The history of Islamic African peoples' literature - 25 -Issue 24, September 2024 The country and the teaching of the Arabic language and its literature in schools and the generalization of its use in administration.

And (Literature in Senegal: The history of the Arabic language entering Senegal dates back to the seventh century AD, thanks to the connections that existed between the countries of North Africa and the southern Sahara. To this day, the people of Senegal rely on the Maghreb countries for Arabic and Islamic studies, despite the colonial attempts to erase the language of the Quran, combat Arabizers, and impose French as the official language.

The Almoravids, in the era of Abdullah bin Yasin, played the greatest role in spreading Arab-Islamic culture in Senegal (17), since the beginning of the eleventh century AD.

It is worth mentioning that the Almoravid state, founded in the fifth century Hijri, extended from the Atlantic Ocean in the north to the Senegal River in the south.

There is no doubt that Sufi movements played an important role in spreading the Arabic language and Islamic culture in Senegal and the neighboring African countries, and they still preserve the language of the Quran to this day and confront the attempts to erase it by the old French colonizer in various ways. As for sermons, literature, and poetry, they are among the most important factors that embodied the superiority of the Arabic language in Senegal. The Francophone writers are far fewer than the Arabized writers, even though the official language of the state is French.

Al-Hajj Umar Tall (d. 1864 AD) is considered the oldest Senegalese poet whose poems have reached us (18). As for the poets who preceded him, their poetry has not reached us due to loss. Senegal is considered one of the most important sub-Saharan countries that has known a richness of Arabic poetry, as its poets have tackled most of the poetic genres, although they are more famous for prophetic praise than anything else.

Among the old Senegalese poets is also Judge Majakhté Kala (d. 1900 AD), who was one of the greatest servants of the Arabic language and its literature. He dedicated his poetry to serving society, was brilliant in language and grammar, and covered most of the themes of Arabic poetry. Among the poets are also Sheikh Ahmad Bamba Mbakke, Sheikh Al-Hajj Malik Sy, and Sheikh Muhammad