The history of islam in africa facts about the muslims. When malcolm x went on the hajj and witnessed the universality of islam, he returned to america as a new man, preaching the concept of one god and one humanity. Dec 22, 2017 the history of islam in africa is almost as old as islam itself, stretching back to the 7th century. When and how did islam spread throughout the african continent. From 3000 bc north africa was a damp sahara between 8000 3000 bc. Central to this change in both africa and asia is the creation of a new. Pearson islam in the bilad alsudan to 1800 nehemia levtzion the juula and the expansion of islam into the. The beginnings of a cartographic tradition the history of. Geography, demography, and economic growth in africa jstor. The same is true in africa where traditional religions and. Islam, islamic history, islamic civilization, islam in africa, islam in south africa. Africa gave the islamic world its first muezzin, bilal ibn rabah. Show full abstract beliefs influence african christians. Over time, however, islam played a growing role in west african society.
The longterm effects of africas slave trades harvard university. During the decade and a half since the end of the cold war, africa has seen momentous changes. Brills islam in africa is designed to present the results of scholarly research into the many aspects of the history and presentday features of islam in subsaharan africa. Islam in the rest of african continent, adaptability culture of islam, the role of trade in the islamaization of africa, islamic education in africa, islamic culture and shariah in nigeria and conclusion. Before reading this book, i thought that i was reasonably wellinformed on the history of islam, and i was wrong. Seven years after the death of muhammad in 639 ad, an arab army invaded. Geography the arabian peninsula covers an area of over 2 million square kilometers in the southwestern corner of asia. The spread of islam in ancient africa world history. During his reign, islam was at its zenith of influence in east africa. In nigeria, leaders of the muslim communities supported gay. Over time, boko haram has preserved core elements of its message. Almost onethird of the worlds muslim population resides in africa.
Since the religion was introduced to the continent in the 7th century, it has spread extensively and the continent today is home to nearly onethird of the muslim population in the world. As already has been seen, both confessions have a long and a distinguished history in africa. Nazeer ahmed, phd africa, alone among the continents, has a majority muslim population. Because islam spread to west africa from north africa, muslims there fol lowed the maliki school of law dominant in north africa. Boko haram and the islamic states west africa province. Africa, and by the fifteenth century the christian coptic population of egypt itself. Seven years after the death of muhammad in 639 ad, an arab army invaded egypt, and within two generations, islam ha d expanded across north africa and all of the. West african jihadist movements in the light of history executive. Consistent increase in winter precipitation is found in northern high latitude regions, as well as central asia, tibet, western and eastern north america, and western and eastern africa regions.
Islam in africaafricans and islam the journal of african. The role of the faith in the emergence of the commercial empires of the medieval western sudan and the swahili trading cities of east africa is by now so well established that it is common knowledge not only among african and islamic historians but nearly any university undergraduate who has taken a world history course. Alpers islam in southern africa, 16521998 robert c. The history of navigation is the history of seafaring, the art of directing vessels upon the open sea through the establishment of its position and course by means of traditional practice, geometry, astronomy, or special instruments. This book reconstructs the movements history, paying attention to how its doctrine in. The spread of islam ea arabian sea ea europe africa egypt arabia persia. To know the powers that ruled egypt and north africa before the incursion of the arabs in the 7 th century. Yet, the dissemination of islam in africa by first arabs and then african muslims, and the role that islam and muslims have played in the development of africa, are essential to a balanced and accurate understanding of african history.
Religions diffuse more along lines of latitude than longitude. Islamic scholars made important contributions to mathematics, science, and architecture. Why was the flight to medina the start of a new period in the history of islam. Aug 24, 2020 the parallax latitudes of islamic difference bring to bear a trenchant slant on the uss sanctimonious secularity, its exploitative materialism, and its subjugation of racial minorities. Pdf the spread of islam in india and southeast asia. The history of the islamic faith on the continent of africa spans fourteen centuries.
Throughout, the author makes the case for an african christianity connected to a celtic irish. An independent east africa was too much to stomach for the british who had consolidated their indian. Introduction of islam in africa contributed by prof. Below, mustafa briggs lists 11 books that highlight different aspects of this deeprooted tradition, the achievements at times even existence of which are often overlooked. Between 632 ce and 750 ce, islam spread to the borders of india and china in the east, through northern africa, and into spain. The oxford history of islam is designed to provide ready access to the history of islam. Over roughly a thousand years, it has influenced the economy, politics, education, social and gender relations, architecture and other elements of west african culture and history. But boko haram has also periodically shifted its strat egies, tactics, and self presentation. Until the mid20th century, it remained largely confined to the coast and closely bound up with the history of the swahili towns situated on it. The history of islam in africa read and download epub, pdf.
Islam and the cultural imperative university of alberta. Abuabdullah adelabu has written in his movements of islam in face of the empires and kingdoms in yorubaland claims about the early arrival of islam in. Africa was the first continent into which islam spread from southwest asia, during the early 7th century ce. Hajj is highly spiritual but at the same time highly social and universal activity of islam. Islam is the dominant religion in north africa and the horn of africa, and it is also the predominant and historical religion of the west african interior and the far west coast of the continent as well as the coast of east africa. The origins, growth, and diffusion of islam through the medieval. Ghana was too far away, and it was protected by the sahara. The title is somewhat misleading as the term islamic history usually refers to the history of islam in the premodern period. For instance, even such an authoritative source as the oxford history of islam dedicates to all of africa just one chapter out of fifteen, and then only discusses islam in that continent up until 1800. Islam spain and the history of technology san jose state university.
Those who remained in the higher latitudes had the. Christian missions and antigay attitudes in africa university of. The history of islam concerns the religion of islam and its adherents, muslims. It is a practical demonstration of islam s call for one people under one god. Absolute distance from the equator averaged across the. At the same time, american freedoms of expression further pluralize an expansive islamic umma that already holds together a planetary heritage of diversity. This book is in two sections, the first dealing with ayas and hadiths as well as poems regarding the history of the city, the second with who was born in aden, and who came to it in alphabetical order during the eighth and ninth centuries of islam. Muslim traders along several major trade routes that connected africa below the. Africa was the first continent, outside of arabia that islam spread to in the early 7th century. The spread of islam in africa began in the 7th and 8th cent.
The history of islam in east africa stretches back to around ce. Chapter five islamic challenges in african christianity. The spread of christianity and islam in africa has continued to generate interesting insights that relate to the character of each faith. The presence of islam in africa can be traced to the seventh century when the prophet muhammad advised a number of his early disciples, who were facing persecution by the pre islamic inhabitants of the mecca to seek refuge across the red sea at the court of axum in zeila under the rule of alnajashi. The two religions have engendered passionate piety and. Before long, they wanted to bring west africa into the islamic world. What is noticeable about the distribution of religions. Indeed, since the early 1990s, economic and political reform and liberalization, the weakening of the state or even in some cases its collapse, and increased global interconnections have all had dramatic impacts on the continent. Africa, alone among the continents, has a majority muslim population. The history of islam in africa and accounts of how the religion spread, especially in north and the horn of africa, has always been contentious. Sultan majid passed away in 1870 and his successor sultan bargash lacked the wisdom to govern and stave off the contagion of colonialism. While islam itself has been a wellstudied discipline, the specifics of islam in eastern africa have been only superficially considered. A few people have excelled as seafarers, prominent among them the austronesians islander southeast asians, malagasy, islander melanesians, micronesians, and.
Islam in subsaharan african contexts the web site cannot be found. The history of islam in africa ohio university press. Th is religious map of africa is the result of the encounters, over centuries, between the indigenous religions of the continent with the arabs and the europeans. Trade and geography in the origins and spread of islam. Islam has a long and multifaceted history in west africa, as elsewhere. Early in islamic history a corpus of geographical lore must have. Islam rapidly spread through the middle east, north africa, and spain.
Islam in africa provides an overview over the development of muslim societies in africa from early history 7th century to the present with a. Written for the general reader but also appealing to specialists, our goal is to present the best of scholarship in a readable style, complemented by a rich use of illustrations. On the other hand, in east africa, where islam came from the arabian peninsula, muslims followed the shafli school of law that prevailed in. Shell radicalism and reform in east africa abdin chande islamic law in africa allan christelow muslim women in african history roberta ann dunbar islamic education and scholarship in subsaharan africa stefan reichmuth sufi brotherhoods in. Situated between asia, africa and europe, the land is unique in its connection with all three continents of the old world. First came an arab colonisation combined with islamic missionary. Introduce a new hypothesis for understanding the economic origins of islam. It was home to its greatest historian, ibn khaldun and the birthplace of its bestknown traveler, ibn batuta. In the seventh century, islam entered africa from the northeast corner. Islam with its first major triumph, and africa became the first safe haven for muslims and the first place islam would be practiced outside of the arabian peninsula. In history, islam showed itself to be culturally friendly and, in that regard, has. In this fivevolume work, geschichte des arabischen schrifttums history of arabic literature the last two of which were published in 2010.
Muslim is an arabic word meaning one who submits to god. East african muslims are mostly shafiites and some. Jan 28, 2000 a choice outstanding academic title the history of the islamic faith on the continent of africa spans fourteen centuries. Because islam spread to west africa from north africa, muslims there fol.
Islam in africa african studies oxford bibliographies. For the first time in a single volume, the history of islam in africa presents a detailed historic mapping of the cultural, political, geographic, and religious past of this significant presence on a continentwide scale. At first, muslim traders and merchants lived side by side with the nonmuslims of west africa. Along the coast of africa islam spread among the berbers, who joined the muslim community and almost immediately drove north across the mediterranean into europe. According to arab oral tradition, islam first came to africa with muslim refugees fleeing persecution in the arab. Mohammed founded islam on the arabian peninsula in the seventh century. Margari hill, stanford university january 2009 available in pdf format 1. Bringing together two dozen leading scholars, this comprehensive work treats the historical development of the religion. The first site you should visit is the history of islam by professor john. The origin and growth of islam on the african continent. Muslims crossed current djibouti and somalia to seek refuge in presentday eritrea and ethiopia during the hijrah arabic. The histom1 ofls1am il1 africa ohio university press. Africa, with minority but significant immigrant populations in south africa. When and how did islam spread throughout the african.
Understanding religious change in africa and europe. While the presence of islam in west africa dates back to eighth century, the spread of the faith in regions that are now the modern states of senegal, gambia, guinea, burkina faso, niger, mali and nigeria, was in actuality, a gradual and complex process. Includes bibliographical references and index introduction. The swahili language remains central to many east african muslims, hence the occasionally heard phrase, swahili islam. An anthology with chapters by leading scholars who cover the history of muslim africa in both regional and chronological chapters followed by thematic essays on a broad range of topics. In recent years a number of volumes on islam in africa have been published. The new cambridge history of islam 6 volume set the new cambridge history of islam is a comprehensive history of islamic civilization, tracing its development from its beginnings in seventhcentury arabia to its wide and varied presence in the globalised world of today. Distance from the equator is the absolute value of th. This sourcebook, however, includes sources on islamic history and sources specific to the middle east and north africa in the modern period. But sending armies to conquer ghana was not practical. Arabic sources on somalia history in africa cambridge core. Traders bring islam to ghana between the years 639 and 708 c.
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