When Islam arrived to Maghreb by the Prophet Mohammed Companions, and then it became stable by the late Grand Idris and then Mawlay Idriss Al-Azhar, Africa was with a historical event, which the date of raising Islam that shined on African from Morocco, Egypt, and Ethiopia from the East. The extension of Islam in Africa was due to the historical relations of successive countries that have rules Morocco with African countries, and it is because Morocco is a commercial hub and transit terminal for commercial convoys bound for and from Africa.

The Influenced African Countries by Moroccan Sufism

The religion of the African continent was featured by the Moroccan character which characterized by the spiritual Sufi orientation that is compatible with the unity of the Ashari Dogma and the doctrine of Imam Malik in the jurisprudence and his method in Islamic Sharia, where the moral character embodied in the Sufi education of Africans on the one hand, and the deep interaction between Morocco and Africa on the other hand.

The African countries were influenced by the Sufism of the Moroccan people through the disciples of Sheikh Moulay Abdesalam Ibn Meshaish and Sheikh Abu El Hassan El-Shadily. Several Zaway and ligaments were established and their followers were many in Algeria, Tunisia under the Hafsid Rule, Libya Under the Sanusian Rule, Senegal, the Masna state of Mali, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia and others.

Their manifestations of religiosity have been derived ethics and behaviors from the mystical field whose prudence is educated by the Sufi educators. Also, their occasions and cultures have translated into the extent of their spiritual influence by the Sufi field; they have committed themselves in their ways and upbringing by taking Sufi education from the authorized Sheikh. Most of the Muslims in African countries belong to the Qadiriyah, Tijaniyah or Mardidia, depending on their ways of making Al-Adkar in numbers and the prayer on the Prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him, and the improvement of the moral aspect of the Mureid (a Sufi student) by raising him to self-discipline, generosity, and tolerance.

The Role of Sunni Sufism in Africa

Sufi Turuq in Africa have filled the void that had been made by the myth for centuries in the minds of people, so that many of them have practiced pagan rituals and believe in the influence of miraculous magic powers on men. The Sufi movement was as “the medicine” and treatment for making these people believing in one God who is Allah, and defining their fate and linking them to their original intention for which they were found. The roads and Sufi Zaways were scholarly centers from which many scholars graduated from all over the African countries. These scholars left works that were witnessed about their expertise the Islamic law, the jurisprudence, and Sufism (both theoretical and practical truth). In addition, they were “the cornerstone” who defended the faith of these countries and protected their borders and sanctities by launching Jihadist movements that fought the occupiers and colonists.

It should be noted that the African countries are cohesive spiritually as united at the level of Islamic doctrine and the Sufi dogma. Most of the inhabitants of African countries are Sufis, most of them Tijani in their mystical formation, and most of them are also religious following the Maliki doctrine and the Ashri dogma, which gives a strong indication of the depth of historical and religious ties between these countries as it is proved by the Sunni Sufism, behavioral commitment, and the journeys of Sufi Sheikhs between the countries and exchanging their experiences, as it is the case of Tijani Sheikhs.

Sufism has spread in Africa by the efforts of the Sufi educators, who spread Islam and its jurisprudence and ideology. They are the ones who introduced Islam to the majority of the African countries, and they are the ones who faced the Christianization campaigns that paved the way for colonization and remained there until their departure. Sufism has an important role in the consolidation of Islam and its survival and extension in Africa; its impact is apparent significantly. Because of the adherence of Africans to Islam, we find some of their sects were influenced by the provocations and extremist calls that make them raiding a broad demands calling for the establishment of the Sunnah and the fight against Innovation (Bid’a) and polytheism (Shirk). Meanwhile, Other sects denounced these calls and held on to their heritage, spiritual affiliation, and religious identity, which they had bound for centuries.