North Africa Islamic religion during 500-1600 Century

While the presence of Islam in West Africa dates back to the eighth century, the spread of the faith in the regions are now the modern states of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Nigeria, was in fact a gradual and complex process. Much of what we know about the early history of West Africa comes from accounts written by medieval Arab geographers and North Africa and historians. Scholars have used several models to explain why Africans converted to Islam. Some emphasize the economic motivations, others stress the draw spiritual message of Islam, and a number of stress the prestige and influence of literacy in Arabic to facilitate the construction of the state (Robinson, 362).

While the motivations of the early conversions remain unclear, it is clear that the early presence of Islam in West Africa was related to trade and trade with North Africa. Trade between West Africa and the Mediterranean before Islam, however, North African Muslims intensified trans-Saharan trade. The merchants of North Africa were the main actors in the introduction of Islam in West Africa. Several important trade routes connected Africa below the Sahara to the Middle East Mediterranean, and Ghadames Awdaghust Sijilmasa to Gao. The Sahel, the ecological transition zone between the Sahara desert and the forest zone, which extends across the African continent, was a period of intensive contact between North Africa and the communities south of the Sahara. In West Africa, the three great medieval empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai developed countries in the Sahel.

The early presence of Islam was limited to separate Muslim communities linked to the trans-Saharan trade. In the 11 century Andalusian geographer, Al-Bakri, said the accounts of Arab and North African Berber settlement in the region. Several factors led to the growth of the merchant class Muslim scholar in the non-Muslim kingdoms. Islam facilitated long-distance trade, providing sets of tools for traders such as contract law, credit and information networks. Merchant Muslim scholars also played a role in non-Muslim kingdoms as advisors and scribes in Ghana. They had the crucial skill of script writing, which helped in the administration of the kingdom. Many Muslims were also religious specialists that amulets were very popular with non-Muslims (Levtzion and Pouwels, 41)

In spite of modern Ghana is not related to the ancient kingdom of Ghana, Ghana modern chose the name as a way to honor the early history of Africa. The boundaries of the ancient kingdom encompassed the region of the Middle Niger Delta, consisting of the current parts of Mali and Mauritania and Senegal to the present. This region has historically been the home of the Malinke Soninke, Wangari Wa'kuri and peoples. Fulani and Sanhaja Saharan Berbers also played a prominent role in spreading Islam in the Niger Delta region. Great cities arose in the Niger Delta region around 300 AD Around the eighth century, the ancient Arabic documents referred to Ghana and Muslims crossed the Sahara in West Africa for trade. North Africa ...