Central Bilad al-Sudan refers to the areas of the ancient Hausa states, and the domains of the ancient Kanem Bornu. As a result of the aged long commercial, cultural, and religious linkages between North Africa and th...Central Bilad al-Sudan refers to the areas of the ancient Hausa states, and the domains of the ancient Kanem Bornu. As a result of the aged long commercial, cultural, and religious linkages between North Africa and the Central Sudan, one finds so many things in common among the two regions in dress, diets, cultural traits, as well as educational and religious practices. The extent of influence of the North African region on the individual and communal lives of the central Sudan has been extraordinarily great. The central Sudan is one of the most Islamized areas of West Africa, and Arabic language is second language to the Muslim communities in domestic and public spheres. And as a result of the entrenchment of Islam among the people due to the activities of North African scholars and traders the area became the hub of Islamic scholarship. The intellectual history of the Central Bilad al-Sudan cannot be complete without the mention of an Algerian scholar, Muhammad ibn Abd-A1-Kareem al-Maghili who in addition to his scholarly influence took appointment as Special Adviser in Kano in the 1460s. The same could be said of an Egyptian prolific writer, Jalal al-Deen al-Suyuti, who settled in Katsina and Gobir and also took the appointment of Grand Qadi in Katsina in the 15th century. Similarly, books of Sanhaja scholars, Shinqit Ulama＇a, as well as Spanish-Andalusian scholars via Morocco were made available and widely studied in this part of Muslim world. The combination of the activities of such scholars, literature, and learning tradition were responsible lbr the growth and development of Muslim intelligentsia in the central Bilad al-Sudan since the earliest time, and the influence continues to date. Thus this paper aims at examining the phenomenon, primarily by assessing the influence of scholars, literature, and educational institutions from the Maghreb on the intellectual development and the emergence of native scholars and intelligentsia and on the general scholarly trend in the central Bilad al-Sudan.展开更多
文摘Central Bilad al-Sudan refers to the areas of the ancient Hausa states, and the domains of the ancient Kanem Bornu. As a result of the aged long commercial, cultural, and religious linkages between North Africa and the Central Sudan, one finds so many things in common among the two regions in dress, diets, cultural traits, as well as educational and religious practices. The extent of influence of the North African region on the individual and communal lives of the central Sudan has been extraordinarily great. The central Sudan is one of the most Islamized areas of West Africa, and Arabic language is second language to the Muslim communities in domestic and public spheres. And as a result of the entrenchment of Islam among the people due to the activities of North African scholars and traders the area became the hub of Islamic scholarship. The intellectual history of the Central Bilad al-Sudan cannot be complete without the mention of an Algerian scholar, Muhammad ibn Abd-A1-Kareem al-Maghili who in addition to his scholarly influence took appointment as Special Adviser in Kano in the 1460s. The same could be said of an Egyptian prolific writer, Jalal al-Deen al-Suyuti, who settled in Katsina and Gobir and also took the appointment of Grand Qadi in Katsina in the 15th century. Similarly, books of Sanhaja scholars, Shinqit Ulama＇a, as well as Spanish-Andalusian scholars via Morocco were made available and widely studied in this part of Muslim world. The combination of the activities of such scholars, literature, and learning tradition were responsible lbr the growth and development of Muslim intelligentsia in the central Bilad al-Sudan since the earliest time, and the influence continues to date. Thus this paper aims at examining the phenomenon, primarily by assessing the influence of scholars, literature, and educational institutions from the Maghreb on the intellectual development and the emergence of native scholars and intelligentsia and on the general scholarly trend in the central Bilad al-Sudan.
