Islam in Africa

History of Islam in Africa

Africa was the second continent that Islam spread into, which explainswhy almost one-third of world Muslim population resides in thiscontinent. Muslims crossed current Djibouti and Eritrea to seek refuge incurrent Ethiopia from Pagan Arabs. On the advice of ProphetMuhammad, in Rajab 8BH, or May 614AD, sixteen Muslims migrated toAbyssinia where they were protected by its king, an-Najashi, who hasalso accepted Islam later. They were followed by 101 Muslims later in thesame year. By Muharram 7H, or May 628AD, all those Muslims returnedto Medina, but locals who embraced Islam remained there

In 20H/641AD during the reign of Caliph Omar bnul Khattab,Muslim troops took over current Egypt and conquered current Libya thefollowing year. Muslims then expanded to current Tunisia in 27H/647ADduring the reign of the third Muslim Caliph, Othman bnu Affan. Theconquest of North Africa continued under the Umayyad Dynasty, takingAlgeria by 61H/680AD, and Morocco the following year. From the latterMuslim troops crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to Europe in 711.

Islam then spread slowly in much of the continent through trade andpreaching. By the ninth century Muslim Sultanates started beingestablished in the Horn of Africa, and by the twelfth century the KilwaMuslim Dynasty spread as far south as Mozambique. Islam only crosseddeeper to Malawi and Congo in the second half of the nineteenth centuryunder Zanzibar Sultanate. Then the British brought labor force from India to their African colonies towards the end of the nineteenth andbeginning of the twentieth centuries. Islam gained momentum duringthe tenth century in West and Central Africa with the start ofAlmoravids movement on Senegal River and as rulers and kingsembraced Islam.

Thus, the Muslim population has likely increased from 1.2 million or4.5% of the total African population in 700AD, to 5.1 million or 17.2% in800AD, to 9.1 million or 29.7% in 900AD, to 12 million or 37.5% in1000AD, to 13 million or 37.6% in 1100AD, to 14 million or 36.4% in1200AD, to 14 million or 35.5% in 1300AD, to 15 million or 35.1% in1400AD, to 16 million or 34.8% in 1500AD, to 21 million or 37.7% in1600AD, to 23 million or 38.3% in 1700AD, to 26 million or 37.1% in1800AD, to 45 million or 39.8% in 1900, to 0.36 billion or 44.2% in 2000, to0.59 billion or 44.3% in 2020, and is projected to reach 1.1 billion or 44%by 2050 and 1.8 billion or 45% by 2100.

A plot of centennial estimates of the Muslim population and itspercentage with respect to the total population in Africa from 600 to 2100is provided in Figure 3.0a. A zoom in of this plot, providing a plot ofdecennial estimates of the Muslim population and its percentage withrespect to the total population in this continent from 1900 to 2100 isprovided in Figure 3.0b. This shows that the Muslim population inAfrica was increasing slowly until 1950, but is increasing substantiallysince then, doubling every quarter of a century or so. However, thepercentage of Muslims peaked to 44% in 1980, remains so through muchof this century, reaching 45% by its end. This is due to higher fertilityrate among non-Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa.

We divided Africa into five regions; the data for each is included in aseparate section and are sorted in terms of the percentage of Muslims indescending order. These regions are North Africa (Section 3.1), WestAfrica (Section 3.2), East Africa (Section 3.3), Central Africa (Section 3.4),and Southern Africa (Section 3.5). In Section 3.6, the total population ineach of the five African regions and the corresponding percentage andnumber of Muslims is presented centennially in Table 3.6a from 600 to2100 and decennially in Tables 3.6b and 3.6c from 1790 to 2100.