Islamic lands are vast, and Muslims are many, making up a quarter of the world’s population, which is filled with various religions. Only one-fifth of Muslims are Arabs, while 80% are non-Arabs, spread across the eastern and western parts of the world. Many Muslims are unaware of their conditions, despite the Sharia establishing rights and duties based on this. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) likened us to a single body when he said, “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.” ⁽¹⁾

In these articles, we will review some pages from the history of Muslims in Nigeria in fulfillment of this duty. Nigeria should be described as several countries considering it's the largest concentration of Muslims in Africa, where they constitute 53.5% of the population, which amounts to 220 million people, and they are increasing significantly. ⁽²⁾ Considering its vast area of 923,769 km², the highest population density in Africa with 218 inhabitants/km², and its ethnic diversity with over 250 ethnic groups, including Hausa, Yoruba, Fulani, Igbo, Ijaw, Ibibio, Tiv, Kanuri, and others, and the existence of over 500 languages, including Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fulfulde, alongside English, the official language. Nigeria is a federal republic composed of 36 states and a federal capital, with each state allowed to establish its laws. Muslims form an absolute majority in 19 states, with 12 of these states implementing laws derived from Sharia. ⁽³⁾

The Origin of Islam in Nigeria

Regarding history, the multiple influences on the history of Islam in Nigeria and the establishment of several kingdoms that covered vast parts of it make it more of a group of states than a single state.

The introduction of Islam to Nigeria began with the influence of the regions conquered by Muslims in North Africa during the era of the revered companions, led by the noble follower Uqba ibn Nafi (d. 63 AH), who advanced westwards from the east until he reached the sea and said, “O Allah, bear witness that if there was a way forward, I would have crossed it.” ⁽⁴⁾ He was succeeded by Musa ibn Nusayr (d. 97 AH), who reinstated Islam among those who had apostatized and participated in the conquest of what remained of these lands, eventually reaching Andalusia. The influence of Islam from North Africa continued to spread southward into central and western Africa through intermarriage between Arab tribes and local inhabitants, trade movements, and Islamic conquests, thereby establishing and strengthening Islam in Nigeria.

The Kingdom of Ghana

The first reference to the history of Islam in West Africa is from the Kingdom of Ghana, which at its height extended from the Sahara in the north, Nigeria in the east, the ocean in the west, and the south to cover almost all of West Africa. Its inhabitants were pagans until Islam gradually entered their lands.

The kingdom reached its peak in the fifth century AH, as described by the Andalusian geographer Abu Ubayd al-Bakri (d. 487 AH), who visited it in 460 AH / 1028 AD. He found widespread Islam and noted that its capital was divided into two major parts: one for Muslims and the other for pagans. In the Muslim quarter, there were 12 mosques, each with an imam, a mu'adhin, a reciter, and a teacher. Even within the pagan quarter, there was a mosque near the royal palace where Muslim members of the king’s entourage prayed. ⁽⁵⁾ It is mentioned that this was due to the Umayyad state sending an Islamic army to conquer western Sudan at the beginning of Islam. Some of these soldiers settled in Ghana and spread Islam among its people.

Thus, Islam did not appear suddenly in the Ghana Empire; it took time through da’wah before the Almoravids conquered it in 469 AH / 1076 AD, when its capital, Koumbi Saleh, fell and was annexed by the Almoravids to their lands. King Tunka Manin of Ghana was influenced by Islam, accepted the sovereignty of the Almoravid leader Abu Bakr ibn Umar, and converted to Islam, opening the door for the masses to follow suit, transforming the kingdom from paganism to Islam. Al-Qalqashandi noted: “Its people converted to Islam at the beginning of the conquest.” ⁽⁶⁾ It remained so until its fall at the hands of the pagan Kingdom of Sosso and its allies from the Kingdoms of Galam and Diarra in 600 AH.

The Influence of the Kingdom of Mali, Then Songhai, and the Empires of Kanem and Bornu on Nigeria

The Kingdom of Mali did not fall with the fall of Ghana. Instead, after about 38 years, it waged war against the Kingdom of Sosso, killed its king, and in 638 AH / 1240 AD, Sundiata, the King of Mali, marched on Koumbi Saleh, reconquering it. The kingdom’s influence spread over most of the old Ghana Empire’s territories, playing a significant role in spreading Islam across West Africa and maintaining its presence even in areas under pagan rule. One of its most famous rulers was Mansa Musa, the richest man in history, according to some historians. During his reign, the kingdom was one of the wealthiest, most urbanized, and most advanced civilizations.

The Kingdom of Songhai, which succeeded Mali, expanded to include northern Nigeria, reaching its peak during the reign of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Turi, known as Askia Muhammad, who was close to scholars, inviting many, such as Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim al-Maghili ⁽⁷⁾, among others.

The Bornu Empire, which arose as an extension of the Kanem Empire established in the fifth century AH, significantly impacted Nigeria from 1380 to 1893, and it covered parts of Sudan, Chad, Libya, Niger, and Cameroon. One of its most notable rulers was Idris III, known as Alooma (d. 1602), a great Muslim leader, military commander, and righteous ruler. During his reign, the army was armed with Turkish rifles, and the empire had ambassadors to Arab and Islamic countries. In Cairo, there was a school for Maliki jurisprudence dedicated to its people, and later, a special teaching hall for them at Al-Azhar. ⁽⁸⁾

In the late eighteenth century, weakness and signs of deviation spread within the empire, leading to the famous Fulani War, which significantly reduced Bornu’s influence in many areas. This marked the rise of a great hero, a significant leader, and a religious renewer in this vast geographical region, Usman Dan Fodio, whose story we will discuss in the next article, in Allah’s will.

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1. Reported by Bukhari (6011) and Muslim (2586).
2. According to a 2015 report by the Pew Research Center, by 2060, Muslims are estimated to make up 60% of the country's population.
3. 2008 Report on International Religious Freedom by the U.S. Department of State.
4. The Complete History by Ibn al-Athir, Vol. 4, p. 42.
5. Described in his book: Roads and Kingdoms, Vol. 2, pp. 871, 872.
6. Quoted from the book: Muslims in West Africa, p. 33.
7. Their questions and answers were known as: “The Poor Man’s Responses to the Questions of the Emir.”
8. Mentioned by Adam Abdullah al-Ilori in his book: Islam in Nigeria.

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