Islam and its purification from what it was burdened with. Among the most prominent of these was Alfa Yubakr Lamir, who dedicated himself wholeheartedly to serving the cause of scholarship. The scholars constituted an important class in the Sudan, and the sultans held them in high esteem. Many gifts were bestowed upon them. The best way for a sultan to express his piety was to bestow gifts of land and slaves upon the scholars. It was fortunate for them that they were, in some regions, a class of scholars and jurists. For example, Hamud Kalmati, a companion of the historian Al-Fattash, was the trusted advisor and confidant of Askia Al-Hajj Muhammad. His ancestors, successors, and relatives held many important positions in the state. The Aqib family was also the most prominent family during the great era of Gao. The Aqib family settled in Masina, then left it for Walata, and from there to Timbuktu. Ibn Arbin, son of Ibn Aqib, was a qadi in Timbuktu, and then became a sheikh of Islam there. He was succeeded by three consecutive qadis of Timbuktu. Among his sons were Muhammad, Al-Maqib, and Umar. Another prominent scholar from this family was Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa'id, a grandson of Umar ibn Muhammad Aqib. However, the most distinguished member of this family was undoubtedly the great scholar Ahmad Baba, who was considered the most prominent member of the intellectual elite in Timbuktu. He authored many books, of which only a rare few have reached us. His contemporaries often referred to his works in their writings. The space here is too limited to mention the names of other families from among the many whose members inherited positions from one another. The Sudan was a great center of jurisprudence. Leo Africanus says that "the trade in books was very brisk there, and its trade yielded greater profits than any other trade." If we consider that the trade in gold and silver was the most lucrative trade, we realize that the desire for knowledge was very strong. The Askia rulers, as Leo says, "encouraged learning," and the library of Askia Dawud was of great importance.