How Islam Spread Into Africa

Islam claims more Africans than any other world religion. By 1980 there were about 190 million Muslims compared to 140 million Christians. Although these figures are only estimated they give credit to Islamic Dawa' and how it has been applied in Africa. Although unplanned, it has achieved results. A number of scholars ask themselves how Islam, unaided by missionaries, was able to penetrate Africa. The answers are not easy to come by. Because most of the writers have been anti-Islamic in spirit, they have tended to give derogatory explanations for the spread of Islam.
They have pointed out that Islam is "An easy religion for Africans" to the African traditional way of life and that an African need not undergo a process of culturalization in order to become a good Muslim, whereas the latter is the case for Christianity. But a number of studies we have done in Uganda, Malawi and Zaire, have shown that Islam, like Christianity is opposed to a number of African ways of life, customs and traditional beliefs. This cannot, therefore, be a sociological explanation for the adoption of Islam by African societies.
When they fail to explain why Africans adopted Islam, they often succeeded in narrating how Islam came to various parts of Africa, if we have to apply the Dawa' successfully,
it is of interest to us as Muslims to reflect on how our religion came to our land in order to be able to carry it in a better planned manner later on. The earliest way Islam came to Africa was, of course, as a result of conquests by Muslim peoples in search of empires.
Thus between 642 to 750, Muslim armies and administrators carried the torch of Islam to the lands of North Africa and the West (Maghrib).
Muslim civilization, which stretched from Spain to the Indus, benefited the callers of Islam in Africa immensely. From outposts on the Mediterranean Coast, Islamic teachers carried the word southwards to various isolated locations in what is now the Sahara desert. Traders and businessmen who traversed the Trans-Saharan desert routes to the South called on people to the Ummah. In turn the people spread their religion to their societies.

1. REFORM MOVEMENTS:
Process of re-Islamization which cemented Islam into the hearts of the people by making it a culture of its adherents were the 19th century reform movements popularly known as JIHADS. Many of the reformers moved across various parts of Africa and called:
a) Muslims to come back to the path of Allah by practicing Islam in the way such reformers thought was in agreement with "Fi Sabili-Allah"
b) Calling on the unbelievers to the true religion of Islam. In the Western Sudan (i.e., from Senegal, Mali, and Nigeria, up to Chad), these reformers detached pagan and diluting customs, which polluted Islam as well as converting whole tribes to Islam. As a result, whole social structures were transformed from their original tribal set-ups to fit with Islamic arrangements. In most cases many of these reformers belonged to religious order (or paths) "TARIQA" through which they visualized reality and truth of how Islam should be practiced. In West Africa, the most famous reformer and propagator of Islam at that time was Usman dan Fudi who operated in the area now known as Northern Nigeria.
But there were others such as Hamadi Bari, Alhaj Omar, etc. In the Nilotic Sudan the deeds of Muhammad Ahmad commonly known as the Mahdi need to emphasis. His exploits against unbelief and infidels should be the pride of every Da'ee (Dawa') workers.

2. THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE CALL TO ISLAM
One amazing factor about the call and spread of Islam in Africa has been the role of individuals in the spread of Islam in Africa, working alone, receiving no orders, guidance or funds from groups. Many as individuals have made tremendous contribution towards Dawa' work in Africa. One such individual worker was Sheikh Swaibu Semakul of Uganda.

3. TOWARDS A PLANNED DAWA' STRATEGY
As the proceeding statement shows, Islam spread in Africa by the "Mercy of Allah" and of course by such a mercy it can still do so. But with planned Christian conversions even in Muslim countries, we cannot leave the Dawa' to chance. We must plan for it, set targets and make sure we complete them. My suggestions are as follows:
a) Strengthening of General National Muslim Organization. Planning and coordination are vital for Dawa' central administrative Muslim institutions. In this light, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and the Uganda Supreme Council are good starting points. These bodies which should be in contact with sister organizations in the Muslim World should thoroughly plan their areas of work and make sure that all aspects of Islamic mission are covered. East African nations should be encouraged to start such a body to coordinate the affairs of Islam in an organized fashion.
b) Research: Muslim bodies like those mentioned above, should undertake at a higher level thorough researches into the populations, the customs, the traditions, the desires, the aspirations and ambitions of the people of their region, in order to know how to make decisions. Without a thorough knowledge of reality, it will not be easy for a Muslim administrator or make a right decision.
c) Social Services: In many parts of Africa, Christianity has been spread through the Social Services that Missionaries have rendered to populations. These included schools, hospitals, youth centers, social clubs and the like. The school, especially the primary school, has been most effective in molding the young tender minds. Educational psychologists agree that most permanent impressions are made on the mind while it is still tender and young. We must build primary schools where we must equip the young with all tools of civilization in a Muslim environment.
d) Mass Media: We should use the Mass Media to call people to Islam.
e) Publications: Islamic literature written in a language people understands is very scarce to come by. We need more books, pamphlets and papers to call the people to Islam. Publishing houses should be built to assist Young Muslim writers to publish their books.
I would like to repeat that we cannot leave Islamic Dawa' to chance. It worked in the past but structural changes under which the African Societies have undergone, have made it difficult for unplanned Dawa' to achieve any significant success.
These should include Radio, TV, and Newspapers. The Christians had "Radio Voice of the Gospel" which beamed to East and Central Africa and was based in Ethiopia. Why can't the Muslims work on similar lines? We should print more newspapers in Kiswahili, Uganda and English.