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Islam and West Africa

Muhammad soon began to preach his revelations to the people of Mecca (his teachings were later written down by his followers in the book called the Koran) and introduced the five pillars of faith:.
             1. Shahada "profession of the Islamic faith.
             2. Salat "praying 5 times a day while facing towards Mecca.
             3. Zakat "the giving of alms to the poor or weak.
             4. Siyam "fasting during the month of Ramadan between sunup and sundown.
             5. Hajj "traveling to Mecca as a final profession of faith.
             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. .
             The merchants of Mecca were not pleased with Muhammad's teachings and expelled him from Mecca. They believed his teachings would disrupt the economic prosperity of Mecca. Around 622 C.E., Muhammad and his followers were forced to flee Mecca to the north to the city of Medina. This emigration from Mecca to Medina called the Hegira marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar in the Christian year 622. Muhammad had declared a jihad or holy war against the people of Mecca in order to rid Mecca of its evils. By 630 C.E. Muhammad had defeated the people of Mecca and made peace with the Meccans. Two years later Muhammad died suddenly and the merchants of Mecca were Muslim. .
             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 with spreading the word of Muhammad and Islam throughout the region.


Essays Related to Islam and West Africa

1. Islam in the African American Experience

North African Muslims helped plant the seeds for West African Islam through their encounters with sub-Saharan Africans by way of a slave trade. ... Later, "teachers and messengers" of Islam would arrive in West Africa. This was a catalyst for the mass conversion of West Africans to Islam. After the West Africans converted, they attempted to mix Islam with traditional African religions. This resulted in West African Islam being markedly unique from other forms of Islam found in the world. ...

  • Word Count: 3585
  • Approx Pages: 14
  • Has Bibliography

2. The Spread And Expansion Of Islam

Islam is not as some imagine in the West, a religion of the sword nor did it spread primarily by means of war. It was only within Arabia, where a crude form of idolatry was rampant, that Islam was propagated by warring against those tribes, which did not accept the message of God, whereas Christians and Jews were not forced to convert Within half a century of the Prophet's death, Islam had spread to three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe. ... The Berbers of North Africa, for example, who resisted Arab rule but willingly embraced Islam, later joined them when they crossed the Strai...

  • Word Count: 512
  • Approx Pages: 2

3. Islam Women

Islam: Women, Religion, & Politics in West Africa Barbara Callaway & Lucy Creevey Chapter 3: "Socialization and the Subordination of Women- • Islam differs from other religions in the emphasis it places on the proper behavior of women and the protections it provides for them. ... Islam: Women, Religion, & Politics in West Africa Barbara Callaway & Lucy Creevey Chapter 6: "The Political Empowerment of Women- • Women do not take part in any of the political structures or political process in West Africa. ... The chance of a woman leading a movement or strike th...

  • Word Count: 2094
  • Approx Pages: 8

4. Islamic Empire

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, power was relinquished to many different strongholds throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ... After 661, under the Umayyad caliphs, Islam dominated one third of the Old World and at its height it reached from the Atlantic Ocean on the west, across North Africa and the Middle East, to central Asia on the East. ... For the Islamic world trade was of paramount importance, and commercial contact was established with the Vikings and the peoples of China, South-East Asia, India, East Africa, and sub-Saharan West Africa. ... Islamic merchant maste...

  • Word Count: 879
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. African History

It wasn't until Africa came out of the colonial that African-Americans demanded equality and historians of all races and nationalities readjusted their view of Africa. ... The principal African carriers of the trade within Africa were the Yao from the vicinity of Lake Malawi. ... African institutions adapted to meet this demand; what Africa might have become without the slaves is unknown. ... Islam's influence into West Africa was a slow process. The barrier of the Sahara had not prevented the spread of Islam, but it has had a profoun...

  • Word Count: 1996
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Islam

Islam: Women, Religion, & Politics in West Africa Barbara Callaway & Lucy Creevey Chapter 3: "Socialization and the Subordination of Women- • Islam differs from other religions in the emphasis it places on the proper behavior of women and the protections it provides for them. ... What Islam did, in this situation, was to provide a bill of rights. ... Women also earned family rights through Islam: Islam limited the number of wives a man might take, gave a mother rights to her children, and obligated the father to maintain them even if under the mother's care. ... T...

  • Word Count: 1041
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. African Cake

"The magnificent African cake" is a documentary about the colonization of the African continent. ... From this massive attempt to destroy the African spirit sprung various reactionary/revolutionary responses from Black Africa. One example is the many Africans turning towards Islam in contrast to their Christian colonizers. ... There was also the Ashanti of West Africa who fought painstakingly against the British. ... "The great African cake" was an informative film that gets a "thumbs up" for its realistic approach to the colonization of the African continent....

  • Word Count: 637
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. An Understanding of the Development of North Africa Proceedi

Libya is a large country west of Egypt ruled by Italy. ... Algeria is another large country west of Libya. ... In a free election in 1992, the people of Algeria elected to the national legislature a majority of candidates who favored strict Islamic laws and values. ... Then military leaders took control of Algeria and banned the Islamic movement and arrested many of its members. The insurmountable tension between the military and the Islamic opposition resulted in armed conflict. ...

  • Word Count: 1241
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Racism and the Colonization of Africans

Europe's Interest in Africa Before looking at the nature of racial thinking, the question needs to be asked: Why was Europe interested in Africa, in the first place? ... It can be seen that the main Holy Grail was to change the identity of Africans and by slowly assimilating Africans into European culture; a common example to illustrate this is the changing of African names to Christian ones. ... As Jomo Kenyatta illustrates: "When Europeans came to Africa, they had the bible and the Africans had the land. ... Impact of Racial Thinking in Africa Colonial powers had justified its e...

  • Word Count: 2491
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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