African religion varied from place to place, but all provided rules for daily living. Many Africans believed that their relatives' spirits stayed with their community.
Mansa Musa, ruler of Mali, allowed various religions but tried to make Islam stronger by building more mosques. He made Mali known throughout known throughout the world when he made his pilgrimage to the holy city of Makka (which is also known as Mecca). He helped to spread Islam throughout the world.
(Mansa Musa was the 10th Mansa, which means sultan or emperor of the Mali Empire. He was devout Mulsim and he was well-known for his pilgrimage to Mecca. )
Under the king Askia Muhammad, the declared king of the Songhai people built the largest empire in West Africa. He made Timbuktu the center of education and culture. He set up 150 schools to teach the Quran.
(Askia Muhammad was also known as Askia the Great. He was an emperor, political reformer and a military commander of the Songhai Empire. He was from the Soninke ethnic group. He allied himself with scholars in Timbuktu. The Quran is known to be the finest work in Arabic literature. It is the religious text of the Islam.)
The Swahili culture is a combination of African and Muslim influences. The Europeans tried to destroy this culture but failed.
(The Swahili culture is the culture in the East Coast of Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique. It began around the 2nd and 3rd century when Persians and greater Arabs created a trading settlement in the East African cost. Islam is the religion of the Swahili people. )
