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Ibn battuta impact on islam
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The Travels of Ibn Battuta: A Window into a More Diverse World
In analyzing the legacy of the 14th century Islamic traveler Ibn Battuta, it is impossible to ignore the impact that his voyages in the 1350-60s had on the social and cultural devlopment of the Mali Empire and its neigbors, but even more so the significance to the upper classes living in his natice Morocco and in the Arabic birthplace of Islam, who would grow to have great power and prestige across Africa and the East.
Several decades after earlier voyages to East Africa, Ibn Battuta made one of his last major voyages – a journey south to the Niger River, then west to the southwest border of modern-day Mali, then back up the Niger through Timbuktu, before finally returning home
He was not offered his usual elite treatment upon arrival, and upon appearing to protest this alleged slight, the sultan did not even recognize him. Accordingly, he describes the sultan as “miserly” (Gibb, et al. 957). In constrast, however, he appreciated the devoutness of those Malians who were Muslim (Levtzion and Pouwels 67), and generally praised the region’s wealth and gold reservers (which had, under Musa I, literally placed the region on the Catalan map).
The importance of Ibn Battuta’s journey to Mali itself was limited. But his journeys, especially this one – to a Islamisized African nation with diverse cultural beliefs, brought home to Morocco and the rest of the Arab world where the Rihla was circulated a view of the wider world, streching out upon a vast east-west axis and incorporating a diverse array of native cultures fused with the mighty force of Islam, for better or
As Gibb, et al., point out in their forward to the groundbreaking initial English publication of the Rihla (as The Travels of Ibn Battuta, AD 1325-1354), many of the Arabic sources containing records of the people he mentions and even perhaps corroborating some of his questionable accounts may be lost or simply untranslated. However, additional credence should be lent to Ibn Battuta’s account of Mali for two man reasons: first, Ibn Battuta describes Mali in great detail, mentioning countless names of people he encountered there while relating countless short passages titled, “An Anecdote” (Hamdun and King XIX), and finally, because of the simple fact that Ibn Battuta had to recall details from only a few years back regarding Mali as he dictated the Rihla to his secretary and
In the 1300s Mansa Musa, king of Mali took his holy pilgrimage to the city of Mecca as a devout muslim, traveling through scorching deserts and bustling cities, although there might be other reasons he took his religious Hajj. The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa traveled all across Northern Africa and Arabia, stopping in cities along the way where Mansa Musa gave out gold to all he saw. The journey from the Empire of Mali to the city of Mecca was not only a faithful religious journey to the holy city, but also to create a name for Mali as the wealthy and powerful empire it was.
Equiano, Olaudah. The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African: an authoritative text. New York: Norton, 2001. Print.
Before the arrival of European traders, Africa had successful in maintaining complex civilizations. The cities of Timbuktu and Mali demonstrate this with their qualities. A Moroccan traveler journeyed to Timbuktu and described it as a land of “many doctors, judges, priests and other learned men, that are well maintained at the king’s cost. Various manuscripts and written
Islam is presented in the Epic of Sundiata in a way that encourages listeners to embrace Islam over their indigenous belief systems. The epic accomplishes this by incorporating elements and practices of the indigenous beliefs into Islamic tradition; and by adapting certain Islamic mythology — such as the Jinn — to the existing West African culture. It also asserts the superior power and strength of those who derive their power from Allah and the Jinn, to those whose power is based in ancestral worship and fetishes. Through conflict, adaptation, and tolerance, the Epic of Sundiata presents an accessible version of Islam to the people of the Mali Empire; and promotes the acceptance of this new faith over the indigenous beliefs of the area.
One custom that he writes about is a dusting custom in which men remove their clothes and throw dust on their heads as a sign of respect before their king. He believes that it is a “bad custom” because as the footnote indicates, “. . . Islam tends to deprecate such customs” (Pg. 59, 89). Additionally, Battuta is unhappy that some people eat animals who have not been properly slaughtered through a ritual. He describes a time when a camel he had been riding died, and states, “I found the blacks had eaten it as their custom is in eating a dead animal” (Pg. 62). Battuta ultimately has a difficult time relating to their regional customs that stray from the traditional Islamic customs he follows at
Through their books, the authors demonstrate their cultural expectations for the rulers. Einhard believes that a ruler should set an example, and shows forced conversions of people in a positive light. Ibn Battuta’s cultural expectations are much more personal –he judges a culture based upon how well he is treated by the rulers. Since he is a scholar of Sharia Law, he thinks that he inherently deserves gifts from rulers. His knowledge of law also causes him to frown upon instances where Islam is not being strictly followed. Despite this slight since of bias, these books serve as rich records of an archaic period in history filled with magnificent kings and leaders.
He decided to improve the status of his land on his arrival from a pilgrimage from Mecca in 1324. Furthermore, he transformed his trading city of Timbuktu to a center of learning and religion and built a mass, which set a new style of architecture in West Africa. “Caravans of Gold” underlines the importance of Timbuktu because it concentrated on African scholarship, politics, teaching theology, and Islamic law. Timbuktu was a significant place in Africa during this time because it became a market right after and made a profit for the region. Likewise, it was a religious, cultural, and profitable center whose people traveled north across the Sahara through Morocco and Algeria to other parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. According to The History of Africa, “Because of his devotion to Islam, Mansa Musa strengthened Islam and promoted education, trade, and commerce in Mali” (Asante, 2014, pg. 135). It was a successful center for the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade and grew as the center of Islam. This statement launches the truth that Timbuktu supported Islamic values and knowledge because it was a city most well-known for the education of important scholars whose backgrounds were of Islam. Asante supports the fact that Mansa Musa was effective in reforming the city of Timbuktu and the trade in that area. Asante also states that “Musa did not forget the control of the gold and salt; it was fundamental for the
In the novel Segu, Maryse Conde beautifully constructs personal and in depth images of African history through the use of four main characters that depict the struggles and importance of family in what is now present day Mali. These four characters and also brothers, by the names of Tiekoro, Siga, Naba, and Malobali are faced with a world changing around their beloved city of Bambara with new customs of the Islamic religion and the developing ideas of European commerce and slave trade. These new expansions in Africa become stepping stones for the Troare brothers to face head on and they have brought both victory and heartache for them and their family. These four characters are centralized throughout this novel because they provide the reader with an inside account of what life is like during a time where traditional Africa begins to change due to the forceful injection of conquering settlers and religions. This creates a split between family members, a mixing of cultures, and the loss of one’s traditions in the Bambara society which is a reflection of the (WHAT ARE SOME CHANGES) changes that occur in societies across the world.
Sundiata developed into a great leader of Mali through hardships, religion, and core/tributary/periphery relationships of states. The djeli who transmitted this information to the translators, is also a manifestation of an institution important in Sundiata’s epic, because without djelis these stories would be lost forever. Sundiata learned about the formation, running and maintenance of African states through interactions with the communities he was introduced to.
Through resources and numerous sources, Crone argues that there is no evidence to prove the existence of extensive overland trade in late sixth and early seventh century. Therefore, the widespread agreement upon scholars regarding the socioeconomic circumstances and location in which Muhammad rose to great heights is without evidence. As a result, while her work has been highly criticized by scholars such as Robert Bertram Serjeant, a scholar in early Islam and one of the leading Arabists of his time, claiming her work too difficult to follow and how Crone has twisted certain aspects to fit her own agenda, other scholars such as Fred M. Donnor a leading scholar on Islam on the other hand, provides a much more open minded statement, believing the assumption that Mecca was the linchpin of international trade has been challenged in recent years with significant evidence and a well thought out argument, most notable giving praise to Patricia Crone’s book “Meccan Trade: And the rise of Islam”. The book took place in the late 6th century and late 7th century, focusing on the Meccan Trade, the rise of Islam and the characters involved such as the Prophet Muhammad and those close to him and those who worked with him. In conclusion, while the views in this book greatly differ, I found it essential, primarily due to the fact that it is one of the few books to argue commonly accepted assumptions, and provides a different perspective. With my research paper being on the Prophet Muhammad it is important I obtain all the different opinions and arguments by leading scholars in this
When Mansa Musa came to power, Mali struck it rich. Traders always stopped at Mali, and Mansa Musa was very generous. Mali grew larger than any kingdom in Europe and the economy became really strong. “Mali collected taxes on imports and exports, which added to Mali’s wealth”. The trade routes also helped spread the religion of Islam. Mali had control over salt mines, diamonds, copper, and finally gold which assured it economic prosperity. He also helped to spread Islam. He built many schools which taught the teachings of the Qur’an. He ordered many Mosques to be built while on his hajj. This attracted many followers as he has a high opinion of the Qur’an. On Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage, he took about 60,000 men, 80 camels, each camel carried about 300 pounds of gold, and plenty of slaves. There was no need to worry about being robbed or the gold being stolen with that big of an army. Mansa Musa’s army is huge itself which made a lot of people fear him but at the same time it got more followers for Mansa Musa. The army guarded the gold mines, every time Mansa Musa left the castle, 300 guards would follow him! He was a very well protected and feared King. Mansa Musa may sound very violent and savage, but he is actually very generous and peaceful. Mansa Musa was basically the perfect king: he was very religious, generous, possesses a lot of power, and
The Kingdom of Mali was an African hub of wealth, trade and education for over 225 years. Mali is an Arab version of the Mandinka word that means, “Where the king dwells”, and was vitally important in spreading trade, education, religion and culture along the Niger River. The rise of Mali into an Empire occurred in the early 13th century, when Sundiata defeated his enemies and won control of the West African gold mines. In 1312 Mansa Musa became ruler of Mali. During his reign which was known as Mali’s, “Golden Age”, he introduced Islamic beliefs to many communities along the Niger and enhanced education after his historic pilgrimage to Mecca. Mali’s rise was attributed to the Trans-Saharan Trade routes leading to and from Western and Eastern Africa. These trade routes contributed to the rise and fall of powerful African Kingdoms for hundreds of years, but for 250 years, Mali was the crown jewel of Africa.
The spread of Islam in Africa had taken course from a number of factors, including external and internal forces. After my analyzing of the spread of Islam in Africa, I have gather three main themes that stuck out during the expansion of Islam: Islam and trade, the conversion conditions of Islam, and the economics/political development involving Islam. These three themes provide great insight on how Islam started to spread through out Africa. Through trade the culture and religion of Islam was spread to many different areas. This correlates to the conversion of different people, which helped spread Islam. By these conversions Islam was able to establish Islamic states, which played a factor in the development of strong economic and political
Did you know that Mansa Musa was the wealthiest person in history? He became so rich due to cultural exchange, and Mali itself had an abundance of resources to trade with other countries. Mali became a sight for cultural exchange because of trade, technology, and culture. This grand empire was established in 1235 CE, and Mali’s great wealth came from gold and salt mines. While Mansa Musa was in Timbuktu, he converted people into the religion of Islam, and expanded the city. He also made it a trade center for learning, and built a university and a few mosques. As you can see, Mali was a huge sight for cultural exchange, and it was a very successful reign.
Lewis, Bernard. The Arabs in History. 6th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2002. Print.