political massacres in the Arab region. Many merchant ships and traders flocked to the Eritrean border to settle and trade while learning about cultures and kingdoms that would favor a new home for the Arabian people¹⁰. The merchants that arrived at sea in Eritrea greatly added to Egypt, Somalia, and the East African coasts, while others traveled through the Saharan desert¹¹. Thanks to camels, the merchants who exported goods in the desert found new homes in areas such as Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Mauritius, and other parts of North Africa. The largest concentration of refugee Muslims was in Libya. There were sufficient resources to serve the Islamic people in quenching their thirsts and needs during their trade in the Saharan desert.

However, missionaries and merchants disposed to West Africa from the influence of those in Aknum aimed to institute their religion and political and economic dominance in the West African Region. As Mansa Musa’s kingdom was too large to govern and brought amass wealth, most African regions, especially North Africa and Mali, were out of government thanks to the lack of proper formation in Kingdoms. The arrival of the Islamic people in the form of merchants served a purpose¹². It rekindled an era of foreigners who brought something new to Mali and North African residents. While the residents of Northern Africa might not have been aware that they needed a new kingdom that would oversee the cooperation and collective peace, the slam introduced political concepts and political arms to the nations¹³. Most architectures of Arab heritage were instituted in Mali, and the great knowledge of Mali was recorded in manuscripts.

To preserve the Arabic religion and knowledge, many manuscripts were also shipped to Mali and North Africa to preserve and integrate the Mali culture, knowledge, and orally recorded histories. The introduction of Mali as a center of knowledge formed the current city of Timbuktu and hence one of the first Universities in the world¹⁴. Mali served as a research center and a knowledge center point that attracted the attention of the Songhai kingdom amongst the famous Egyptian kingdom, where merchants were sent to steal way the books to concentrate the knowledge in the Library of Alexandria in Egypt.

With the gap in the former lack of government, economic status, and organizations, the Muslims were at a better stake in laying the foundations for the West African people. Formally known as Moors, from west Africa, Mali and northern Africans were subjected to emotional and intelligence torture to accept the religion.¹⁵. Among the Moors were Berbers, who were characterized by their facial hairs and wool black hair like the Arabs, though in dark skin complexion¹⁶. The Berbers were constantly reminded how less pretty and handsome they were and were told to convert to Islam to raise their value in the community.

While most people had earlier converted to Islam through peaceful negotiations and seeing what impact Islam brought, some of the Moors and Berbers had not yet converted and were poised as a threat thanks to their large population in West Africa.¹⁷. In a needy persuasion out of pointing out differences, most boors and Berbers converted to receive favors from the government and Islamic group members thanks to their economic impacts. By associating one as Muslim, the Moors and Berbers were highly likely to get job opportunities and live better lives in Western Africa¹⁸. Soon, most West Africans fell for the charm and intermarrying and rapidly converted to Islam.

Religions that Dominated Africa Before Islam

Its foundation, Africa, was founded under the solemn belief in Polytheism. The latter term means integrating religious beliefs based on deities and praises of nature. Nature includes all the animals, plants, and pets, both of which were arts of the important aspects of the African religions¹⁹. Before the spread of Islam in Africa in the 7^th A.D century, Africans had strong beliefs in spirituality and deity that governed the African people. The latter was the main reason behind the formation of the African kingdom and society that had to be strong to maintain the overall influence of the African ancestry and kingdom. To fully understand the religions that dominated Africa, one must investigate and remember the foundations of the African kingdoms and the religions that governed such an African kingdom.

One of Africa’s greatest references and religious groups is the Egyptian kingdom, which was a belief that was one of the ancient in Africa, characterised by spiritual deities. Before introducing Islam and Christianity in modern-day Africa, the African kingdoms were ruled by a series of deities responsible for the various political, religious, and economic outcomes and prosperity of the African kingdoms²⁰. Natural resources, providence, and wealth were the resources that deities provided. In wealth, the inclusion of good wealth, prosperity, luck, and fruitfulness of the land was heavily characterized. According to Ancient Africa, all matter of life was different, and so were the deities that provided the different gods for Africa during its ancestral times²¹. For instance, Osiris was the god of love, a deity characterized as a woman and wings of life.

As a woman brought life, her son was Osiris, who brought love to most of the Africans before Islam. Osiris and Isis were deities that were closely linked to life and love²². Enchanting each deity ensured that Africans were protected from most ills that befall the African community. Through their worship, the African people attained deliveries of the best in terms of life. The deities needed to be enchanted to give forth a new beginning and life to ensure that the Egyptian and African people always prospered²³. With her wings, Osiris represented the protection and nourishment that the deity gave to Africans. Africans needed to relate to the deity of Osiris for providence. The latter deities were among the most favorite ancient African communities and greatly influenced the political wealth and accumulation that African people had long realized.

Another deity that was associated with the African religious belief of Polytheism was the deity of Horus, the god of the afterlife, the sun god, the god who provided fairly to all the members of the African communities with different aspects and needs that the Africans needed to conduct their life in different ways fully.

Back on the western side of the African continent was the Shongai empire, which also believed in nature and the magic powers of plants and animals. The west Africans, to date, practiced most of their religions thanks to the adaptation of Polytheism belief that was largely incorporated into the African community²⁴. In alignment with other African kingdoms, the deity belief was strongly advocated by the Shongai people thanks to the economic, political, and religious background that came with understanding the different African deities in the community²⁵. Africans needed to cover that they incorporated their religious beliefs by practicing several diety performances that would verse that the African communities multiplied and enhanced according to the presented deities.

Unlike other Western religions, the African religion was focused on ensuring that nature served human beings through its providence. For instance, herbs from the forest could heal broken bones, and leaves from trees such as the marijuana plant were used to indicate the vibration of someone’s life²⁶. The latter means that when one smoked the leaves from the marijuana plant, one would get insights into the problems they faced, which helped them be in sync with the universe. Soldiers also used the plants for motivation before the war, and pregnant women smoked the plant to ease the best pains. Nature also communicated with the African people through healing, such as in exchange for blood. For instance, menstrual blood was greatly used in Polytheism to revive things in a state of dying. Menstruating women would suit plants, animals, and objects in a state of death to revive, and miraculously, they did revive. With the deep interconnection and belief in Polytheism, Africans believed that everything that came to them would bear good fruits.

By being in peace with deities and nature, Africans knew that liberation would be served and healing would be received by nature. The latter understanding was behind why Africans were so accepting of foreigners, new concepts, and followed through with principles offered by the foreigners since they thought everything would be peaceful, if not great, at the end of the association²⁷. Polytheism’s free belief and practice is also the reason behind the acceptance of Colonialism, refugee settling, and religious introduction in Africa. Islam had the foundations to grow and be assimilated in Africa, thanks to the Polytheism beliefs that governed most African political, economic, and social communities.

The Seven Culture Zones

Through Colonialism, Islam spread from Africa to most of the regions across the world thanks to the slave trade and migration of many Muslims. Across the seven regions of the world, the notion in practicality is that the Northern and southern Muslims are originally from Africa and were previously assimilated, both brutally and peacefully, into Islam. Therefore, America’s northern and southern regions back up that the Muslim influence came from the shipped enslaved people from the west and north Africa.²⁸. In Africa, the text explains how a vulnerability, trading, and Colonialism helped spread Islam in most African communities. The other world regions, Asia, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia, have less Islam influence and are currently inhabited by Muslims from Arab nations ancestry or refugees from Somalia and Eritrea.

How Colonialism Facilitated the Spread of Islam

Colonialism was introduced to Africa s part of the trans-Saharan trade, which operated from West Africa to Eritrea to the Arab lands. As the merchants from Arabs concentrated their goods on the banks of the different shores in Africa, there was a lot of demand for more goods, thanks to the economic influence that Arabs were instituting in Africa.²⁹. Arabs knew that their influence in Africa would mean taking the art of Africa as their portion to establish dominance.

In alignment with the latter intent, the Muslims bought and exchanged land from African kings and residents to exchange the different goods from Arabic land, India, and Egypt. The East African goods were also exchanged to Africans in exchange for lands and other amenities that came with most of the regions of West Africa. As the trade proceeded, Arabs realized that they would run short of products to buy in exchange for their goods. In the tradings among the North and West African people, it was evident that Oil, gas, and natural resources were the most prized possession. At the time of the sub-Saharan trade, Oil was not as valued as it is today, thanks to the little to no industrialization and locomotives.

It was evident that for the right approach to be executed, there needed to be a new product to be introduced in the trade to facilitate more gifts and amenities.³⁰. As Africans were enticed by the gifts sourced from Arab and Indians, they bet on coming up with Africans as maidens and enslaved people, a widely practiced culture in India and Arab since ancient times. Arabs introduced the concept of slavery service and how enslaved people were sold at a price of a matter of a lifetime. With the open and free, if not welcoming, mindset set by the Polytheism religious belief, Africans considered slave trading for gifts.³¹. Over the centuries, slave trading was a booming business, and most Africans were sold into slavery in India and Arab nations as maidens and workers. Slavery was an already successful business; therefore, before the invasion of the white man, who went to Africa to acquire land and expand their industrialization vision³².

With the perception that enslaved people could enhance better industrial productivity, brokers traded selfishly and brutality to attain enslaved people to foster better industrial work and sell enslaved people to the rich farmers and new entrepreneurs in the states³³. As some of the enslaved people were heavily converted to Islam, they upheld their religious beliefs in the United States and spread it among the embers of the society.

Back in Africa, scramble for partition and Colonialism as an introduction of various policies to the African states. As African ns were taught to be open to foreign nations and love trade and foreign gifts, the white man took advantage to spread his policies. Among spreading the policy was introducing religious practices, especially Islam and Christianity. Among the colonizers, Portuguese and other Islam countries colonized Africans and sought to assimilate the Africans into the culture.

A great example of a geographical location affected by Colonialism was the Tanzania and Somalia regions, where Islam is an official language of the states to date. The Muslims who invaded Tanzania maintained their rapport by building mosques and trading centers at the various points around the Tanzanian and Somalia borders, with a great advantage of intermarriages³⁴. Many intermarriages were based on the heavy and deep racism that Arabs had towards Africans, insisting that one must look like an Arab to become beautiful. As explained earlier in the context, the above notion worked. Most Africans soon intermarried with Arabs, hence giving birth to Somalia, as seen today, who pass for being mixed race rather than the expected dark complexion of Africa³⁵. Tanzanians are also heavily mixed and experience the best of colorism issues among both genders, thanks to the biasness they were exposed to during colonial times.

As Colonialism was in progress, other factors such as trading expeditions and economic changes through Islamic policies were introduced during the colonial times. Islamic guidelines came with strict adherence to the Quran, and the government had to acknowledge the guidelines if they were to be called Muslims³⁶. The latter played a major role in the geographic association and acceptance of Islam as a religion in Africa and how Colonialism led to the firm establishment of Islam on the West, North, and East shores of Africa.

Stages of Islam Spread Historically

The three stages that Islam spread historically are trading expeditions, containment, and the intermarriages between Islam and the colonies. Through the latter, Islam was able to extend their descendants by relating to the Arabian features in terms of hair, skin color, and the facial features of the Arab ancestry.³⁷. Mixing also led to a patriotic acceptance of Islam as the best and most divine religion among all, hence segregation that enhanced the values and position of one’s life in society. Containment, on the other hand, implies Islam’s influence on the regions they conquered in the world. In contrast, trading implies the services and influence rendered by Muslims during their time in Africa.

Conversions from Christianity to Islam

The conversion of Christianity to Africa was characterized by factors such as the need for political value and economic advantages in society and the personal transformation that one needed to acquire. The conversion of christinianity to Islam was also as a part of the great geographical advatages that came with being muslim. The latter influenced the ost of the muslim conversions to Islamic religion as seen to date int most parts of the world. Being part of the Muslim community implied a better life status among both Africans and Arabs thus, most the Africans traded themselves for a better social class by characterizing themselves as members of the Arab community³⁸. The latter helped the Africans not convert to Islam and exercise their rights in the community. Africans were unconvinced that their lives would turn better if they chose to convert to Islam and make right of their intention as Muslims.

Conclusion

The spread of Islam in Africa was characterized by various political, social, and economic factors that facilitated the widespread of Islam. Through the various advocacies that were intergrated into muslim, there has been consequent widespread of Islamic religion in many parts of Africa. The legacy of Islam is greatly embedded in the African culture and can be seen in today’s moors and berbers complexion and culture in western of Africa. Thanks to colonialism, Islam was able to widely spread across the world due to slavery and immigration of the colonized muslims from Africa.With a deep passion for their religion, Muslims spread their analogies by approaching Africans peacefully and assimilating them into Arab ways of life. To date, Arab are referenced as one of the initiators of trading in Africa and whose religions were early adopted in Africa. Thanks to the Muslim legacy, Islam continues to spread widely in Africa and across the seven corners of the world.

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Footnotes

1. Michalopoulos, Stelios, Alireza Naghavi, and Giovanni Prarolo. “Trade and Geography in the Spread of Islam.” The Economic Journal 128, no. 616 (2018): 3210-3241.
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
4. Wainscott, Ann Marie. “Religious Regulation as Foreign Policy: Morocco’s Islamic Diplomacy in West Africa.” Politics and Religion 11, no. 1 (2018): 1-26.
5. ibid.
6. ibid.
7. ibid.
8. ibid.
9. Jedwab, Remi, Felix Meier zu Selhausen, and Alexander Moradi. “The economics of missionary expansion: Evidence from Africa and implications for development.” Journal of Economic Growth (2022): 1-44.
10. ibid.
11. ibid.
12. ibid.
13. ibid.
14. ibid.
15. Wainscott, Ann Marie. “Religious Regulation as Foreign Policy: Morocco’s Islamic Diplomacy in West Africa.” Politics and Religion 11, no. 1 (2018): 1-26.
16. ibid.
17. Ngom, Fallou, Mustapha H. Kurfi, and Toyin Falola, eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Islam in Africa.
18. ibid.
19. Ahmed, Faisal Z. “Muslim conquest and institutional formation.” Explorations in Economic History 81 (2021): 101400.
20. ibid.
21. Jedwab, Remi, Felix Meier zu Selhausen, and Alexander Moradi. “The economics of missionary expansion: Evidence from Africa and implications for development.” Journal of Economic Growth (2022): 1-44.
22. ibid.
23. Lopez, Ariel C. “Conversion and colonialism: Islam and Christianity in North Sulawesi, c. 1700-1900.” PhD diss., Leiden University, 2018.
24. ibid.
25. ibid.
26. ibid.
27. ibid.
28. Michalopoulos, Stelios, Alireza Naghavi, and Giovanni Prarolo. “Trade and Geography in the Spread of Islam.” The Economic Journal 128, no. 616 (2018): 3210-3241.
29. Kane, Ousmane. “Muslim missionaries and African states.” In Transnational religion and fading states, pp. 47-62. Routledge, 2018.
30. Syed, A. (2019). African Dominion: A new history of empire in early and medieval west africa, written by Michael A. Gomez. Islamic Africa, 10(1–2), 225–227.
31. Bauer, Vincent, Melina R. Platas, and Jeremy M. Weinstein. “Legacies of Islamic Rule in Africa: Colonial Responses and Contemporary Development.” World Development 152 (2022): 105750.
32. ibid.
33. ibid.
34. ibid.
35. ibid.
36. ibid.
37. Ahmed, Faisal Z. “Muslim conquest and institutional formation.” Explorations in Economic History 81 (2021): 101400.