Somalis converted to Islam in the 15th century?

[HabarSteven12]

I hear many Somalis claim that we converted to Islam in the 7th century. Some of them go as far as saying we converted to Islam way before the Quraysh tribe. Is there any historical or academic proof for that claim? The spread of Islam in Somalia wasn't simultaneous or uniform. According to historians, the spread of Islam on the Somali peninsula was a gradual and adaptive process. Somalis became fully Muslim by the 15th century. For example, the presence of Islam in West Africa dates back to the 8th century. But many of the local tribes fully incorporated Islam into their traditional lifestyles between the 12th and 13th centuries.

Ali Hersi, in his book The Arab Factor of Somali History, states that the "Islam of the Somali people was a long, slow process spanning a period of seven centuries." Hersi also states that many of the nomadic clans embraced Islam during the reign of Imam Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi(15th century). I would appreciate your input. Let's have a constructive and intellectual dialogue.

 

[mohammdov]

Yes, there are Arab geographers who mentioned the Somali coasts in the tenth century and said that they were Christians. It seems that the last Somalis converted to Islam until the fourteenth century, when tensions arose between Muslims and Christians.

 

[Bari🐍]

Yes, there are Arab geographers who mentioned the Somali coasts in the tenth century and said that they were Christians. It seems that the last Somalis converted to Islam until the fourteenth century, when tensions arose between Muslims and Christians.

Can I see this? In fact quite the contrary is said by al-Yaqubi

 

[Odious Delirium]

I hear many Somalis claim that we converted to Islam in the 7th century. Some of them go as far as saying we converted to Islam way before the Quraysh tribe. Is there any historical or academic proof for that claim? The spread of Islam in Somalia wasn't simultaneous or uniform. According to historians, the spread of Islam on the Somali peninsula was a gradual and adaptive process. Somalis became fully Muslim by the 15th century. For example, the presence of Islam in West Africa dates back to the 8th century. But many of the local tribes fully incorporated Islam into their traditional lifestyles between the 12th and 13th centuries.

Ali Hersi, in his book The Arab Factor of Somali History, states that the "Islam of the Somali people was a long, slow process spanning a period of seven centuries." Hersi also states that many of the nomadic clans embraced Islam during the reign of Imam Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi(15th century). I would appreciate your input. Let's have a constructive and intellectual dialogue.

People mean Islam has been amongst somalis even before the quraash accepted Islam. It was a gradual process but I wouldn't say it was that long.

 

[ibrahym]

The call to Islam began in Banadir at the hands of the Zaidis in the eighth century
Then, in the tenth century, they moved to landlocked lands and spread Islam there as well

 

[killerxsmoke]

Yusuf al kawneyn mostly converted alot of somalis

 

[Khaemwaset]

I hear many Somalis claim that we converted to Islam in the 7th century. Some of them go as far as saying we converted to Islam way before the Quraysh tribe. Is there any historical or academic proof for that claim? The spread of Islam in Somalia wasn't simultaneous or uniform. According to historians, the spread of Islam on the Somali peninsula was a gradual and adaptive process. Somalis became fully Muslim by the 15th century. For example, the presence of Islam in West Africa dates back to the 8th century. But many of the local tribes fully incorporated Islam into their traditional lifestyles between the 12th and 13th centuries.

Ali Hersi, in his book The Arab Factor of Somali History, states that the "Islam of the Somali people was a long, slow process spanning a period of seven centuries." Hersi also states that many of the nomadic clans embraced Islam during the reign of Imam Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi(15th century). I would appreciate your input. Let's have a constructive and intellectual dialogue.

Most of somalia was muslim since at least the first few centuries of Islam.

What you are talking about with the Imam was that many nomadic clans in the Deep interior converted to Islam during the adal wars, that is correct. Thing around the borderlands between galbeed and Oromo. Thats about the area where the somalis who were converted lived. A majority of Somalis were already muslims long before, this is merely a minority of ethnic somali nomads who lived isolated in the interior. Majority of those converted were habash & tribes that lived in what Is now oromia.

 

[Som]

Conversion was gradual just like anywhere else in the Muslim world. No country immediately converted to Islam, there were still many christians in northafrica and the middle east ( in Egypt even now) centuries after Islam came to them. Somalis were probably fully Muslim by the 15th century which means that everyone by then had adopted Islam but some other sources day full conversion was complete by the 13th century.

 

[HabarSteven12]

Most of somalia was muslim since at least the first few centuries of Islam.

What you are talking about with the Imam was that many nomadic clans in the Deep interior converted to Islam during the adal wars, that is correct. Thing around the borderlands between galbeed and Oromo. Thats about the area where the somalis who were converted lived. A majority of Somalis were already muslims long before, this is merely a minority of ethnic somali nomads who lived isolated in the interior. Majority of those converted were habash & tribes that lived in what Is now oromia.

Thank you for sharing this piece of information in an articulate and intellectual manner. So the Somalis in the deep interior that converted to Islam were a minority? What were the name of the tribes that converted during the reign of Imam Ahmed. I know oromo converted to Islam in the 15th century. They were escaping the destruction and mayhem caused by Lebna Dengel and Amda Seyon in their lands. They sought refuge with Imam Ahmed and he converted them to Islam. This is well documented.

Can you show me any academic sources stating Islam was already an integral part of the Somali people's traditional lifestyle in the 7th, 8th or 9th centuries? Thank you.

 

[Khaemwaset]

Thank you for sharing this piece of information in an articulate and intellectual manner. So the Somalis in the deep interior that converted to Islam were a minority? What were the name of the tribes that converted during the reign of Imam Ahmed. I know oromo converted to Islam in the 15th century. They were escaping the destruction and mayhem caused by Lebna Dengel and Amda Seyon in their lands. They sought refuge with Imam Ahmed and he converted them to Islam. This is well documented.

Can you show me any academic sources stating Islam was already an integral part of the Somali people's traditional lifestyle in the 7th, 8th or 9th centuries? Thank you.

You can read this https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/somali-culture/somali-culture-religion

I don't have any academic sources and It's too late for me to find some. But I'll @ our sspot historians @Shimbiris @Garaad diinle

I'm not sure on the names of the tribes converted.

Here's some pages from
"Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies
Title
God, Anti-Colonialism and Drums: Sheikh Uways and the Uwaysiyya " published in 1989

Beginning of Islam in somalia

About Ahmad Gurey and the conversions to Islam

 

[HabarSteven12]

You can read this https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/somali-culture/somali-culture-religion
View attachment 285776

I don't have any academic sources and It's too late for me to find some. But I'll @ our sspot historians @Shimbiris @Garaad diinle

I'm not sure on the names of the tribes converted.

Here's some pages from
"Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies
Title
God, Anti-Colonialism and Drums: Sheikh Uways and the Uwaysiyya " published in 1989

Beginning of Islam in somalia
View attachment 285785

View attachment 285787


About Ahmad Gurey and the conversions to Islam
View attachment 285783

illahay ha ku barakeeyo sxb. Thank you for sharing this informative and interesting piece of information. I am glad Imam Ahmed was able to convert most of the Afar, Oromo and some Somali clans into Islam. Stay blessed.

 

[Khaemwaset]

illahay ha ku barakeeyo sxb. Thank you for sharing this informative and interesting piece of information. I am glad Imam Ahmed was able to convert most of the Afar, Oromo and some Somali clans into Islam. Stay blessed.

No problem bro

 

[Step a side]

It was a gradual process that took shape several centuries in the making. Coastal ones and the ones around the strategic trade routes would come under the fold of Islam really early in history. Others would adopt Islam much later on. The earliest Muslims in the north would be the ones from the port town of Zeila and the pre Islamic trade route that connects it to Haraghe. You have to remember with Islam the Somalis also adopted the abtirsi culture. The origins of the oldest clans Aji (Dir) and Hawiye took shape in the Haraghe region. There is the backing of science as well where we see the Dir tribe for instance having time to most recent common ancestor that’s twice as old compared to most other clans. This indicates they were Muslim much earlier on. Confirming what mentioned earlier.

I see people mention Oromo getting reverted to Islam but that only happened after the wars with the Abyssinians came to an end. Oromo in general would come to Hararghe and Bale after the wars. It was the Habesha Muslims from the Amhara and Shewa that left the highlands and decided to live along side the Somalis and other Muslims to avoid the Christian harassments and prosecutions. They would get settled by the Imam in Harar and alongside Somalis, Ottomans, Turks etc they would later on become the ethnic Hararis as we know them today. After the collapse of Harar many tribes would disperse bringing with them the laws of Islam and teach others.

Similar process happened in the south whereby Islamic missionaries would use the ancient pre Islam trade routes to bring the message Islam to the people. See how the river connects Harar and Benaadir?

Since sections of the Hawiyya were migrating southward before and during Gragn's jihad, it is not inconceivable that they brought certain theocratic notions with them. Indeed, the Ajuran maintained a wakil (governor) in the region around Qallafo. This area was not only the traditional Hawiyya homeland, but also stood midway geographically between the emirates of Harar and the Benaadir, an ideal link for the transmission of political and religious ideas.

Same thing in Bale we read

One must mention the Hawīya and Garğēda who are also represented as clan families or clans among the Somali. Both groups seem to have been long established in the Sultanate of Bale: the early immigrants from Merca started from a Hawiya-occupied region and oral traditions relate the Garğēda with the time of the "holy war" in the 1530s.

Some missionaries were send as far as Sidame and beyond according to my clan elders. They must have followed the pre existing trade routes. They are present there till this day.

 

[Garaad diinle]

You can read this https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/somali-culture/somali-culture-religion
View attachment 285776

I don't have any academic sources and It's too late for me to find some. But I'll @ our sspot historians @Shimbiris @Garaad diinle

I'm not sure on the names of the tribes converted.

Here's some pages from
"Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies
Title
God, Anti-Colonialism and Drums: Sheikh Uways and the Uwaysiyya " published in 1989

Beginning of Islam in somalia
View attachment 285785

View attachment 285787


About Ahmad Gurey and the conversions to Islam
View attachment 285783

It's not an easy question that i can answer specially since somalia doesn't have a long literally tradition of recording it's own history nor is there an extensive outside source that kept an account on the history of somalia. Overall we can only speculate based on evidence from the few mentions of somalis in foreign record.

Now for starters the somali coast had a strong connection with the arabian peninsula prior to the advent of islam and that had been noted in the periplus where it mentions boats sailing from the somali coast to the opposite coast of arabia peninsula for trade.

Somalis have been mentioned in numerus pre islamic arabian poetry which further points out the extensive relationship between somalis and the arabian coast.

على كل مقصوص الذنابي معاود ... بريد السري بالليل من خيل بربرا

وكانت الخيل البربرية تهلب أذنابها كالبغال؛ لتدخل مداخلها في خدمة البريد، وليعلم أنها للملك
وخص خيل بربر لأنها كانت أصلب الخيل عندهم وأجودها

وبعد أبي في حصن كندة سيدا *** يسود جموعا من جيوش وبربرا

From this it's easy to assume some somali trader and or somalis that settled yemen or anywhere else in arabia were the first to convert around the early days of islam followed by coastal cities in somalia. We're talking about the 7th and 8th century.

What further enforces this notion is the presence of riwaq al-jabarti/zayla'i or the portico of jabarti/zayla'i You see the portico of jabarti/zaylaci is found in al azhar university which is if i remember correctly the oldest continues university in the world. It was established in 970 ad and the portico of jabarti is as old as the university itself. That being said the portico of jabarti is much older than the university and was first founded in the umayyad mosque of modern day syria, meaning that it might be as old as the 9th or 8th century for all we know.

Finally when it comes to the somali coast the oldest mention of them being muslims that i can find is the account of al-idrisi that dates back to 1155 ad which mentioned the somali coast with the exception of barawe being muslim and even mentioned some interior settlement connected to the coast. Now al-idris didn't care much for the somali coast so much so that he miss spelt zaylac and didn't even mention mogadishu so there might be some information he didn't even bother to mention. Ibn sa'd that came a century later explicitly mentioned that the whole somali coast was muslim and even mentioned some interior cities being muslim too.

The somali coast conversion to islam must be very early in history which is a necessity since the interior in places such as shewa on so on had a long islamic tradition dating back further than the 11th century but unless we have some sort of record or manuscript from say yemen or any other place we cannot be hundred percent sure of that.

 

[Thegoodshepherd]

It is important not forget the role of the Hajj. Somalis were rich in livestock and many could afford to pay the cost of a sea crossing from a place like Berbera or Saylac, or anywhere on the north coast, to Aden and further onward to Mecca. You pay for your crossing by selling ghee, skins, dried meat etc...

The Hajj was never very far for anyone on the northern coast, the crossing took 2-3 days.
Some small number of Somalis would have been going on hajj even 700 years ago. We need to look at the massive amount of writing on hajj, there will be some mention of these pilgrims.

 

[Cartan Boos]

wtf ysll on in the 15s somali were converting oromo,maldives,sri lankans, somalis converted to islam through hijra of the companion and they came to zeila for refugee

 

[Emir of Zayla]

What is this history revision??
The Companions of the Prophet migrated to the City of Zeila before traveling to Axum & back. If your talking for mass conversions, look no further than cities like Berbera, Mogadishu, Zeila, Barawe, Merca accepting Islam which helped penetrate the interior Somaliweyn. Of those rich cities & trade, sultanates were propped up by its wealth. Somaliweyn was mostly Muslim by 10th century (900s) but Islam has its roots in the region since the Prophet’s time.