Islam in Africa

Fig. 2 - map of the Trans-Saharan trade routes

The faith was readily adopted by African leaders, resulting in its quick adoption by their kingdoms as well. In the 10th century, Islam was adopted in the powerful trading city of Gao and the Ghana Empire. In the 13th century, it spread into the wealthy Mali Empire, and later the Songhai Empire and the Kingdom of Kamen. In the East, Islam ran into some conflict spreading into traditionally Christian regions, but eventually established itself firmly in regions such as the Swahili Coast, and the Kingdom of Abyssinia.

Fig. 3 - The Larabanga Mosque, the oldest Mosque in Ghana

By the time the European powers had their scramble for Africa centuries later, more than half the continent thought of itself as Muslim.

Reasons for the Spread of Islam

But why was the Muslim faith so readily adopted by African kingdoms in this way? How did Islam grow from a local Arabic sect into a religion that spanned a continent in about six hundred years?

Reasons for the Spread of Islam: A Power Vacuum

Firstly, although these African nations had their own kingdoms, there was something of a power vacuum along the Mediterranean coast with the recent fall of the Western Roman Empire. After its collapse, the local kingdoms became largely independent and were left to fend for themselves. Thus, when a foreign religion entered the community, each nation-state dealt with Islam individually, rather than Islam finding itself pitted against a massive governmental institution.

Reasons for the Spread of Islam: Applicability

Secondly, Islam had a characteristic that was unique among religions at the time: applicability. Whereas other faiths concerned themselves primarily with matters of the soul and its relation to the divine, Islam, comparatively, devoted much of its philosophical thought to how to live one’s life in the Earthly realm. In short, Islam taught that the current world was also worth living in, and provided advice on how to live it best, typically in the realms of social interaction, legal counsel, and economics. Thus, it made it a more readily acceptable faith to African leaders, as it provided guidance that wasn’t as esoteric as other faiths.

Reasons for the Spread of Islam: Trade

Third, Islam was adopted early on by leaders of populous trade empires, such as Gao, Ghana, and then Mali. The importance of the Trans-Saharan trade in these kingdoms cannot be understated as it provided precious metals (namely gold) and key resources to the outside world and brought outside wealth into Sub-Saharan Africa. Much of this trade was with the Islamic world, and African rulers saw that if they converted, they would have inroads into wealthy trading partners. At the time, becoming a Muslim just sounded like good business strategy.

Lastly, before the world adopted telephone lines, televisions, and the internet, communication across the world had to come either by word of mouth or written down in a physical manner which still needed to be transported across great distances. As such, when Islam spread to an African kingdom which already had a cultural establishment, with its own traditions and customs, it wasn’t able to immediately rely on a Muslim central authority. Instead, Muslims were left to their own devices, with the Quran as a source of guidance, but also understanding it was competing with local beliefs.

So, Islam largely became a flexible and adaptable faith, with people willing to convert to Islam if they didn’t have to abandon the animism or pagan traditions of their ancestors. Proponents of the faith knew it would never survive if it insisted upon itself, and thus, Islam became a religion of philosophy and debate, ready to be adopted by most locals who never had to fear it.

The Islamic Slave Trade

One very important interaction between the Islamic world and Africa was the Islamic Slave Trade. Long before the Transatlantic Slave Trade began, multiple African kingdoms were participating in an active slave trade with the Islamic world. These kingdoms would provide enslaved persons to Muslim traders in exchange for goods, livestock, and spices from the Arab world. This trade occurred along both the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes and Indian Ocean Trade Routes.

Map of Islamic Countries in Africa

Suffice to say, the history of Islam and Africa are greatly intertwined. Below is a map developed with data from the Pew Research Center that shows the regions of Africa with Islamic practice as of 2010. As you can see, Islam still holds strong in both North and West Africa as well as portions of the eastern coast.

Fig. 1 - map showing religious practice in Africa