The "Duksi" (Koranic schools) prepared many macallims (Qur'anic teachers) who played a significant role in diminishing the levels of illiteracy, as well as in the diffusion of Islam throughout the region. The development of the schools was followed by the gradual formation of many Somali Muslim centers, such as Mogadishu, Merca, Barawa, Bardhera, Bali, and Harar. Following this tradition, Somalis often travelled considerable distances from one Islamic center to another, and even joined a "Hir" for immigrant students in centers outside Somalia, such as those in Mecca, Medina, Baghdad, and Damascus.
Islamic centres of Mogadishu and Zeila
The early introduction of Islam in the northern Somalia took place in Zeila, Berbera, and Mogadishu.
One of the earliest mosques built in Africa, the Mosque of the two-Mihrab (Masjid al-Qiblatayn) which means the mosque of the two niches, one facing Jerusalem and the other in the direction of Mecca, is located in Zeila.
A riwaq (portico) in Al-Azhar mosque and a section of the mosque of the Umayyads at Damascus were reserved specifically for students from Zeila.
Yaqut Al-Rumi (known as Al-Hawami) in his book describes Mogadishu as an important Islamic port during the first era of the Islamic period that was rich and powerful.
Ibn Said (1213–1286), ), a Muslim geographer, notes about Mogadishu as being the largest Islamic center on the coast and called it “a city of Islam” (Madinat al-Islam).
Ibn Battuta wrote of Mogadishu as a highly advanced center of trade and Islamic learning and was amazed by the Somali Sultan Abubakar bin Mohamed and his judicial Islamic system, which he considered to be a highly advanced hierarchical system of governance. He also mentions the hospitality that the city had for students of the religion who were housed and provided for.
"Mogadishu, which is a town of enormous size. Its inhabitants are merchants possessed of vast resources; they own large numbers of camel... When the young men came on board the vessel in which I was, one of them came up to me. My companions said to him'This man is not a merchant, but a doctor of the law,' where-upon he called out to his friends and said to them 'This is the guest of the qadi.' There was among them one of the qadi's men, who informed him of this, and he came down to the beach with a number of students and sent one of them to me. When I arrived with the qadi I have mentioned, who was called Ibn al-Burhan, an Egyptian by origin, at the sultan's residence, one of the serving-boys came out and saluted the qadi, who said to him 'Take word to the intendant's office and inform the Shaikh that this man has come from the land of al-Hijaz. So he took the message, then returned bringing a plate on which were some leaves of betel and areca nuts. He gave me ten leaves along with a few of the nuts, the same to the qadi, and what was left on the plate to my companions and the qadi's students. He brought also a jug of rose-water of Damascus, which he poured over me and over the qadi [i.e. over our hands], and said 'Our master commands that he be lodged in the students' house, this being a building equipped for the entertainment of students of religion. The qadi took me by the hand and we went to this house, which is in the vicinity of the Shaikh's residence, and furnished with carpets and all necessary appointments... On the Saturday, the population comes to the Shaikh's gate and they sit in porticoes outside his residence. The qadi, jurists, sharifs, men of religion, shaikhs and those who have made the Pilgrimage go in to the second audience-hall, where they sit on platforms prepared for that purpose."
Somali Scholarship
Knowledge in Somalia was obtained largely in the context of Islamic studies--subjects such as theology, philosophy, Arabic grammar, the traditions of the Prophet, and history.
During Ibn Battuta's visit to India he encountered Sa'id a scholar and jurist from Mogadishu who was of a fine character. He had studied for 14 years in Makkah and another 14 in Madinah under the Amir of Makkah and the Amir of Madinah. He had also visited China and related the accounts of his travels to Ibn Battuta, with some historians theorizing that Battuta included them in his book of travels. Faqih Sa'id would eventually settle in the town of Ezhimala in northern Malabar and collaborated with Faqih Husayn, possibly the author of Qayd al-Jami, the first known Shafi'te text from Malabar. Sa'id was one of the earliest Africans to have travelled across the Indian Ocean to China.
One of the authoritative book on the Hanafi school of thought of Islam, called Tabyin al-Haqa'iq Zi-Sharh Kanz al-Daqa'iq (On the Hanafi Theology) is a work written by the well-known Somali theologian Shaykh'Uthman bin Cali al-Zayla (d. 1342).
Of the traditions of the Prophet Mohamed, called hadiths, Cabd Allah bin Yusuf bin Muhammad al-Zayla is one of the best editors. He was a Somali student of the above-mentioned Shaykh Uthman bin Cali al-Zayla. His Nasb al-Rayah fi Takhrij Ahadith al-Hiddyah (On the Traditions of the Prophet), comprises four volumes.
"Jabarti" was a nickname given to the students from east Africa, and among those who left outstanding works are Shaykh Cali al-Jabarti (d. 1492 A.D.), who served the Egyptian Mamluk government in different administrative and religious positions, and also Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Jabartl, the great-grandfather of the famous Egyptian historian al-Jabarti, who served as a judge in Cairo, and was also the President of the "Riwaq al-Jabarti" in al-Azhar.
In the field of literature Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla was considered the man of his age (d. 1882). His works were numerous but unfortunately most of them have been lost. The few which have been published concern Arabic language, grammar, syntax, and morphology. Fath al-Latif Sharh Hadiqat al-Tasrif (The Syntax of Arabic Language) is one of the best books in this field. In addition, Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman was a poet, and has numerous collections on Islamic issues, most of which have been put together into one volume, Majmu ah Mushtamalah (A Complete Collection).
The writings of Shaykh Cabd Allah al-Qutbi (1879-1952), are well known in the fields of theology and philosophy. His al-Majmu ah al-Mubarakah, known as Nasr al-Mu'minin fi- al-Raddi Ala-al-Maradah wa-al-Mulhidin (Victory of the Believers over the Rebellion of the Heretics), was written in response to the appearance of new Western ideologies, and new religious orders and sects within the Muslim world, among them the Wahhabiyyah and Salihiyyah.
In the field of tarajum (biographies), Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman bin Shaykh Umar is a major author, with his biographies of the Qadiriyah saints. He collected the sirah (life) of Shaykh Aways al-Qadiri in a book called al-Jawhar al-Nafis fi Khawas al-Shaykh Aways (The Precious Jewel about the Distinctive Characters of Shaykh Aways). This not only describes the life and times of Shaykh Aways, but gives detailed accounts of how Qadiriyyah spread throughout Somalia, as well as into other parts of east Africa.
A similar collection of information, written as a biography of Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla was compiled by Shaykh Abd al-Rahman bin Shaykh Umar under the title Rahat al-Qalb al-Mutawalli fi Manaqib al-Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla (On the Biography of Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla). His collections on two prominent Shaykhs of Qadiriyah, Shaykh Aways al-Barawi and Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla come together in one volume Jala'u al- Aynayn fi Manaqib al-Shaykhayn; al-Shaykh al-Waliyyi Haji Aways al-Qadiri wa-al-Shaykh al-Kamil Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla (On the Deeds of the Two Shaykhs: Shaykh Aways al-Qadiri and Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla).
Shaykh Aways' life and poems are also treated in a valuable book called Majmu at al-Qasa'id (a collection of poems) in praise of Allah, of the prophets, and of Shaykh Cabd al-Qadir al-Jilani, by Shaykh Aways al-Qadiri, Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Shashi, and Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla. Besides the poems that Shaykh Aways wrote in Arabic, he also composed many poems in the Mai dialect of the Somali language, five of which were written with an Arabic script. He is also credited with improving far wadaad and leaving behind a strong Islamic influence in the eastern coast of Africa.
In the field of history there is Sharif Caydarus (1894-1960), the author of Bughyat al-Amal fi- Tarikh al-Sumal (The History of Somalia), which contains information about early Somali kingdoms and institutions. Aw Jamac Cumar Cissa then published a book entitled Tarikh al-Sumal fi al- Usur al-Wusta wa-al-Hadithah (The Medieval and Modern History of Somalia). It is a book on the general history of Somalia with a special emphasis on the history of the Dervish movement.
Honorable Mention: Mohamed Abdulle Hassan
Most of this is pasted from historical books
Islamic centres of Mogadishu and Zeila
The early introduction of Islam in the northern Somalia took place in Zeila, Berbera, and Mogadishu.
One of the earliest mosques built in Africa, the Mosque of the two-Mihrab (Masjid al-Qiblatayn) which means the mosque of the two niches, one facing Jerusalem and the other in the direction of Mecca, is located in Zeila.
A riwaq (portico) in Al-Azhar mosque and a section of the mosque of the Umayyads at Damascus were reserved specifically for students from Zeila.
Yaqut Al-Rumi (known as Al-Hawami) in his book describes Mogadishu as an important Islamic port during the first era of the Islamic period that was rich and powerful.
Ibn Said (1213–1286), ), a Muslim geographer, notes about Mogadishu as being the largest Islamic center on the coast and called it “a city of Islam” (Madinat al-Islam).
Ibn Battuta wrote of Mogadishu as a highly advanced center of trade and Islamic learning and was amazed by the Somali Sultan Abubakar bin Mohamed and his judicial Islamic system, which he considered to be a highly advanced hierarchical system of governance. He also mentions the hospitality that the city had for students of the religion who were housed and provided for.
"Mogadishu, which is a town of enormous size. Its inhabitants are merchants possessed of vast resources; they own large numbers of camel... When the young men came on board the vessel in which I was, one of them came up to me. My companions said to him'This man is not a merchant, but a doctor of the law,' where-upon he called out to his friends and said to them 'This is the guest of the qadi.' There was among them one of the qadi's men, who informed him of this, and he came down to the beach with a number of students and sent one of them to me. When I arrived with the qadi I have mentioned, who was called Ibn al-Burhan, an Egyptian by origin, at the sultan's residence, one of the serving-boys came out and saluted the qadi, who said to him 'Take word to the intendant's office and inform the Shaikh that this man has come from the land of al-Hijaz. So he took the message, then returned bringing a plate on which were some leaves of betel and areca nuts. He gave me ten leaves along with a few of the nuts, the same to the qadi, and what was left on the plate to my companions and the qadi's students. He brought also a jug of rose-water of Damascus, which he poured over me and over the qadi [i.e. over our hands], and said 'Our master commands that he be lodged in the students' house, this being a building equipped for the entertainment of students of religion. The qadi took me by the hand and we went to this house, which is in the vicinity of the Shaikh's residence, and furnished with carpets and all necessary appointments... On the Saturday, the population comes to the Shaikh's gate and they sit in porticoes outside his residence. The qadi, jurists, sharifs, men of religion, shaikhs and those who have made the Pilgrimage go in to the second audience-hall, where they sit on platforms prepared for that purpose."
Somali Scholarship
Knowledge in Somalia was obtained largely in the context of Islamic studies--subjects such as theology, philosophy, Arabic grammar, the traditions of the Prophet, and history.
During Ibn Battuta's visit to India he encountered Sa'id a scholar and jurist from Mogadishu who was of a fine character. He had studied for 14 years in Makkah and another 14 in Madinah under the Amir of Makkah and the Amir of Madinah. He had also visited China and related the accounts of his travels to Ibn Battuta, with some historians theorizing that Battuta included them in his book of travels. Faqih Sa'id would eventually settle in the town of Ezhimala in northern Malabar and collaborated with Faqih Husayn, possibly the author of Qayd al-Jami, the first known Shafi'te text from Malabar. Sa'id was one of the earliest Africans to have travelled across the Indian Ocean to China.
One of the authoritative book on the Hanafi school of thought of Islam, called Tabyin al-Haqa'iq Zi-Sharh Kanz al-Daqa'iq (On the Hanafi Theology) is a work written by the well-known Somali theologian Shaykh'Uthman bin Cali al-Zayla (d. 1342).
Of the traditions of the Prophet Mohamed, called hadiths, Cabd Allah bin Yusuf bin Muhammad al-Zayla is one of the best editors. He was a Somali student of the above-mentioned Shaykh Uthman bin Cali al-Zayla. His Nasb al-Rayah fi Takhrij Ahadith al-Hiddyah (On the Traditions of the Prophet), comprises four volumes.
"Jabarti" was a nickname given to the students from east Africa, and among those who left outstanding works are Shaykh Cali al-Jabarti (d. 1492 A.D.), who served the Egyptian Mamluk government in different administrative and religious positions, and also Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Jabartl, the great-grandfather of the famous Egyptian historian al-Jabarti, who served as a judge in Cairo, and was also the President of the "Riwaq al-Jabarti" in al-Azhar.
In the field of literature Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla was considered the man of his age (d. 1882). His works were numerous but unfortunately most of them have been lost. The few which have been published concern Arabic language, grammar, syntax, and morphology. Fath al-Latif Sharh Hadiqat al-Tasrif (The Syntax of Arabic Language) is one of the best books in this field. In addition, Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman was a poet, and has numerous collections on Islamic issues, most of which have been put together into one volume, Majmu ah Mushtamalah (A Complete Collection).
The writings of Shaykh Cabd Allah al-Qutbi (1879-1952), are well known in the fields of theology and philosophy. His al-Majmu ah al-Mubarakah, known as Nasr al-Mu'minin fi- al-Raddi Ala-al-Maradah wa-al-Mulhidin (Victory of the Believers over the Rebellion of the Heretics), was written in response to the appearance of new Western ideologies, and new religious orders and sects within the Muslim world, among them the Wahhabiyyah and Salihiyyah.
In the field of tarajum (biographies), Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman bin Shaykh Umar is a major author, with his biographies of the Qadiriyah saints. He collected the sirah (life) of Shaykh Aways al-Qadiri in a book called al-Jawhar al-Nafis fi Khawas al-Shaykh Aways (The Precious Jewel about the Distinctive Characters of Shaykh Aways). This not only describes the life and times of Shaykh Aways, but gives detailed accounts of how Qadiriyyah spread throughout Somalia, as well as into other parts of east Africa.
A similar collection of information, written as a biography of Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla was compiled by Shaykh Abd al-Rahman bin Shaykh Umar under the title Rahat al-Qalb al-Mutawalli fi Manaqib al-Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla (On the Biography of Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla). His collections on two prominent Shaykhs of Qadiriyah, Shaykh Aways al-Barawi and Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla come together in one volume Jala'u al- Aynayn fi Manaqib al-Shaykhayn; al-Shaykh al-Waliyyi Haji Aways al-Qadiri wa-al-Shaykh al-Kamil Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla (On the Deeds of the Two Shaykhs: Shaykh Aways al-Qadiri and Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Zayla).
Shaykh Aways' life and poems are also treated in a valuable book called Majmu at al-Qasa'id (a collection of poems) in praise of Allah, of the prophets, and of Shaykh Cabd al-Qadir al-Jilani, by Shaykh Aways al-Qadiri, Shaykh Cabd al-Rahman al-Shashi, and Shaykh Abd al-Rahman al-Zayla. Besides the poems that Shaykh Aways wrote in Arabic, he also composed many poems in the Mai dialect of the Somali language, five of which were written with an Arabic script. He is also credited with improving far wadaad and leaving behind a strong Islamic influence in the eastern coast of Africa.
In the field of history there is Sharif Caydarus (1894-1960), the author of Bughyat al-Amal fi- Tarikh al-Sumal (The History of Somalia), which contains information about early Somali kingdoms and institutions. Aw Jamac Cumar Cissa then published a book entitled Tarikh al-Sumal fi al- Usur al-Wusta wa-al-Hadithah (The Medieval and Modern History of Somalia). It is a book on the general history of Somalia with a special emphasis on the history of the Dervish movement.
Honorable Mention: Mohamed Abdulle Hassan
Most of this is pasted from historical books
