Islam is the second most widespread religion in the African continent after Christianity, with 40% of the African population embracing the Islamic religion.
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Africa was the first continent to which islam expanded from southwest Asia during the early seventh century CE and today it is home to more than a third of the world’s Muslim population.
Islamic coexistence with the customs and traditions of many African countries showed the diversity of islam, according to the regions it reached. Many African ethnic groups especially in North, West and East Africa regard islam as their traditional religion.
Islam entered East Africa mainly via seafaring merchants from southern Yemen, particularly in the Horn of Africa, so Muslims are most concentrated along the coast, from Eritrea to northern Mozambique
Between the eighth and ninth centuries, Arab traders and travelers, then African clerics, began to spread the religion along the eastern coast of Africa and to the western and central Sudan (literally, “Land of Black people”), stimulating the development of urban communities.
The Muslims crossed present-day Djibouti and Somalia, seeking refuge in present-day Eritrea and Ethiopia.
The tweet reads, “Many Congratulations and blessings on this Eid Al/Adha.”
The arrival of Islam to West Africa is a long story that combined military conquests, trade and mysticism. The Arabs and Berbers coming from North Africa for centuries contributed to the spread of islam there in a slow process and caused a radical change in the ranks of the “Songhai”, “Timbuktu”, “Ghana”, “Fulu” and “Coco” and other areas that are located today in Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal in the Sahara Desert, Ghana and Nigeria on the coasts of the South Atlantic.
To this day, there is peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Africa, except for the presence of some jihadist groups in countries such as Somalia, Mali, and Nigeria. This, as we know, respond to more political factors and origins than cultural or social ones.
We will focus on the celebration of Eid al-Adha, also known as Eid al-Kabir, in countries like Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan.
This festivity marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the holiest place in islam.
In Lagos, faithfuls gathered for morning prayers at mosques or designated prayer grounds. After prayers, people greeted each other and engaged in acts of charity.
One of the central traditions of Eid al-Adha is the sacrifice of an animal, usually a goat, sheep, cow, or camel.
Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal in memory of a biblical story about the Prophet Ibrahim’s (Abraham) readiness to sacrifice his own son after a command from God in a dream.
The meat from the sacrificed animal is divided into three parts, one-third for the family, one-third for relatives and friends, and one-third for the less fortunate.
In Senegal they call this festivity Tabaski. It is a four-day Islamic commemoration that begins with sunrise prayers at local mosques. Families then prepare to slaughter a ram in a ritual sacrifice. Muslim in Senegal are 97% of the whole population. During this festivity a lot of people will be seen traveling to their home villages to have a feast with their families. Apart from the ram, various vegetables, sauces, and rice are usually included in the feast to compliment the main dish.
When the feast is complete, children will dress up and go house to house asking for pocket money or something of value from neighbors. People will also visit family and friends in the evening, wearing their best clothing and asking forgiveness from one another.
In Sudan the Eid has a very special taste. People prepare for it months before. In this day men will go the mosque very early in the morning, after that lambs are slaughtered in every house. Then everybody will be visiting neighbors, families, and friends. Big mails are prepared, delicious homemade sweets and pastries are prepared too. Children will be dressed in new clothes, the houses looking clean and nice, and big parties organized all over the cities.
Sudanese people feel so sad this year for not being able to celebrate this religious-social feast as they are used to, due to the war that is affecting the whole country.
