Islam in the Empire of Mali
The influence of Islam in Mali dates back to the 15th
century when Al-Bakri mentions the conversion of its ruler to Islam. There was
a miserable period of drought which came to an end by offering Muslim prayers
and ablutions. The Empire of Mali arose from the ruins of Ghana Empire. There
are two important names in the history of Islam in Mali: Sundiata (1230-1255)
and Mansa Musa (1312-1337). Sundiata is the founder of the Mali Empire but was
a weak Muslim, since he practiced Islam with syncretic practices and was highly
disliked by the scholars. Mansa Musa was, on the other hand, a devout Muslim
and is considered to be the real architect of the Mali Empire. By the time
Sundiata died in 1255, a large number of former dependencies of Ghana also came under his power. After him came Mansa Uli (1255-1270) who had made a
pilgrimage to Makkah.
Mansa (Emperor) Musa came to power in 1312 and his fame
reached beyond the Sudan, North Africa and spread up to Europe. Mansa Musa
ruled from 1312 to 1337 and in 1324-25 he made his famous pilgrimage to Makkah
[Hajj]. When he returned from his pilgrimage, he brought with him a large
number of Muslim scholars and architects who built five mosques for the first
time with baked bricks. Thus Islam received its greatest boost during Mansa
Musa’s reign. Many scholars agree that because of his attachment to Islam,
Mansa Musa could introduce new ideas to his administration. The famous
traveller and scholar Ibn Batutah came to Mali during Mansa Sulaiman’s reign
(1341-1360), and gives an excellent account of Mali’s government and its
economic prosperity - in fact, a legacy of Mansa Musa’s policy. Mansa Musa’s
pilgrimage projected Mali’s enormous wealth and potentialities which attracted
more and more Muslim traders and scholars. These Muslim scholars and traders
contributed to the cultural and economic development of Mali. It was during his reign that diplomatic relations were established with Tunis and Egypt, and thus Mali began to appear on the map of the world.
Islam in the Empire of Songhay
Islam began to spread in the Empire of Songhay some time
in the 11th century when the ruling Za or Dia dynasty first accepted it. It
was a prosperous region because of its booming trade with Gao. By the 13th
century it had come under the dominion of the Mali Empire but had freed itself
by the end of the 14th century when the dynasty was renamed Sunni. The
frontier of Songhay now expanded and in the 15th century, under the leadership
of Sunni ‘Ali, who ruled between 1464-1492, the most important towns of the Western Sudan came under the Songhay Empire. The great cities of Islamic learning like Timbuktu and Jenne came under his power between 1471-1476.
Sunni ‘Ali’s was a nominal Muslim who used Islam to his
ends. He even persecuted Muslim scholars and practiced local cults and magic.
When the famous scholar Al-Maghilli called him a pagan, he punished him too. The
belief in cults and magic was, however, not something new in Songhay. It
existed in other parts of West Africa until the time the revivalist movements
gained momentum in the 18th century. It is said of Sunni ‘Ali that he tried to
compromise between paganism and Islam although he prayed and fasted. The scholars
called it merely a mockery.
Sunni ‘Ali’s syncretism was soon challenged by the
Muslim elites and scholars in Timbuktu, which was then a center of Islamic
learning and civilization. The famous family of Agit, of the Berber scholars,
had the post of the Chief Justice and were known for their fearless opposition
to the rulers. In his lifetime, Sunni ‘Ali took measures against the scholars of
Timbuktu (in 1469 and in 1486). But on his death, the situation completely
changed: Islam and Muslim scholars triumphed. Muhammad Toure (Towri), a
military commander asked Sunni ‘Ali’s successor, Sunni Barou, to appear before
the public and make an open confession of his faith in Islam. When Barou refused
to do so, Muhammad Toure ousted him and established a new dynasty in his own
name, called the Askiya dynasty. Sunni ‘Ali may be compared with Sundiata of
Mali, and Askiya Muhammad Toure with Mansa Musa, a champion of the cause of
Islam.
On his coming to power, he established Islamic law and
arranged a large number of Muslims to be trained as judges. He gave his munificent
patronage to the scholars and gave them large pieces of land as gifts. He
became a great friend of the famous scholar Muhammad Al-Maghilli. It was
because of his patronage that eminent Muslim scholars were attracted to Timbuktu, which became a great seat of learning in the 16th century. Timbuktu has the
credit of establishing the first Muslim University, called Sankore University, in West Africa; its name is commemorated until today in Ibadan University where a staff residential area has been named as Sankore Avenue.
Like Mansa Musa of Mali, Askia Muhammad Toure went on a
pilgrimage and thus came into close contact with Muslim scholars and rulers in
the Arab countries. In Makkah, the King accorded him great respect; he was
turbanned. The King gave him a sword and the title of the Caliph of the Western Sudan. On his return from Makkah in the year 1497, he proudly used the title of
Al-Hajj.
Askia took such a keen interest in the Islamic legal
system that he asked a number of questions on Islamic theology from his friend
Muhammad al-Maghilli. Al-Maghilli answered his questions in detail which Askia
circulated in the Songhay empire. Some of the questions were about the
fundamental structure of the faith, such as ‘who is a true Muslim?’ and “who
is a pagan?” When we read Shehu ‘Uthman Dan Fodio’s works, we can see some of
his arguments quoted on the authority of Al-Maghilli. In other words,
Al-Maghilli’s detailed discussions of the issues raised by Askiya Muhammad
played a great role in influencing Shehu.
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