XIᵉ siècle – XIᵉ siècle
Kanem and the Lake Chad region
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The conversion of Mai Hummay marked the first public establishment of Islam in Kanem according to the tradition cited in the excerpt. During his reign, Muhammad ibn Mani spent years in Bornu and, with the king’s support, summoned the kingdom to Islam. Muslim clerics had already served at the court under earlier rulers, but none had publicly professed the faith. Hummay’s successor Dunama later made two pilgrimages to Mecca, dying during the second.
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Le récit
The first establishment of Islam in the Central Sudan is associated with the conversion of the mai, or ruler, of Kanem. The mahram of Mai Hummay Djilmi, dated approximately 472/1080–490/1097, states that Islam entered Bornu through Muhammad ibn Mani, who lived there for five years under King Bulu and fourteen years under Hummay.
According to the same tradition, Muhammad ibn Mani summoned Bornu to Islam through the grace and support of King Hummay. The passage therefore presents royal patronage and the work of a resident Muslim religious figure as complementary forces. Earlier rulers had hosted Muslim clerics who instructed them in Islamic precepts and read Quranic passages with them, but none had publicly declared themselves Muslim.
Hummay’s conversion represented a public change in the political status of Islam. His son and successor Dunama, who ruled from 490/1097 to 545/1150, made two pilgrimages to Mecca and drowned on the second journey. Yet earlier Arabic testimony still described Kanem as a kingdom of idolatrous people exposed to Muslim influences, showing that court conversion did not immediately transform the whole population.
XIᵉ siècle – XIᵉ siècle
Kanem and the Lake Chad region
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The conversion of Mai Hummay marked the first public establishment of Islam in Kanem according to the tradition cited in the excerpt. During his reign, Muhammad ibn Mani spent years in Bornu and, with the king’s support, summoned the kingdom to Islam. Muslim clerics had already served at the court under earlier rulers, but none had publicly professed the faith. Hummay’s successor Dunama later made two pilgrimages to Mecca, dying during the second.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The first establishment of Islam in the Central Sudan is associated with the conversion of the mai, or ruler, of Kanem. The mahram of Mai Hummay Djilmi, dated approximately 472/1080–490/1097, states that Islam entered Bornu through Muhammad ibn Mani, who lived there for five years under King Bulu and fourteen years under Hummay.
According to the same tradition, Muhammad ibn Mani summoned Bornu to Islam through the grace and support of King Hummay. The passage therefore presents royal patronage and the work of a resident Muslim religious figure as complementary forces. Earlier rulers had hosted Muslim clerics who instructed them in Islamic precepts and read Quranic passages with them, but none had publicly declared themselves Muslim.
Hummay’s conversion represented a public change in the political status of Islam. His son and successor Dunama, who ruled from 490/1097 to 545/1150, made two pilgrimages to Mecca and drowned on the second journey. Yet earlier Arabic testimony still described Kanem as a kingdom of idolatrous people exposed to Muslim influences, showing that court conversion did not immediately transform the whole population.
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