The Hajj during the Mali Kingdom: A Historical Study By Dr. Abdallah Ayyis, Hassan II University, Morocco.
Introduction: Compared to all other channels (trade, migration for work) that connected the African society with the rest of the Islamic world, it seems that the Muslims' keenness to perform the Hajj offered them the best opportunity to get acquainted and interact with their Muslim brethren belonging to different Islamic regions.
It may seem truly astonishing to note the insistence and keenness of the sultans of the Mali Kingdom to perform this great Islamic pillar, despite their recent Islam and their distance from the Hijaz. What added a unique and special flavor to their Hajj journeys was the fact that the sultans of Mali performed their pilgrimage, something we have not seen from the rulers of Islamic West Africa during the Middle Ages.
When did the Malians begin to perform the Hajj? Did they have special caravans like the Moroccan Hajj caravan? What were the circumstances of this journey and the route it took to the Hijaz? What were the most important results of this pilgrimage on the development of Islam and Arab-Islamic culture in the Mali Kingdom?
Before delving into these details, we deem it important to present a brief study on the origin and development of the Mali Kingdom.
A Historical Overview of the Mali Kingdom: This kingdom was founded by an authentic indigenous people, the Mandinka people. The word "Mali" is a translation of the word "Mandjenu," meaning "those who speak the Mandi language." This people embraced Islam in the first half of the 5th century AH (11th century CE), when their first ruler embraced Islam at that time and was known as Al-Muslimeen.
In general, it is observed that the experience of Islam among the Mandinka did not differ much from other regions of Sudan. The success and widespread diffusion of Islam among the Mandinka tribes during the 12th-13th centuries CE is attributed to the active and influential role of the Wangara or (Wangara), who are considered one of the most important branches of the Mandinka. Due to their specialization in trade, they were in close contact with the merchants of the Maghreb. After embracing Islam, they began to spread it among their relatives. Thus, we understand the widespread diffusion of Islam among the people of Mali.
This small state, which began as the kingdom of Kangaba, was able to gain military power in the region of Niani, a city located west of the Niger River, not far from the borders of modern Guinea. The emergence of the Mali Kingdom is linked to the personality of Sundiata or Mari Jata (d. 1355 CE), who is considered the true founder of this kingdom. According to the account of Ibn Khaldun, he ruled the throne of Mali for twenty-five years. Sundiata was able to transform his small kingdom into a great empire after defeating the Sosso king and driving him back to his land, in addition to the Gana region. He then founded a new capital in Niani (sometimes called Mali).