• Kanem-Bornu was first state in savannah region to convert
  • Evidence suggests Mai (kings of Kanem) converted in twelfth century
  • Rulers claimed descent from Arab hero, Sayf bin Dhi Yazan
  • By thirteenth century, rulers were devout enough to undertake the Hajj
• Around fourteenth century, sarki (king) of Kano, was converted
• Early Hausa rulers combined local religious beliefs with Islam
  • Hausa-speaking region was in present-day northern Nigeria
  • Over next few centuries, practice became increasingly orthodox
  • Influx of pastoralist Fulani brought religion into rural areas
• Rulers and traders tended to convert due to wanting global outlook
  • Pilgrimage to Mecca was showing Muslims how large and varied world was
• Rather than replacing them, Islam often blended with local religions
• Different regions created “fictive” kinships with heartland of Islam
• Powerful influence in “Africanization” of Islam was Sufism
  • Takes mystical approach to Islam than more legalist Sunni Islam
  • Walis, friends of God, are imbued with Barraka, spiritual power