Islam In West Africa Essay

Islam has swept the nation with its vast and rapid spread. Muslims spread through out the earth one country at a time to convey a message to the people that was Islam. The influence that came out of it was not a small one, and a lot of countries were seen better of because of it. West Africa was one of the places in which Islam was not only spread but also had a huge influence. And if anyone looks closely and sees that the time West Africa began to change for the better then they would see it was the same exact time Islam was introduced to them. These changes were only in religion but also in many other aspects, for example their education, justice system, art and many more things were affected in that period of time and are still evident till …show more content…
A person must not only believe that there is a god and that he is responsible for all that we have and all that we are. There are also thing a Muslim is expected to do to show their faith and thanks to Allah. These are what people call the five pillars of Islam, which are praying five times a day, fasting, pilgrimage to mecca, Charity, and Zakat. Before the spread of Islam to West Africa everyone believed in what they believed it. However, after the spread of Islam it unified people and brought them together. Moreover, the people of West Africa learned the five pillars of Islam and began to practice it everyday. Also some people wanted to keep some of their religion traditions alive like how they show respect for their spirits of dead ancestors and carry it on through out the generations. It was allowed as long as it didn’t conflict or contradict with the five pillar of Islam. Which in the end showed to us that it didn’t, because while Ibn Battuta a famous Arab traveler was in Mali he was amazed and impressed at the devotion that West Africa had to Islam. In which he said “Anyone who is late at the mosque will find nowhere to pray, the crowd is so great. They zealously learn the Qur’an by heart. Those children who are neglectful in this, are put in chains until they have memorized the Qur’an.” Which shows us exactly how the effect of Islam’s acceptance and openness pays