as a Muslim of west African foundation residing inside the united states, my Muslim-ness is usually contested by using Europeans, people, or even clueless Africans. they ask me questions like:
“are you Muslim?” and “were you born Muslim?”
I am getting requested those questions loads from individuals because Islam is something that becomes made to sound foreign to them.
“I’ve by no means seen a Muslim from that u. s. wear hijab.”
accept as true with it or no longer, many Africans ask this query as though they are properly-traveled.
are your united states predominantly Muslim?”
I get this question from European Muslims as if they had simply located ‘water on Mars’. in their minds, black Muslims are an oddity. because I have been around many of them, I now know the reasoning at the back of asking such questions. they have the idea that each one of Africa is uncivilized and handiest non-muslims stay there.
the atypical issue is many of them have heard of Mansa Musa, the Malian Muslim king. why they received add and together to infer that Islam has continually been a vintage faith in Africa and within u.s., I don’t know. similarly, America census has a report of about three hundred slaves that had a Muslim surname who fought in the course of the civil battle for freedom.
all through these kinds of traumatic questions, I attempt to keep my cool. I hold the frustrated comments, I want to utter, in my head, smile, and circulate on. however, what I want to inform them is Islam came to West Africa no longer too long after the tenth century. my ancestors had been traders and this became how Islam came to us mandinga. islam has usually been a faith of enterprise. furthermore, this also means that many West Africans have been exposed to Islam before it became unfold to Europe in the course of the Ottoman empire and America via the Moriscos and the transatlantic slaves.
according to lost Islamic records, one instance of an African Muslim who added Islam to the USA is bilali Muhammad. there are also others like Ayub process djallo, yarrow mamood, Ibrahim Abdulrahman ibn Sori, ummar ibn Sayyid (Omar ibn said) and Salih bilali.
1. bilali Muhammad
born around 1770 in the place of Africa which can be referred to as guinea and sierra leone nowadays, bilali Muhammad was an elite of the Fulani tribe. he knew Arabic and was informed in hadith, tafsir, and shariah subjects. because he becomes educated, he became allowed to upward thrust in popularity within the slave network. bilali Muhammad even wrote a 13 web page manuscript on Islamic regulation from the Maliki madhab referred to as the bilali report that he proficient to his buddy earlier than his death. the manuscript changed into notion to be a diary till it becomes deciphered at al-Azhar college in Cairo
2. ayuba Suleiman Diallo
ayub activity djallo changed into born in Senegal from a respected Fulbe Muslim family. he changed into also known as task ben Solomon. he wrote a few memoirs and turned into a slave in Maryland for a couple years. sold into slavery as a result of a confusion, he in the end back home in Senegal to his aristocratic roots nevertheless a Muslim.
3. yarrow mamout
born in guinea, yarrow mamood changed into born in 1736 and died in 1823 an unfastened man. he arrived at the age of 14 years antique in Maryland together with his sister. informed in Arabic, he practiced Islam brazenly until his dying
4. Abdulrahman Ibrahim ibn sori
ibrahim Abdulrahman ibn sori were born in guinea. he was additionally known as the prince amongst slaves. son of king sori from the village of Timbo, Abdulrahman was a army chief. he has become a slave because of an ambush and bought to a slave proprietor with the aid of the name of Thomas foster in Mississippi. ibn sori were given married and had kids. abdulrahman worked for 40 years earlier than his release. he died for the duration of his journey returned. he had even written a letter to his circle of relatives in West Africa in Arabic which was examined by way of the sultan of Morocco abderrahmane who discovered it deeply touching and petitioned u.s. president John Quincy Adam to release him.
5. Omar ibn stated
ummar ibn Sayyid was born in fuuta toro, Senegal in 1770. captured in 1807, he has become called Omar Moreau and prince omeroh in line with muslimofusa.even though there are reports that say he transformed to Christianity later in his lifestyles, many assets say that there has been extra than met the eye in his state of affairs. however, he becomes acknowledged to be an Islamic student, informed in lots of fields from mathematics to theology who wrote several Arabic texts
salih bilali changed into born in Mali and captured in 1782. it was suggested that his final words on his demise bead were the shahada consistent with the abolition institute. robert abbot, the founding father of the Chicago Defender, is his descendant.
in conclusion, all the continents contributed to the spread of Islam, Africa covered. so how can they deny one of these legacies?
This is original publish by: mvulm
