To account for the spread of Islam into Africa, especially West Africa, in the context of cultural interaction and exchange, four things must be considered. First would be the trade routes around the Sahara Desert which provided a vast amount of wealth and power for the African kings. Second, consider the administration that Islam provided another source of power for the African kings with its Madrasas or universities and the Qadis or magistrates. Third, consider the warfare between the Islamic Bedouin tribes that invaded into kingdoms such as Ghana and eventually brought Islam into the country. Finally, fourth, consider the strict moral code of the Koran that eventually brought monotheism to a polytheistic Africa. These four factors must be considered when accounting for the spread of Islam into West Africa into the kingdoms of first Gao, then Ghana, and finally into Mali. But first, let’s lay down the foundation for Islam with its originator, Muhammad.

Muhammad ibn Abdullah, Islam’s founder, was born in the late 6th century C.E. in Mecca. Mecca, by historical accounts, was a hub of cultural interacti

2. Salat—praying 5 times a day while facing towards Mecca.

3. Zakat—the giving of alms to the poor or weak.

An example of the five pillars of faith can be seen in Exploring the Sources of World Civilizations in the article about the Hadith and the Sunna. In the article, Zakat is exemplified by the prostitute that gives food to a dog. Other examples of Salat, Siyam, and Hajj can be seen in the article also.

Mali emerged as the principal state around this time under the rule of Sunjata. Sunjata embraced the trade with the Muslims and soon amassed a vast and powerful empire. Muslims were living in Mali and soon began to turn to Islam instead of their pagan religions. A century later, the kings in Mali and many of the people had turned to Islam. Around 1312, a very notable king of Mali named Mansa Musa appeared. Musa accepted Islam and during his rule it became a very strong religion in Mali. Qadi or magistrates were brought into Mali and soon a Muslim-like administration was going. Mosques were built in many cities at this time in Mali to help spread Islam. Traditional African customs still prevailed especially in the outlying areas from the larger African cities. For example, in Expanding Empires, Levtzion tells of the tribal customs of some of the women in Mali going about in public naked despite Islamic traditions. The kings in Mali continued to spread Islam throughout Africa, however, by the 15th century, Mali lost control of most of the sub-Saharan trade routes and the empire lost size and power. The people of Mali and of Africa soon reverted back to their pre-Islamic traditions and it was then left up to the Muslim traders again to help spread Islam and its customs back across Africa.

Muhammad’s followers decided that no one could replace him as spiritual leader and decided to appoint a supreme leader for the Muslims called a caliph. Since Muhammad had laid out the basic Muslim code of conduct in the Sharia, no one could change Islamic religion or laws, only enforce them. That enforcement was up to the caliph. The caliphs soon busied themselves

Some topics in this essay:
Islam Africa, Muslim Muhammad’s, Empires Levtzion, Sunjata Sunjata, Islamic Bedouin, Muslims Africans, Sahara Desert, Shahadaâ€profession Islamic, Middle East, Nehemiah Levtzion, spread islam, trade routes, west africa, cultural interaction, muslim traders, cultural interaction exchange, people mecca, interaction exchange, spread islam africa, ce muhammad, kings ghana, gao ghana, context cultural interaction, africa context cultural, power african kings,