Africa knew Islam in its early days, and it is one of the major components of the African cultural identity, and yet it is firmly established in the minds of many that it is contingent upon Africa, and that is why Islam does not find there the attention and the position it deserves as a great human asset.

The presenter of the episode: Maher Abdullah

The guest of the episode: Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini, Mufti of the Republic of Nigeria

Date: 07/08/2001

-The arrival and spread of Islam in Africa

- The reasons for the absence of the history of Islam in Africa

- The problems of difference and division among Muslims in Africa

-Western colonialism and conspiracies of evangelization

-The issues of Takfir and the suffering of African Muslims

-The role of African scholars in spreading Islam

Maher Abdullah: Dear viewers, peace be upon you, and welcome to a new episode of (Al-Sharia wa Al-Hayat) Sharia and the life.

Islam is ancient in Nigeria and ancient as call of Muhammad itself. All biography books are full of the talks about the Negus about which Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - thought it is a safe haven for Islam and Muslims of that time. Despite this age and despite the large number of Muslims and their high percentage in Africa, the impression remains in the mind or in the minds of many that Islam is a minority religion or a contingent religion in the African continent.

To talk about Islam in Africa, I am pleased that my guest tonight is Sheikh Ibrahim Salih Al Husseini (Mufti of the Republic of Nigeria and President of the Islamic Council there).

Sheikh Ibrahim, Welcome to (Al-Jazeera) in (Sharia and Al-Hayat).

Ibrahim Saleh: You are welcome.

The arrival of Islam in Africa

Maher Abdullah: Why does this impression always take hold in our minds that you are new to Islam, even though you are the first to extend the hand of protection to it when it was weak and persecuted?

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad, the most honourable of messengers and his good and pure family. There is no doubt that Africa is the first continent to welcome Islam, and it is the first continent to tread the feet of immigrants, as the migration of the companions of the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - to Africa, to Abyssinia took place, or began in the month of Rajab, after 5 years, i.e. after two years or a year and a half of announcing or declaring the propagation. The Prophet- may God bless him and grant him peace - authorized after God’s permission to authorize his companions to emigrate to a place, where they would be safe in their religion, and secure in it for themselves and their money, that is, what they could carry with them, and he chose - upon him be blessings and peace – with envision from his Lord, his Majesty - Abyssinia “because it has a king with whom no one is wronged.” So a number of the Companions immigrated to that country, then a rumour reached them after a short period of time that the people of Mecca converted to Islam and these companions returned, then they realized that the matter was different from what they heard, so they returned to Abyssinia once again, and this time our leader Jafar bin Abi Talib - may God be pleased with him - and a number of others were with them. The number of companions was more than 80, and these companions remained in Abyssinia for a long period estimated at sixteen years. During this period, a large number of Africans embraced Islam, but unfortunately, what we have of the Arab Islamic heritage that talks about Abyssinia and immigration to it did not register specific names in....

Maher Abdullah [interrupting]: Was this the only means for the arrival of Islam, or did Islam spread by other means? If they returned, how many legacies did they leave behind this first generation of companions?

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: (Certainly) that they left Islam behind and left a Muslim community, especially since the strongest report about the Negus is that he embraced Islam, and the evidence for this is what came in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet- may God bless him and grant him peace - was Imam in his prayer upon him when he passed away. This is evidence that he dies as Muslim, and it is inconceivable that these companions would spend this long period that extended from the fifth year after the prophet hood to the year 6 after the migration. After the emigration, this whole period passes and these companions didn’t make immense influence in Abyssinia with all the atmospheres Negus set for them in justice i.e. his acknowledgement that they are of correct belief that does not differ from what the Prophets before Muhammad came before them.  

Maher Abdullah: Arab Asians are historians. Asian history has done injustice with African history that it does not concern us with Abyssinia except that it gave refuge and helped them, and then ... it fell on them...

Saleh Ibrahim: No

Maher Abdullah: After that, there is no detail on what happened to them in the sixteen years, and how Islam spread throughout the continent far from... In African history, is there an expansion?

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: The truth is that anyone who looked at the history of Africa and saw the spread of Islam in it, would know that immigration to Abyssinia had a great impact on the conquests that took place in Africa, since many of the inhabitants of Central Africa are immigrants, either from Abyssinia or from the region (Alaoua) in Sudan, or from (Old Dongola), or from the Nubia region or from Upper Egypt, all these immigrants do not make sense that they have arrived in those countries recently. Rather, some of them were who entered Islam at the time of the migration of those companions of Prophet, may God be pleased with them.

[Ad break]

Maher Abdullah: Just as a reminder, you can join us online on the main Al Jazeera.net website at www.aljazeera.net

Perhaps you will see it on the screen now, as we remind you of the phone numbers of the program, which is after the Qatar key 9744888873 Perhaps you may see it on the screen now there is another number 4888874 this phone number, as for the fax number it is the one you notice or see now and it is 4885999

Sir, the most famous in Islam in Africa is Arab Islam In the north, we know about the conquest of Egypt, and we know about Uqba ibn Nafi ', and that he wanted to go to Africa and seemed to be neglected since that date. We have not heard about conquests in the sub-Saharan continent.

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: the fact is that Uqba bin Nafi tried to enter Africa, and that he entered Africa by entering Egypt and Cyrenaica in Libya and by arriving in the Fezzan region, and crossing Fezzan to the Kwar region. This is a well-known salt mine in the Sahara desert located north of the current Kanin Borno region.

Maher Abdullah: In Nigeria.

Ibrahim Salih Al-Husseini: It is now located in the Republic of Chad after the imperialist colonial divisions. In the past it was all (Borno), (Kanin Borno)

And Uqba ibn Nafi crossed Fezzan and Kawar to the south of the area.., to south of - yes - of Kwar, and he stayed there for six months, wanting to break into the desert to its heart to Lake Chad, but due to the difficulty of the water and the rugged roads at that time, his companions returned after six months. Since that date, people in Africa began to adopt Islam.. They entered Islam through Uqba ibn Nafi, and this is considered as the beginning of the introduction of Islam in the continent and that is in the year 56 AH, year 56 AH. At that time, Islam began to seep into the region currently known as Kanan, which is located in Chad, west.., east of the lake. To the west of the lake is the Borno region, which is part of present-day Nigeria. Islam entered those regions by many factors, and the preachers of Islam took many paths, all of them are connected.

Maher Abdullah [interrupting]: But... But the conquests, allow me a little, I mean, the conquests are not famous there. Did they play a big role?

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: No... Islam has spread in Africa - especially sub-Saharan Africa and Central Africa - Islam spread without the conquests. Islam brought a group of tourists to those regions, from worshipers and ascetics, who used to move from region to region, carrying with them only water for ablution and Qur’an, and they become in touch with the people, and they influenced them with their good behaviour with people, their good looks, and their preservation of the noble character of Islam. Therefore, they began to spread Islam, and then some Arab merchants who reached the markets of those regions followed them to (Kano) to (Kathina) via the road 40 through the old Sudan, through (Sennar) and Abyssinia. From these roads they reached

There is another road that also extended to the heart of Africa via the Sahara, via the Maghreb or what is now known as the Algerian desert, from (Sidi Almasa) to (Odagasht) to the regions of ancient Ghana and then to Senegal and Mali and then to Borno and the Hausa kingdoms.

Maher Abdullah: What you called “people of asceticism”... the merchants who did not dream... usually called... in history books as Sufis.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Yes.

Maher Abdullah: And the common character of the observer from outside Africa is that he notes that it is a mystical Islam. Were these really Sufis? Did they play a major role in ... in spreading Islam as Sufi orders, or were they really merely ascetic...?

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: No, it is really like... first they entered, they entered as worshipers, ascetics, and the people of asceticism, then after that the Sufi paths occurred and they also played a major role in Africa. Sufism played a major role in spreading Islam, advocating for it and preserving it in the days of the past. In the last days, the days of the colonial conquest, there is no doubt. But the first preachers are hermits and worshipers who only belong to the idea of asceticism and asceticism, pursuant to some verses of the Qur’an, just as you know that most of those in Africa are engaged with reading the Qur’an. The Qur’an contains the call to the Hereafter and the exaltation of this world is a fundamental call that faces people everywhere, especially when you read the words of God, the Blessed and Exalted be He. (Know that the worldly life is only play, and distraction, and glitter, and boasting among you, and rivalry in wealth and children. It is like a rainfall that produces plants, and delights the disbelievers. But then it withers, and you see it yellowing, and then it becomes debris.) - for example - (While in the Hereafter there is severe agony, and forgiveness from God, and acceptance. The life of this world is nothing but enjoyment of vanity.), for example. Such verses as the saying of God the Most High, (And cite for them the parable of the present life: it is like water that we send down from the sky; the plants of the earth absorb it; but then it becomes debris, scattered by the wind. God has absolute power over everything.), (The likeness of the present life is this: water that we send down from the sky is absorbed by the plants of the earth, from which the people and the animals eat) and other such verses... The verses are mentioned in the Qur’an as a call for austerity, they call for being away from luxury, and they also call for asceticism in this world. The first Muslims in Africa, by virtue of the fact that reading the Qur’an is essential in their deeds, their vocation, and all their behaviour, this affected their hearts and souls, so that all of them prevailed in the Sufi image, but it will be resolved if we compare it to its counterpart in with what it is similar to in some countries, we find it a positive mysticism. Why is it positive? Because this mysticism took the foundations, took for example the publication of the Qur’an and the spread of Islamic jurisprudence, as well as the call to jihad, the last jihad, and even the new corrective movements that took place in Africa were established by these people, and also, for example, the Islamic kingdoms that were established in Africa were also established by the hands of These people, the imams, judges, preachers, jurists and muftis... All are of these people.

That is why I told you that their Sufism is a positive Sufism, the negatives that are taken against Sufism, whether it is in belief, in business, or in the example of retiring from society, or in the issue of dependence or introversion, all of this at that time did not exist, and therefore it spread Islam in Africa without war, without fighting, without a sword, but spread by morals, self-denial, dedication to calling to God, sincerity, honesty with oneself, and honesty with God and with people.

The reasons for the absence of the history of Islam in Africa

Maher Abdullah: Sir, we are in the East, in Asia as Arabs, we know a lot about the Abbasid state, the Umayyad state, the Rashidun Caliphate, the Ottomans and the Seljuks. Africa witnessed a group of countries that were no less large and less influential, but they were not known and hardly anyone heard of them, even if we heard some. A few elite people heard of the so-and-so state (Bakanan), (Borno) the Mali Empire, the empire in ancient Ghana, why did you not write your history? Why do you serve your history to know about your Abbasids and Umayyads as we know about the Abbasids and Umayyads?

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: It is as I told you in.. in the previous Hadith so that the idea will not be interrupted, that Africa firstly, their interest was in setting Islam and correct Islamic documents, I mean like the Holy Qur’an, and jurisprudence books, these things were all taken with great importance, so people reached in the maximum limits of reading Qur’an, that is, this was confined to Nafi’s recitation with the narration of Warsh or Qulun or Abu Amr, for example, in some regions of Sudan. As for all of North Africa to central and western Africa, all of it followed this... Naturally, the creed is the creed of the Sunnis (Ahlussunna wal jama’a), and this belief was followed and it combines two categories of Ash'ari and Maturid, and there are those who strive hard in such schools, choosing from them what they choose and adding what they want, and writing books. As for the history of that country, many scholars wrote in those regions as well as we see that one of the writers says that the famous Islamic kingdoms are four, and he mentioned the Abbasid kingdom in Baghdad, the successive Islamic kingdoms of Egypt in Egypt, the Empire (Kanin Borno) and the Empire of Mali. This book likes to say: “There are four Islamic capitals: Baghdad on the one hand, Cairo on the one hand, and the Kanan Borno region on the one hand) and (Baserih) or (Timbuktu) on the other hand. Of course, the city of (Timbuktu) has an Islamic institute known as...or Islamic university at that time known as the University of Sincorion. This university is very large and Timbuktu itself is one of the big cities, as Saadi said in his book "History of Sudan": Timbuktu is the only Islamic capital in which anyone did prostrate except for Allah. " And it lasted for 400 years, and if I had seen the writings of its scholars such as Sheikh Ahmad Bab al-Tambakti and others, I would have concluded that they had really reached the affairs of scholars in the East and all over the Islamic world at that time, even in our Maliki school we consider Ahmad Bab al-Tambakti as an evidence, and refer to his words, even when Imam al-Qarafi wrote his differences, and Ibn al-Shatt commented on them, and came .. they narrated a statement that some of the inquisitors said: it is mentioned that this inquisitor is Ibn Baba Ahmad Bab al-Tambukti.

That is why I say that the history of Africa or the history of Islam in Africa is written, for example the history of (Al-Fattash), the history of the Sudan for example, by Imam Al-Saadi, as well as the book (Ahmed bin Fortua), the history of ... Idris ... and his conquests, and there are many books that have been written or inquired into translations.

Mahir Abdullah: But in the school curricula in universities when they study for the average student... I chose school curricula because they contribute to creating the personality of the individual, I do not ... I do not know an Arab country that studies Islamic history in Africa...

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: This is Africa...

Maher Abdullah: If we say all the countries and the Islamic caliphate, then we are talking about Damascus, Baghdad and...

Ibrahim Salih Al-Husseini: This is true and this is a shortcoming, because... just as there was a failure in teaching the history of Islam in Africa and in the efforts of the preachers of Islam in Africa, the neglect also occurred during the time of the companions of the Prophet- may God bless him and grant him peace - in Abyssinia, This period was not given sufficient attention to write about the Companions and their activities, about their influence on the continent, and about their influence in the society in which they lived for nearly sixteen years. He did not write about all of this. The defect for this, it is not attributable to the Africans because the Africans wrote and they did not limit themselves to write many books even Sheikh Othman bin Fodio, and he is one of Islamic scholars and Mujahids in the recent period, who renewed the movements of Islam in Africa, and he is the founder of the Fulani state. He and his brother Sheikh Abdullah bin Fodio and his son Muhammad Bello wrote more than hundreds of books, among them: “Tafseer Diyaa al-Ta'wil” in four volumes, printed for the first time in Egypt during the reign of Sheikh Shaltout during the days of Ahmed Bello Sardona.

Maher Abdullah: He was the president.

Ibrahim Saleh Al Husseini: Ahmed Bello Sardouna (Prime Minister of Northern Nigeria). There are treasures from these books and from these books buried there.

Maher Abdullah: I mentioned ... I mentioned the Islamic renewal movements, that is, since the fall of the caliphate in the East, at least, several movements have been trying to revive Islam, some of which mean the breakdown of what was later called the "Islamic awakening" that was finally crystallized in a revolution in Iran, in a revolution in Sudan Political participation in this Arab country or that history, even if it was not written, but it is undoubtedly present in the conscience of Muslims in Africa. Have this been reflected ... or the attempts... to revive this history, have they been reflected in the renewal movements in Africa as it has been reflected in the Arab and the Islamic world?

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: It is the fact that the Islamic renewal movements arose almost all in the nineteenth century... the nineteenth to the middle of the nineteenth century in this period a number of scholars arose, (Timbuktu) as I said it is a year... I mean in the fourteenth century, because Timbuktu was built late in the year 610 AH, the rise of Timbuktu, then it was not destroyed till the year 1002 AH or the year 1000 AH roughly, and as for the rest of the African regions in which the Islamic and renewal movements took place, these are spread all over the continent, for example Sheikh Othman bin Fodio, as we said, came with jihad, Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad al-Sudani undertook jihad in Sudan, a renewal movement in Sudan, and Sheikh Omar bin Saeed al-Futi, for example, undertook a renewal movement in the Mali region, and many others rose up in the Mali region, and a number of other scholars made their movements that may be smaller than these, but they affected the societies in which they live in, the innovative movements in Africa always focused on deepening Islamic knowledge, spreading the Arabic language, and opening Islamic schools and Islamic institutes. This is the work on which the activities of these preachers focus.

As for the Islamic awakening...

[Ad break]

Maher Abdullah: I think it is necessary to apologize to the brothers who called us before the break, and we will promise them that we will take their phone calls. First of all I have Brother Sabri Maarouf from Egypt. Brother Sabri, please.

Sabri Maarouf: Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.

Maher Abdullah: Sorry for the delay, Brother Sabri.

Sabri Maarouf: No, I am ... there is nothing wrong, God willing.

Maher Abdullah: Please.

Sabri Maarouf: Greetings to you, brother Maher, and to the honourable guest Sheikh Ibrahim.

The continent of Africa is one of the most Islamic continents in the world, so its north, with all the Arab countries, is Islamic region, praise be to God.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Praise be to God

Sabri Maarouf: If you let me, I would give you some statistics about other countries, for example Nigeria 76% are Muslims, Senegal 92%, Niger 80%, Chad 85%, Tanzania 63%, Mali 90%, so the percentage of Islam in Africa means a large percentage and there is nothing wrong with it. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Crusaders decided - on them the curse of God and the curse of the indecent - to turn Africa into a Christian continent. Rather, they said: “We will not enter Muslims into Christianity because this is an honour for them that they do not deserve; it is enough to get them out of Islam”. I tell you a statistic: 16671 Church Institute for Christian Evangelization in Africa. Unfortunately, we find the efforts of Muslims, most of which are spent on the countries of the present West, even though Africa is an Islamic continent in which an Islamic yeast means, as many say, a little of the effort that we spend on the countries of the West if it was spent on the continent of Africa to glory and dignity of Islam would be returned.

The real question to the honourable guest: Although Nigeria has 76% of Muslims in it, 20% of the Christians, and 4% other religions, and the official language in Nigeria is English, even though Muslims are 76%, where is the role of Muslims in political work in Nigeria and what is their size in the current government? Because many African countries find that although they are countries with a high proportion of Islam, the Christians are the ones who control the country, and they are those who lead the country, such as: Ethiopia, Djibouti and other Islamic countries.

Maher Abdullah: Ok... Brother Sabry, the question is clear and much appreciated. With me is Brother Khaled Youssef from the Emirates, brother Khaled, go ahead.

Khaled Youssef: Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.

Maher Abdullah: Peace be upon you.

Khaled Youssef: I mean, the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - says: “The Jews were separated into seventy-one groups, and the Christians were divided into two seventy groups, and my Ummah will be divided into seventy-three groups, all in Hell but one. Which is it, O, Messenger of God?  The group to which I and my friends belong to. (Narrated by Imam Ahmad) And we heard from His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Al-Qaradawi, saying that this Hadith is not authentic or of some kind, and God knows best.

I mean, we don’t know even whom you see in the channels say the convergence of appearances and his argument that the Jews and this, does it mean that we are getting closer with the Rafidah or with the Ibadis or with the people of heresy? No, God forbid, if they say in their belief they are called a group and they do not disbelieve the Companions, such as Abu Bakr and Umar, and they do not revile, so they are welcomed.

Maher Abdullah: Ok, brother Khaled, I mean, I heard from the sheikh a nice story. I think that I will ask... I will ask him to tell us, but after we listen to the last phone call, because he has been with us for a while. Brother Sir Al-Amin Nias from Senegal, kindly please brother Syed.

Sir Al-Amin Nias (Director of Al-Fajr Newspaper): Thank you, Brother Maher, and may the peace, mercy, and blessings of God Almighty be upon you.

Maher Abdullah: Welcome...

Mr. Al-Amin: I greet you and greet your honourable guest, my brother Ibrahim Salih, whom we know well, who is also from Mecca and knows Africa. I think there is another aspect that should be touched upon, which is what you referred to how these massive writings about Islam in Africa and how what Africans wrote.

In Islam, it does not have the necessary resonance in the Arab world, so that if an Arabian sees an African speaking this beautiful language Arabic language, and he is better speaking, then he would be amazed. If someone saw blackness or saw someone coming from Africa, then the first question he asks is: how do you speak this language first?! Islam reached there and the Arabic language spread, and it faced colonialism, not only because it came to plunder good things, but because it was a cultural invasion before it was also a religious conquest, it means that he wants to replace the Church in the place of Islam. This is the first aspect, so there is a failure to know these writings and these brothers who speak this language and preserve this religion while they are in constant confrontation.

The second point is more severe, how brothers in the Arab world are always content with atoning others. He tells you: This is Sufism, this is my way. This method is the one that preserved Islam. Professor Sheikh Saleh Ibrahim mentioned now Sheikh Omar al-Futi, Sheikh Omar al-Futi used to take the rosary with one hand and the sword in the hand of another, so the prayer beads was the means to consolidate the religion and preserve through Dhikr (only by the remembrance of God the hearts are reassured), and the sword was the other medium. Even Sheikh Muhammad al-Hafiz, the Egyptian, whom Sheikh Ibrahim knows... Sheikh Saleh Ibrahim knows very much, wrote “Sheikh Omar al-Futi, Prince of the Tigali Empire from Dakar to Timbuktu,” so all these effects are good, valuable and very broad. But the Arab world is as if it only cares that they are tariqa, that they are infidels and that they are Sufis, and that this is polytheism, which creates more bitter dialogues, while they call it polytheism, because whoever they call it means that they have strayed from the religion, they have an argument, did God mention this as a staying against religion? Is the Lailaahaillallah .. Is Swalath for the Prophet a departure from religion? Is venerating the birth of the Messenger - may God bless him and grant him peace - a departure from religion?! Whereas for that, we find a nice sentence that brother Sheikh Hassan Al-Nadwi said: "O servants ... O servants of palaces, have mercy on the servants of the graves." They are blaming others for worshiping graves and they are always in the worship of palaces, and in the end I remember the word of Sheikh Ibrahim whom Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh knows very well, he said: "This religion will exist with Arabic and without the Arab will be strengthened." So if we understand these matters, this religion will spread and strengthen, God willing.

Maher Abdullah: Brother... Thank you.

Mr. Al-Amin: I am satisfied with this because you are with those who know this field, for he is its knight.

Maher Abdullah: Ok, thank you very much, brother Sayed, and that means... I would like to wish you that you are calling from Senegal that Sheikh Ibrahim Job spoke to us and for being a fan of the Arabic language and Arabic speaking African by joining us in an episode, because it is said that one of the most beautiful Arabic speakers in our time.

Ibrahim Saleh: Beautiful.

Maher Abdullah: But excuse me, before I give you the opportunity to respond to Brother Khaled, I mean, for clarification. Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, neither in this program nor in others, brother Khaled, if you said what you said out of concern for religion, the sheikh has never called for the unity neither of religions nor to the convergence of religions. I believe that those who are keen on his belief should reflect this or this accuracy in his words, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi calls for dialogue between religions, and there is a big difference between calling for dialogue between religions and calling for the rapprochement or unification of religions. If a person is unable to understand the difference, then I believe that it is better for him not to insult the scholars and not even try to approach them. Sir, the subject of Takfir, because of it, you mentioned to me a very beautiful story about the priest who claimed that Christians in Nigeria are more than Muslims, unlike what Brother Sabri from Egypt said. So how does it mean that these acts of Takfir of innovation are exploited?

Problems of difference and division among Muslims in Africa

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: The truth is ... the truth is that the words of Brother Sabri is good and his words are very valuable, and his focus is on the last point, which is that Nigeria, for example, there is the majority of Muslims, and you have their weight, for example in the current ruling, how it is. This means something very important and - if there is time - I will touch mechanism.

As for the problem in Africa, - as I said - Islam entered Africa through honest hands.

Maher Abdullah: I... I want you to tell us the story of the priest

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: I am talking about the story of the priest, through honest hands Indeed, Islam has spread, and with tolerance, and with understanding, and with meaningful and rational dialogue. But after... After the awakening, Africans were supposed to set out to achieve the goals of the true Islamic call that would enable them to steer the wheel of affairs in those countries. But what happened was that the Muslims in the recent period began to divide themselves, and began to bicker with accusations among themselves, they began to disbelieve each other and to claim heresy each other in matters of subsidiary. There were these fundamentalist issues on the other hand, but they have even begun to disagree about issues and sub-issues that are not among the duties of Islam or of its origins, but rather from the branches, but rather among the desirable aspects of the Islamic appearance... the Islamic manifestations. That is why a funny thing happened. We in Nigeria - as the brother said - 76% and we are actually saying that the number of Muslims in Nigeria reaches or exceeds this number, because Muslims in... even in the south are a majority, as evidenced by the fact that there has never been in the history of politics in Nigeria that Ruler ruling by election (Lagos) is not Muslim, and Lagos de is the capital and the heart of the south, and yet it is always ruled by Muslims, and this is evidence that Muslims are a majority in Nigeria.

Once, a man came to the University of (Jos), who was called a pastor (Sabia). This man is a caller, to the Church, and he said that he wants to give an investigation or an analysis of the issue of who is the majority in Nigeria? Are Muslims the majority, or Christians? He said that Christians are the majority, according to the testimony of Muslims. People were surprised and surprised at how Muslims testify that Christians are the majority, even though Christians are a minority.

He said to them: Here in Jos, there was a group of preachers in Jos who adopted a doctrine that differs from the rest of the Muslims in Nigeria. And he said: Muslims of such-and-such characteristics say that all those who oppose them from the people of the paths or from the people of the Maliki school are infidels, and I heard them saying that their prophet said: “Whoever said his brother: O unbeliever, one of them has committed it.” Thus, those who disbelieve their brothers become infidels, these are infidels according to this group, and these are infidels according to the Prophet’s Hadith!! So... if we take the number of Christians, Christians account for 37% according to his opinion, 37% and we take the number of those who disbelieve as 4% and we take the number of Muslims from the unbelievers... It is about 27% to 30%, if we take these 27%, we add the 4% to them 31%.

Maher Abdullah: 31.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: we add 31% to the 37

Maher Abdullah: So, Muslims will become the majority.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Sorry, Christians are the majority. Then he said to them: I judge by this logic on those who have not yet reached the knowledge of their religion and are still disagreeing with it. I judge this that until they reach a level where they agree with, then they would join us... we consider them and work with them.

My brother, the fact is that the tragedy of division and disagreement in Nigeria in Africa is responsible for the backwardness that afflicts Muslims, these disagreements that arise between Muslims from time to time and in weak sub-issues that affect the hearts, affect politics, affect the economy, affect the social aspect, It affects even the slave aspect of the Muslims, until we reached a situation at some point in time, but praise be to God now the countdown has begun and the return to the starting point, and may God conclude it well, we have reached the point that if the enemy enters an Islamic country and starts with a part that the other part cannot help, then he can eliminate all Muslims. From here I see that what Brother Sabri said that the Muslims in Nigeria are the majority, and that they were not for example... What is their weight, for example, in the government?

I say that the current situation in Nigeria - and you know the government... the secular regime is not only in Nigeria, even in other regions. Colonialism when entered Africa, it fought only with clerics, and only the clerics were isolated. It is the period during which anyone by the medium of religious scholars can communicate his ideas to the people who know the Arabic language, so he addresses them while he addresses the people.

This is the period in which he needed them, after he was able to put down barriers or set up barriers and barricades between the clerics or scholars of Islam and the rulers of Islam or the princes of Muslims in those countries, and then he walked a path that precipitated the vast gap.

Maher Abdullah: excuse me, you mentioned that the commonly Lagos always elects a Muslim, and this indicates majority, but... the President of the Republic in Nigeria, which... I mean, maybe...

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: The president of the republic... The president of the republic in the election is not always Christian, because by election it has never happened in the history of Nigeria that it was headed by a Christian president except in this last period. This last period I cannot explain it, because I do not know how to explain it, it is negligence. And it is an issue that happened, a matter that happened, because there was a war launched against Nigeria by the West, all the countries of the West, America, Britain and the rest of Europe. They ruled it, which is the whole post-colonial period, or the northerners ruled Nigeria after colonialism until now. This whole period has not changed in favour of the southerners. For this reason, the northerners decided ... as northerners and not as Muslims, decided to give a chance of four years to others... for the southerners.

Maher Abdullah: So ... then the talk is about a deal.

Ibrahim Salih Al-Husseini: yeah okay, this is the correct one, but until now the majority is for  Islam, and I hope it will be successful, God willing, the future is sufficient to fix everything.

Maher Abdullah: Well, why didn’t it? If we went back to Brother Sabri's question and he wanted me to distort it a little bit, he wanted Arabic to be the official language, but why shouldn't it be the Hausa language, given that Arabic may also be foreign to...

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: It is that the Arabic language has spread in Nigeria.

Maher Abdullah: Why isn't it?

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: In Nigeria... Arabic is widely spread among Muslims, but now there are four languages considered as local, each one is an official language in its locality, but the Hausa language - as I said - is the second language after English in all of Nigeria, the four languages They are: the Hausa language in the Hausa region, the Kanuri language in the Borno region, the Yoruba language in western Nigeria in the Yoruba region, and the Igbo language is in eastern Nigeria. These languages are local, and are considered official in their regions. English is the language that binds and brings the inhabitants of that region together, although this is really a mistake, and in the stages of liberation and elimination of the effects of colonialism the time will come that Africa will return to... Africa as a whole to its languages, and Nigeria at the head of everyone will return, for example, to the language Arabic, because there is no other language that unites the peoples of Nigeria, which numbers about 250 different dialects of one people, and there is not in all these dialects a dialect spoken by a large group of the population, except for the Hausa language and the English language .. English has become everyone’s language. It is necessary now for these people to work in the language of colonialism knowing that it is the language of colonialism, but my brother Sabri, if you looked at the reality of Africa, you would find that all the countries that were colonized by the Western countries all affected it, distorted it, robbed it of will and misplaced it, even in politics, the African people have been put on a bridge that ends at the bottom of the ocean ... to end in the middle of the ocean. Even in politics, we did not learn from the West a useful policy that would save us if any predicament happened or if a disaster occured, as you see, African countries walked over the Western system in the economy, ending up in a barren desert and an ocean from which they could not get out likewise, in other ways, culturally... everything. That is why Africa is in the building stage, now we cannot say that Africa has reached its end, so we hope in the future - God willing - that people will return to their senses, and those people who have been deprived of their rights, that have been deformed will return to their true rights and return to their origin, and this is what We hope and hope in Nigeria and other countries.

Maher Abdullah: Good. With me, Sister Ata Ibrahim, from Egypt. Sister Ata, please, we will come back to...

Ata Ibrahim: Hello, may God’s peace and mercy be upon you.

Maher Abdullah: Peace be upon you.

Ata Ibrahim: I have two questions for the Sheikh, please.

Maher Abdullah: Go ahead.

Ata Ibrahim: Many African countries celebrate the birth of the Prophet, what are the reasons?

Maher Abdullah: Reasons, can you repeat the question?

Ibrahim Saleh: They celebrate.

Ata Ibrahim: They ccelebrate the birth of the Prophet. Reasons... I want to know the reasons why they celebrate it?

Maher Abdullah: Why are they celebrating this, second question..?

Ata Ibrahim: It can be celebrated, I mean...

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: The second question.

Ata Ibrahim: Is Islam all of Africa one or is there any difference?

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Okay.

Maher Abdullah: Ok, thank you, sister Ata, with me Brother Mahmud, sorry, with me Salah Muhammad, from Britain.

Salah Muhammad: Hello, peace be upon you.

Maher Abdullah: Peace be upon you.

Salah Muhammad: I am a Libyan writer from Libya, and I have written a book on... entitled "Abioli mosques in the views of notable Libyan scholars from the Malikis."

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Great.

Salah Muhammad: In this book, I touched upon the efforts of the Libyan scholars to spread Islam in Africa, and I really salute Professor Maher, and I am surprised that our dear Sheikh neglected in his talk about the Islamic movements that had role in spreading Islam, very neglectful... the Senussi movement that ..

Maher Abdullah: Hello, I wish you will be trying to contact us brother Salah again. Okay, with me Brother Mahmoud Ahmed, from Saudi Arabia.         

Mahmoud Ahmed: Yes, Hello, peace be upon you.

Maher Abdullah: Peace be upon you, please.

Mahmoud Ahmed: May God bless you with all good, brother.

Maher Abdullah: Welcome.

Mahmoud Ahmed: And I ask God to grant you success in your program that you presented with the best Islamic morals.

Maher Abdullah: God bless you.

Muhammad Ahmad: May God bless you, grant you success always, and grant success to your guests whom you host.

Maher Abdullah: May God bless you, sir.

Mahmoud Ahmed: In fact, I have a simple intervention regarding the Islamic kingdoms in Africa, in... I (long) learned and I am a researcher and travelled a lot to Islamic countries all over the world, and in the African continent reached Siberia. Among them, I arrived in (Timbuktu) in year 77, and found the centre of Ahmed Baba, and it was a small rectangular room, but what I have seen in manuscripts of more than a thousand years old written in Husseini script, that is ... the Fa is without point and the Qaf is with one point above ... As they learned - I mean, it is difficult for us as Easterners to read it, but God helped me, that I was able and.. I could get a written copy of Imam Al-Bukhari... the Hadiths in it and observed many books there. What I got out of this trip, of course, is that I found the Great Mosque built with bricks more than 700 years ago, but what struck me when I read that the emperor of that time -I think his name is (Musa Traore) - identical to the name of one of the relatives - when he wanted to perform Hajj He used to command before his arrival on Friday to build a mosque for him to pray Friday in it on his way to Mecca, and he had a thousand camels loaded with gold for the expense of Hajj for the sake of God, so the figure of this empire and its economy and scholars is depicted, and the jurisprudence that I found with him I did not find on earth, not even in the Arabian Peninsula . I say it for the sake of God, the fact that I found them from the horizon of people with knowledge, manners, morals and kindness, and I only want the satisfaction of generous God.

What important thing I conclude from all this is that we have - with great regret - the essence, but we grab the peel and stick to it and leave the essence. Where are we from Timbuktu, about going to it and studying it, and extracting the Islamic treasures there? And many more like them in Africa.

Maher Abdullah: Ok, thank you, Brother Mahmud.

Mahmud Ahmed: I mean, there is only one point I would like to add because one of the sisters added it, let me please.

Maher Abdullah: Please.

Mahmud Ahmed: May Allah reward you well. Even with Sheikh Al-Qaradawi and several guests, you always discussed the issue of what is called "Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday". First, I do not call it a celebration or a birth, but I call it another name that is anticipation of the light that God sent as mercy to the worlds, (and among the believers he is compassionate and merciful), (and you surely guide to a straight path.). One of the important points here is that he was the first person to celebrate his birth - may God bless him and grant him peace - he was the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - and if I am wrong, I ask the Sheikh to correct me.

Maher Abdullah: Ok, thank you, Brother Mahmud.

Mahmud Ahmad: No... No, it is possible, but I say it. The Prophet’s companions asked: O Messenger of God, we see you keen to fast on Mondays, why so? He answered them - may God bless him and grant him peace - and said: "That was the day I was born." It was his celebration of his worship of fasting.

Maher Abdullah: Thank you, Brother Mahmud.

Mahmud Ahmed: "It is the day on which I was sent, the day I will die, and the day on which I was sent down."

Maher Abdullah: Ok, we will come back ... Thank you, and God willing, you will hear a comment from the Sheikh about your words and the question of Sister Ata.

Let me begin with... that is there really tens or hundreds of, perhaps thousands of manuscripts are there in Timbuktu?

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: Really, as for Timbuktu - as I said - that Timbuktu, and the Ahmed Bab Timbuktu Centre in particular, is an archaeological Islamic centre that collected a lot of manuscripts, even after the looting that took place on this huge library that was mentioned by many scholars from historians, after France plundered it, and transferred many of those books to Paris, which are preserved by them there. A large number of books have remained in the centre until now that needs to be studied and needs revision, as well as in many Islamic kingdoms. For example, we have in Nigeria in Kaduna there is a centre for collecting manuscripts, which is a collection of books of Nigerian scholars including Sheikh Othman bin Fodio, as we said, Abdullah al-Fodio, and Muhammad Bello, as well as Sheikh Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanami, Sheikh Abdullah al-Thiqa, Sheikh al-Dabbagh, Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman bin Bint al-Hajj, Sheikh Taher bin Ibrahim Verma, and Sheikh Omar Waleed, Sheikh Suleiman Al-Wali, and other scholars of those countries, who have books. Likewise, if we move to the central regions of Chad, we find the same thing. We find there the writings of Sheikh Abdel-Haq Al-Senussi, the books of Sheikh Jabr and Sheikh Abu Ras, and the books of Sheikh Abu Ras and others and others, there I mean treasures found but the Arab brothers did not reach them.

Maher Abdullah: Okay, Brother Salah's question, unfortunately, the meeting was cut off.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Yes, we still have not answered the part of Sister Ata’s question.

Maher Abdullah: No, I am coming to him, but it is fair to him that the conversation with him was interrupted. We didn’t, I think, neglect the role of Senussi in...

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: No, not at all, the Senussi’s role is associated with the role... with the role played by Sheikh Othman bin Fodio, who is a leader of Qadriyah, and Sheikh Omar bin Saeed al-Futi, a sheikh of the Tijaniyya order, and Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi has no special order, but he is a leader of Mahdiyya as a renovator For example, also Imam Muhammad bin Ali al-Senussi, the leader of the Senussi Renewal Movement, he did it, and I think that Gaddafi does not overlook this with the intention of offending the Sheikh .. Sheikh Muhammad bin Ali al-Senussi, as a preacher and as a leader or as a modernizer or .., so I see that these Islamic movements are wronged by all writers, especially those who write from a certain standpoint, or from a limited sectarian point of view, on the other hand. But when we talk about a living reality witnessed in Africa, no one can deny the role or roles of these people.

Maher Abdullah: please... if we go back to the question of Sister Ata and before I asked you the two questions, she would not have asked you, Islam in Africa, she asked if it was unified or different. I want to ask you before this question. When Islam entered Africa, did Africa embrace Islam instantly, or did Islam separate?

Western colonization of Africa and missionary conspiracies

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: In fact, all the customs of a Muslim must be Islamic, the traditions of a Muslim must be Islamic, and among the beliefs that the sheikhs of Africa teach their students at the beginning of their request is that you must be a Muslim with your customs, with your traditions. We said a custom, it means the Sunnah. This is a custom. Africa, where Islam has spread, has become Islamic, customs and traditions all are Islamic, except for some negative aspects that arise with people by virtue of deviation from the path. For example, when colonialism entered Africa, it was found practising based on the Holy Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. There are Sharia courts, there are prisons, and there everything implemented as per the provisions of Sharia law in worship, in transactions, in doctrine, in everything, colonialism came, separating religion from the state, then stopping ruling with borders, and leaving some individual circumstances, then the figure of Ummah was erased by cunning and intrigue, deprived the Ummah of its Islamic approach, and thus heresies and innovations that violate the Sharia, infiltrated to the Muslims in their customs, traditions and sayings, which are negatives that scholars must resist and correct. Islam in Africa is the one that has overcome non-Islamic customs in Africa, except in some areas that Islam has entered by a neighbourhood and Islam was not been supervised by scholars who direct them... within regions in the Congo, for example, where Islam entered and there is no enough scholars to guide Muslims there and explain to them the approach and behavior. Likewise, some regions, for example in the jungles or high in the mountains of Africa, entered Islam by mere love and curiosity of the inhabitants of those regions, but in fact it was Islam that Islamized Africa.

Maher Abdullah: Africa.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Africa did not separate Islam.

Maher Abdullah: Ok and I will be back to you again for this because it has a difference, but let me, I have calls.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Yes, continue, but because...

Maher Abdullah: No, I want to take some calls, then, we will finish the calls.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Ok, okay, okay, God willing.

Maher Abdullah: With me, Brother Muhammad al-Shuhumi, from Benin, Brother Muhammad, please.

Muhammad al-Shuhumi: Peace be upon a skilled teacher, and welcome to our professor, sheikh, dear and companion of order. What I want to clarify is the truth about the great injustice inflicted on Muslims in Africa. It is true that Africa was subjected to a colonial campaign. First, Christianity did not know Africa, especially in its middle and west, except through colonialism.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Exactly.

Muhammad al-Shuhumi: It is a religion that colonialism brought and did not impose it through conviction, but it is an opportunity through two institutions: the educational institution and the health institution. In education there was a condition for the one who to be educated, to become a Christian. Therefore, you will find a large number of even those who reached the top positions are Muslims in their origins. But when they entered the French schools and the English schools, they were forced to convert and became Christians and lost their identity, but the truth is that the vast majority were Muslims in Africa. Personally, I am an Arab from North Africa, and I belong to an association to which our Sheikh belongs, which is the "International Islamic Call" association, what I saw in the jungle is that there are people who apply the law of God in their whole life. It is rare to find an African Muslim who does not pray, it is rare to find an African Muslim who does not fast, thefts are very limited, the community is safe, the most important is the speed of learning. We have seen a community that we call and know them as the new converts, now the new converts began with tens of thousands to enter the religion of Islam at a rate exceeding 20 thousand per month suddenly after a short period of time. You will find that these People began to apply Islam, began to pray and teach their children how to pray. The real problem faced is linking Christianity to the problem of Christianization, and the failure of the Islamic movements to bring changes in their propagation. Who now must shift from preaching and counselling to adopting Islamic stances? In most of Africa, Islam is a majority, in Benin Islam is a majority, in Togo Islam is a majority, but in the institutions of government, where are they? They are absent. So what I am saying now to Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh, now it is the time for Muslims to unite around Islamic institutions that the mosque should move to become a headquarters for administration and governance for all Muslims wherever they are.

Maher Abdullah [interrupting]: okay, Brother Muhammad.

Muhammad al-Shuhumi resumed: The second thing: attention, Mr. Maher, attention to what truly comes to us from the eastern Arab world, calls that deny, repel and fascinate.

Maher Abdullah: Ok, thank you, Brother Muhammad. I have one last call and there is not much time left for the interval. I have a brother - sorry - I have brother Abdul Hamid Haji Khader from Germany, please.

Abdul Hamid Hajj Khader: In the name of God, the Compassionate, and the Merciful. Peace be upon you.

Maher Abdullah: Peace be upon you.

Abdel Hamid Hajj Khader: Greetings to your guest, Mr. Maher.

Maher Abdullah: Welcome.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Thank you.

Abdel Hamid Hajj Khader: Brother Ibrahim, may God protect him.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: God bless you.

Abd al-Hamid Hajj Khader: My honourable brother, the conversation is really at the time. This is a talk about Africa which is really frustrating, because we were in the sixties following up... we were tracking Islam, the spread of Islam and the liberation of Muslims from ... from colonialism more accurately, even though the media is limited, the newspaper... the magazine “The Civilization of Islam” in Damascus, and the “Muslims” newspaper in Geneva, which was published by Dr. Saeed Ramadan, and we were connected to the events of Africa, especially when the Ill-fated upheaval led by the Crusaders took place, in which Ahmed .. Ahmed Bello and Abu Al-Bakr Tsaoua were killed foully, in a manner that anyone would be ashamed of, and entered the country into a spiral of chaos, then the upheaval that occurred or the revolution or rebellion that took place in the south... in southern Nigeria and how the Christian churches, especially here in Protestant Germany, They were collecting money to buy weapons and give it to the separatists. We used to know all of this, but now the truth is that we are ignorant of Africa, yet there is something that warms the heart. When we look at the map of Africa drawn by the United Nations for diseases... for the diseases that the West had spread in Africa, including AIDS, we find that the countries where are mostly Muslims they are almost... they are almost protected from this scabby disease thanks to Islam, because Islam is the one that saves Africa. Then Africa, Who is it? We say in one word: It is an extension of the Arabian Peninsula, and these are geographical divisions of the academic West for its study, it is an extension, yes, that is, on the Suez Canal, whoever crosses the Suez Canal will be in broad daylight African and at sunset Asian as well in Europe there is mountain Tariq... in the continent of Europe.

Maher Abdullah [interrupting]: Okay, Brother Abdul Hamid, Thank you very much for this intervention, but you will hear the comment on it after this break. We remind you that you can participate with us on Al-Jazeera.net (www.aljazeera.net) that we will allocate the remaining time of this program for him.

[The news in brief]

The issues of Takfir and the suffering of African Muslims

Maher Abdullah: I noticed, during the call, that you were provoked by the issues of Takfir and the call to heresy that is... you seemed tired.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Not at all.

Maher Abdullah: Do you... do you mean, do you have a real problem? I know this issue of0 Takfir has occupied the Eastern Arab a lot.

Ibrahim Salih Al-Husseini: God, you know - as I told you - Islam in Africa does not know division and does not know Diaspora, given that Islam began by peaceful means and with tolerance and with clarity, because Islam in itself is a clear call, because of its clarity, people accept it and enter Islam voluntarily, as I said that Islam Spread in Africa with the efforts of these ascetics, hermits and merchants, and there is no war and nothing. But in the recent period, indeed, as I have heard... We listened to this in the words of the brothers Professor Al-Amin Nias - from Senegal - and Brother Muhammad al-Shahoumi - from Benin - and others. They all talked about that one of the reasons for Muslims delaying and weakening them is the emergence of this heresy, and I call it a "heresy" because it is It was not known to Muslims, is the call to declare Muslims infidels each other, to accuse his Muslim brother without establishing his accusation on a solid basis. Rather, for example, if we read books, for example, and if we classify the Ummah on the basis of what we read in books, we must make a mistake, because there are books whose owners died and also died in the Ummah’s conscience or in the Ummah’s thought. These books should not be searched for and we should consider that these are on the basis of the doctrine of so-and-so or so-and-so’s opinion, because if we walk to this... on this and we follow, no one will embrace Islam, everyone will disbelieve some, for example the issue of the birth of the Prophet, the birth of the Prophet stems from the faith of Muslims in Africa in the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - and their love for him, and that they see that on this occasion the sheikhs can teach Muslims, both ordinary and particular ones, many of the characteristics of the Prophet - prayers God and peace be upon him - and his morals, and all these are based on the teachings of Allah’s holy Book and Sunnah of His Messenger, because they know how to follow him.

Maher Abdullah [interrupting]: Do you agree - just casually - do you agree with Brother Mahmoud Ahmed in that the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - was the first to..?

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: He celebrated, I do not say that he celebrated, but the Prophet indicated in this Hadith of Imam Muslim or in the Hadith of Sahih that when he was asked about his keenness to fast on Monday, he mentioned that this day was born - upon him be blessings and peace - and it was the day Quran was revealed to him, it was the day he was sent, and it was the day the Qur’an was revealed, and that is why the Prophet - upon him be blessings and peace - was interested in fasting this day, and there is an indication and hint in this, that for Muslims this occasion is worthy to care about if the interest in that occasion is in line with Prophet’s teachings, peace be upon him.

In Africa, in many schools, and in many Islamic institutes celebration of the Prophet's birth is held within defined boundaries and restrictions that guarantee its safety from innovations except in the case of those who oppose the legality of the birth, so those who celebrate the birth consider that it is a good occasion. If Islam did not command Muslims to celebrate the birth, He did not forbid them to celebrate the birthday from his part, and therefore they show their love for the Prophet and thank God for his grace by sending the Messenger - may blessings and peace be upon him - and they celebrate the birth. This is the answer to all of this. The danger threatening Islam and the Islamic propagation in Africa is this division that arose among Muslims. If this division does not stop, it will cause a lot of imbalance in the Islamic Ummah. We were in Africa during a period of time when Islam was prestigious in the hearts of non-Muslims and there were Islam’s greatness in the hearts of non-Muslims, even when the call to prayer is raised in the cities of northern Nigeria, everything stops. Muslims stand waiting for the muezzin, even Christians stand waiting for the muezzin to finish, and when he says: “There is no god but God” at the end they start walking, and only a year ago if you followed the events of (Kaduna) you will find something strange happened: one of those from whose hearts prestige of Islam had fallen down, during the Friday prayer at the time of prayer.. He started to cross the rows, he was wearing a sole... with his sandals and he stepped on the carpet and wanted to go out, so some of the young men got angry and did not agree on this. At last, a movement took place that ended with the death of that person. Such things hadn’t happened, they used to respect the Muslims, but it happened after Muslims started declaring infidelity each other and did not respect Islam itself.

Maher Abdullah: When Muslims attack one another, people attack them.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: On the other hand, these people found the way to...

[Ad break]

Maher Abdullah: Sir, I will return to the questions about .. the questions arose through the phone, but I have some questions, I think, I mean,just to conclude the topic, discussing the spread of Islam, we talked about it in the middle of the continent and in .. and in its west, the Balochi brother asks that Islam arrived through Muslim merchants, and preachers of Islam, and we do not forget the role of the Omanis who spread Islam during the era of the Omani empire in East Africa, in addition to that, and we talked about Timbuktu. There (Kilwa) in (Zanzibar) was not less in prestige with people of knowledge. Did the Omani Empire have a role in spreading Islam in East Africa?

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: There is no doubt that the Omani Empire has a great role in spreading Islam in Africa. As for Kilwa, the truth is that there was a Zaidi delegation that arrived there in the year 122 AH. Since that date Islam has spread and strengthened, but the role of Oman in that region is a trut that no one disagrees with. The Omanis are those who spread Islam in all those regions, and they are those who established Islamic cities such as: Mogadishu, Marka and (Barawa) and other areas. There was also a man who became famous in that country, his name (Muniri Wabari), he is one of the Omanis who settled there for a long time and spread Islam. In short, the role of the Kilwa or the Omanis in that region is absolutely not less than the role of Moroccans in the kingdoms of West Africa, or than the role of Timbuktu, for example, in spreading knowledge in those regions. Islam in all these regions is the Omani role. On the other hand, their interest in scholars is likewise; scholars in those regions until now have preserved the example. The scholars in those regions until now have preserved the tradition that they inherited from the old Omani state and moved or spread from them to Yemen, to the Aden region, to Abyssinia, to Eritrea, and to some parts even in Sudan, these roles are all preserved and the efforts are all preserved.

Maher Abdullah: There were 3, 4 questions that were asked about...

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Please.

The role of African scholars in spreading Islam

Maher Abdullah: On the role of Morocco and the North African Arab in the role of Islam, I want short answers from you because I am about to.

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: By God, in short, the scholars in Africa, or the scholars of West North Africa in West Africa, have a great role. We know that the Qur’an reached those countries - as I said - through those preachers. It reached with the narration of (Warsh) in the style of (Nafi '), or with the narration of (Qulun) and style of Nafeh, or al-Duri on the authority of Abu Amr, these styles spread in Africa by regional efforts, carried out by those scholars either from Libya or Tunisia or the Maghreb region ... the Far Maghreb. Likewise knowledge of jurisprudence, jurisprudence is of the Maliki School as you know that all of Africa owes the Maliki school of thought. The Maliki school of jurisprudence came through the hands of scholars from Morocco and spread this doctrine in a correct manner, and until now, after the lucidity of vision, the connection of the Islamic world and the integration of scholars, we did not find a big difference between the world of Maliki jurisprudence in Africa and the world of this doctrine in Al-Azhar, or for example in (Zaytuna), or for example in (Al-Qarawiyyin). That is why the fact that the Maghreb, with all countries from North Africa, from Libya to Tunisia to Algeria, to the Far Maghreb, as well as the efforts of some Mauritanians in relation to some of their neighbouring countries, such as Senegal and Kamali, as well as to the regions of (Borno) and (Kanan) and the Hausa kingdoms, there arrived scholars from Tunisia and scholars from Morocco, such as the Sheikh Alami, Sheikh (Qantour) and others, well-known scholars, I mean, they spread Maliki jurisprudence in those countries.

Maher Abdullah: Ok, Brother Muhammad Yusef Idris says that: It seems that the Hadith took you and took us with you to West Africa. I would like to bring you back to Ethiopia, where a fierce attack can't be described. He wants to call it the country of the Islamic Emirates.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Ethiopia.

Maher Abdullah: I mean, indeed, we mentioned that the Negus is from there, but the campaign against it was more severe than...

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Yes, the truth is that the Ethiopia, In fact, I say that Islam really entered Africa before all continents except Asia, where Mecca is located. Ethiopia or Africa rather accepted Islam and welcomed it before all countries except the Arab world, as I said, and the first Muslims among the companions of the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - spent a long time in Ethiopia, and there is no doubt that they influenced a lot and when Islam began to flow and the tide of Islam began to spread and progress within Africa, we do not doubt that a large number of those who converted to Islam in Ethiopia were the companions of those Mujahideen, those preachers who entered into those areas, the regions of (Ouardai), Chad, Nigeria, (Kano) and regions of (Kaduna), (Sofeto) and ..

Maher Abdullah: Brother Yusef asks, I mean, do you now have names of books on Islam in Abyssinia?

Ibrahim Salih Al-Husseini: By God, there is a group of them, those are all non -you know- non-Islamic books, writings in books, a book written by Brother Atef al-Nawawi... Muhammad Atef al-Nawawi, he talks about Islam in Africa, as well as Telmanjam, Telmanjam wrote a number of books "Islam in East Africa.” There is also Sheikh Abd al-Rahman Zaki wrote on Islam in East Africa, he talked about Abyssinia, there are other books written by Ethiopians about Abyssinia whose names I do not bring to my mind, but I have read them before, yes, they are available.

Maher Abdullah: As you know Brother Ali Youssef also asks: Is there any special site... on internet talking about Islam in Africa?

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: yes, many, I can’t remember, but many are there... There are people and there are centres available, I mean, they are mentioned in the Internet, I mean there is nothing about the foundation of Islam in Africa except what non-Muslims say and this does not be counted.

Maher Abdullah: Brother Hazem Ahmed Ghorab asks: What is the magnitude of the missionary and Zionist pressures on Nigeria specifically? Do you remember how the late preacher Ahmad Gharab was expelled from Kano? In fact, some questions were asked by Brother Habib Hassan Nasser about the entry of Zionism to the African continent. Does Israel have a strong influence in Africa? Is there pressure on Nigeria in particular?

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: I swear, Africa... Israel has a commercial presence in some African regions, and at some time it had a presence in Nigeria also, then after the severing of relations these people left, then after the return of relations some of them returned in the form of merchants, in the form of representatives of some Companies and this fact is not denied. But the one who would like to reassure the Muslim listeners or viewers I would like to reassure them that Muslims are in the most vigilance with regard to Israel and with regard to the evil, deception and intrigue Israel is doing in Africa and in Nigeria in particular. As for our brother Ghorab, I do not know the reasons, but I heard about him and I knew about him. I heard about him a lot, they talked about him, but I do not know the circumstances due to which he was deported from Nigeria.

Maher Abdullah: please, very briefly. I have less than three minutes left to conclude.

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: Ok.

Maher Abdullah: We hear about the application of Islamic law as a slogan for what I called the Islamic Renewal Movement, In Nigeria clashes and demonstrations took place after the announcement of the application of Sharia in some states. Is what goes on in Nigeria - and you are close to the authority, you are part of the authority in Nigeria -? Is what goes on in Nigeria, i.e the application of Islamic law is an auction, is it an opposition to the Christians, is it part of a movement of extremism as we have witnessed in other regions, or is it part of a logical, natural and evolutionary arrangement?

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: I swear, in fact, we in Nigeria have lived far from Sharia for a long time, and that is why we want to return to Sharia, we like to return to the application of Sharia, and this .. and this desire reflects the desire of all Nigerians in power or out of power, everyone wants to apply Sharia Neither for politics nor for any other purpose, and this is now in (Abuja), those who fish in murky waters, this does not exclude the presence of the people, for example, who saw that the Nigerian street advocated Sharia, so the politician adopted Sharia in order to achieve some of his goals, but the truth is that the application of Sharia that began in (Zangara), in (Kano), in (Mobov), in (Borno) and in other regions, this application is really aimed at the purpose of this achievement itself .. The application itself aims to achieve this demand for the Islamic nation, because our distance from Sharia has caused us a lot and cost us a lot, The life of a Muslim in most of his time has become similar to the life of a non-Muslim, and Sharia is what restores security, peace, stability, purity and serenity for Muslims and transparency for Muslim politicians, so Sharia has become a major and basic requirement for a Muslim in Nigeria.

Maher Abdullah: okay, to be close to the authority or I mean, to be a part of the authority... As you know, or you are in relation to the president, is there a real fear of this project for the state, given that it is a ruling elite?

Ibrahim Saleh al-Husseini: No... no, the state does not fear the application of Sharia, the application of Sharia and the fierce attack that some of our brothers from the south carried out are dictated to them from the outside, it came from outside, Sharia is a Muslim’s life, it is all Sharia, the application of Sharia does not scare the Christian, the application of Sharia In Nigeria, it has taken another characteristic. It is true that there are those who intimidate ordinary Christians with some words they say, and some, for example, who are not truly Muslims, but really the application of Sharia secures the Christian as does the Muslim, and therefore it is not said that the government fears it, but there are non-Islamic organizations that prompted Christians in Nigeria to oppose Sharia law for political purposes.

Maher Abdullah: Thank you, Sir, and I would like, on your behalf, to reassure some of the brothers, including Brother Abu Al-Senoud, who wished to see you in Nigerian clothing. I assure them that under this Arab robe there is an African costume!!

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: The costume of Africa, ohh!!

Maher Abdullah: So we apologize to those who we couldn’t read their posts either by fax or via the internet. On your behalf, I thank His Eminence Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini, who appears to be from Ahl-Bayt historically and to...

Ibrahim Saleh Al-Husseini: leave it...

Maher Abdullah: Thank you also for the good follow-up until we meet you next week. Greetings from me. Peace be upon you and the mercy and blessings of God Almighty.