How did Somalia become Muslim? No one knows! I will discuss three theories.

[Timur]

This is probably the biggest mystery in all of Islamic history. We know the way that every country was converted and also the period that these people were converted, but there is no serious explanation about Somalia's conversion to Islam. I will list three common theories, and I will discuss their strong points and weak points.

 

1. Some say that Persian traders converted Somalis during the time between the 10th and 13th centuries. This makes some sense because Persian culture heavily influences Somali culture; we celebrate Neyrus which is a Persian cultural holiday, and our historic seat of power Mogadishu is named after a Persian phrase. But the theory is flawed because Somalia was already a very Islamic society throughout that period. It took 600 years of peaceful dacwa to establish Islam as the dominant religion in Indonesia, but Somali people were recognized as one of the most prominent Islamic societies during the early part of the second millennium. Also, Somalis are very xenophobic nomads, so I don't believe that they were likely to peacefully accept Islam like the way the Egyptians or Syrians or Iraqis accepted Islam after their Roman and Persian tyrants were defeated. This theory is the most widely propagated story of Somalia's conversion to Islam, but it has very little direct evidence.

 

2. Some say that the Abbassid Caliphate conquered Somalia in the 12th to 13th centuries. This theory makes some sense because the Abbasid Caliphate was restoring its military prestige during the 12th and also early 13th century, and they were also taking slaves from the Zanj (Bantu) coastal regions below Somalia, which may have been acquired by making deals with Somali clans like the Omanis used to do. But this theory is flawed because as I said earlier, Somalis were already a prominent Islamic nation during the 12th and 13th centuries, and the Abbasid Caliphate also had a strong relationship with the Somalis of Saylac and Mogadishu, and these cities were prestigious Islamic societies - it takes multiple centuries to build prestige, which means that Somalis were Islamic for a long period before the 12th and 13th centuries. Most importantly, there is no recorded history of foreign invasion of Somalia until the colonial era, and if Somalia had been invaded by the Abbasids, it would be part of the Abbasid history but it is not. For the record, this theory is not popular and it is only mentioned in one book to my knowledge.

 

3. Some say that the Sahaba (RA) converted the Somali people to Islam during the migration to Axum. Some Somalis say that the Sahaba (RA) converted some tribes in the Horn to Islam, and that Islam began in Somalia during that time. This theory is flawed because the Muslims had an agreement with the Axumite leaders that they would not convert anyone during their period in Abyssinia, and also because the Sahaba (RA) reached Abyssinia through the coast of modern-day Eritrea not Somalia or Djibouti. The Sahaba (RA) took refuge deep in Tigrayan and Amhara territory, so they were far away from any Somalis or Afar. But the theory does have some strong points because according to the the Sunnah, the Axumite leader al-Najashi (RA) became a Muslim. The Sunnah only says that the prophet Muhammad (SAW) prayed janazah for Al-Najashi (RA), which is basically proof that he certainly converted to Islam. Since the Sunnah does not add more details about Al-Najashi's (RA) life, we don't know the full story after the event after the prophet (SAW) made janazah. Since Axum remained a Christian city until now, we can say for sure that Al-Najashi's (RA) new religion was not accepted by his people, which means that he and perhaps some other early Abyssinian converts were exiled by the Christians, and this creates the possibility that the early Abyssinian Muslims made their own hijra until they encountered the pagan Somalis and Afar. If we look at this theory, it sounds like a far-fetched and arrogant Somali assertion by some of us who claim that Somalis were among the earliest Muslims, but in reality it is also the most likely scenario since the other theories have far bigger flaws. As I said earlier, it's unlikely that the Somalis and Afar would peacefully accept Islam from normal Muslims like the 10th to 13th century Persians, but the early Abyssinian Muslims were blessed by their interactions with the noble Sahaba (RA), and we know that the early generations of Muslims had a lot of charisma and superior qualities over the later generations that enabled the Sahaba (RA) to overcome difficult obstacles like the ignorance of pagans.

 

 

What do you guys think? Originally I believed the first theory and I used to think that the third theory was the least plausible, but now I am beginning to believe that the third theory may in fact have a lot of truth in it. We know for sure that Islam had a very early and blessed presence in the Horn, so it is also very possible that some strong elements of Islam were exchanged with our Abyssinian neighbors who might have embraced Islam and later proselytized to the Somali, Oromo, Afar pagans at the edge of their borders.

[GaraadMon]

I'm sure some will attempt to romanticize it, but I suspect that like the rest of East Africa, being able to strengthen business ties with neighbouring traders was a significant factor.

[Timur]

Blackflash;945855 wrote:

I'm sure some will attempt to romanticize it, but I suspect that like the rest of East Africa in general, being able to strengthen business ties with neighbouring traders was a significant factor.

That's a very good statement that I was going to add to the Persian trade and conversion theory, which as I said is the most commonly-held belief. Money would be a big motivating factor for people to convert, and many nations converted entirely so they could get the benefits that Muslim traders had. Some places like Egypt and Palestine did not even become predominately Muslim for many centuries after they were conquered by the Muslims; as the trade networks developed between Muslim societies, more people living under dhimmi status began to convert to Islam because they did not want to pay jizya tax on their large revenues.

 

We know for sure that West Africans became Muslim so they could get more access to Muslim trade routes in the north. Islam thrived in West Africa because of business alone, and Islam became synonymous with wealth in that region. Within one century of the arrival of Tuareg caravans, practically all of Mali and the surrounding area became a major Islamic world power, so it is a very likely scenario that Somalia's quick route to becoming an Islamic society may have been promoted by a lot of new incoming wealth.

 

 

EDIT: I just found a big flaw in the trade theory. Somalis were known by Arab geographers to embrace Islam at least 400 years before the famous East Africa trade routes emerged. Somalis were practicing Islam in Saylac during the time of Imam Bukhari (RH), and this is written in Arab sources from the 9th century. I think that we often underestimate the historic position of prestige that Somalis once held - in secular Western revisionist history we are irrelevant, but in Islamic history and in the records of famous Muslim scholars we stand tall.

[burahadeer]

They gave in & threw their old religion outa window the minute they saw white guy just like the Egyptian civilization surrendered once they met the first few guys from Europe.White Skin rules by sight..admit it.

yeee and now we slaughtering each otha on sharia blaaa..........................

[Timur]

burahadeer;945881 wrote:

They gave in & threw their old religion outa window the minute they saw white guy just like the Egyptian civilization surrendered once they met the first few guys from Europe.White Skin rules by sight..admit it.

yeee and now we slaughtering each otha on sharia blaaa..........................

This is one of the dumbest things I've ever read in my entire life, and the structure and grammar of the post demonstrates a gutter level of education. It shuns the fact that the lighter-skinned people of the Levant were converted to Islam by Arabians and Africans who formed the majority of the Sahaba (RA); many of the leading figures of the early Islamic community were described as being very dark, one of them was Usama Ibn Zayd (RA) who led the first Muslim army to defeat the Romans and then conquer Syria.

 

Please learn to read because it will help you understand history a lot better than what your English masters have taught you.

[Tillamook]

^

Lol...Now that is a scolding if ever there was one

 

Timur, I wanna know what is the significance of this topic per se? I mean, after the coming of the Holy Prophet(pbuh), Islam spread from it's epicenter of Mecca through trade, conquest and migration, Somalia included. So basically let's not over think this.

[Timur]

Tillamook;945885 wrote:

^

Lol...Now that is a scolding if ever there was one

 

Timur, I wanna know what is the significance of this topic per se? I mean, after the coming of the Holy Prophet(pbuh), Islam spread from it's epicenter of Mecca through trade, conquest and migration, Somalia included. So basically let's not over think this.

Bro, I'm very aware that the subject of this topic is one that is famous with kafirs who hate Islam and wish to defame it by bringing up silly straw man arguments to attack the religion. Our friend Burahadeer has clearly bit onto a part of their bate. Personally, even if I knew that Somalia was conquered by brute force (which is not even close to the truth), I would still thank our conquerors. To this day, Bosnians and Albanians give thanks to the Ottoman Turks for conquering them and making them Muslim, and I'd do the same if we were in a similar boat.

 

My purpose for this topic is to discuss history, that is all. If we discuss the topic of Islam and its history in Somalia, we will find that Somalia has a very rich history. I believe that Somalis, like all Muslims, should return to their rigid and once prestigious Islamic scholarship and governance if they want to get out of this miserable condition. During the time of Islamic scholarship, Mogadishu was among the world's greatest cities and Somalis were treated with respect by all. Without Islam, we are nothing. The closer we resemble our primary Islamic identity means the closer we get to regaining our pride and humanity. I don't mean that Somalis should embrace Islam because Islam will bring them wealth, but because Islam will lift them from every kind of darkness and weakness. We are weak today because we flirted with a century of non-Islamic systems like socialism, secularism, liberalism, democracy, and other gutter ideologies that were forced on us by some kafir whose real intention was to remove us from our diin so they can have their way with us.

 

Most people do not know this, but European kafirs have a severe inferiority complex toward one particular culture - Islam. If you identify as a secular Somali, the European will feel as if he's above you, but if you identify as a Muslim Somali, the European approaches you like a slave naturally approaches his owner. This is the way Europeans interacted with Muslims for a thousand years, and they have still not shaken off this inferior self-image caused by centuries of Muslim dominance and belittlement.

[Mad_Mullah]

It's a good topic. I think it might be interaction with Yemeni traders. We also have to understand that two big tribes only came after Islam (Somaliland + Puntland/Somaligalbeed/Jubbaland).

[nuune]

^^ Innaa Lillaahi Wa Innaa Ilayhi Raajicuun, maxaa tidhi sxb, two big tribes came after Islam, why don't you just say Somalis are Arabs if that is what you are trying to say.

 

 

 

Lets be clear first, Somalis existed before Prophet Mohamed(pbuh), but the question of Islam existed before Nabi Maxamed, so for that reason, Somalis were known to have worshiped only one God "WAAQ", or in Arabic/Hebrew/Aramaic "ALLAH".

 

Somalis before Arabia or during/before Nabi Maxamed never worshipped idols or associated WAAQ/ALLAH with anything else, they have always maintained that GOD is one.

 

Somalis traced their worship of God to that of during of Nabi Muuse and way before Nabi Ibraahim.

 

 

It was only after Nabi Maxamed came that Somalis re-affirmed that they are Muslims even though they have being Muslims way before that because Somalis only worshipped one GOD(and the conversion case never took place, re-affirmation happened that proclaimed we were Muslims and now accept our final prophet), and that makes Somalis Muslims for their entire generations of existance even though some forms of worship were absent like doing the Hajj, but paying the Zakat, and a different type of Prayer/Salaad were used which was traced back to the era of Nabi Muuse/Fircoon times.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

^^ There is no record that the people who lived in the region were called Somalis before Islam, we need to find out what the people in the Somali peninsula were called before islam thats one thing..

 

The other thing is that how did Somalis became Muslims i think in the early stage in the 7th century i think Negashi protection of the sahaba played a role in the conversion of early Somalis to the Islamic faith in the northern Part of the Somali peninsula, All that timur said played a role and the Persian influence in Mogadishu did the same. I think also Somalis before islam had Jewish and Christian believers but people seem to hide that story.

[nuune]

^^ Whatever Somalis at the time were called is not the case, they can be called anything for that matter, what matters now is that they have worshiped only one God, which they called Waaq, they paid Zakaat, doing their prayers according to the formats that were available to them, and other types of Cibaada such as forming xalaqaat mentioning thikriga Waaq, the name of God in Somali.

 

Waaq doesn't have plural format, it is a unique name in its nature, hadaad dhahdo waaqyaal at the time kurkaalaguu dheereen that is how people back then maintained kalinimada Allah/Waaq.

 

No Christian/Jewish has come to this territory, even if they have tried to spread their believes, Somalis refused it because they were not pagans, or idol worshipers and had a religion called "Islam" and were "Muslims" even before Nabi Maxamed.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Mad_Mullah;945933 wrote:

We also have to understand that two big tribes only came after Islam (Somaliland + Puntland/Somaligalbeed/Jubbaland).

Sheeko beenhawaas iyo sheeko baraleeydii maa wali aaminsantahay in this age and time. DNA ayaa jirto, oo isku wada DNA inay yihiin la ogaaday kuwaas aad sheegeysid iyo kuwa kale.

 

Nuunka, saas ayaaba anigana soo waday. Soomaalida were 'Muslimiin" long before diinteena reached them. Eebbe sare ayee caabudi jireen, Waaq ha loogu waco ama Eebbe. Malaa'ig ayee aaminsanayeen nafta qofka ka qaadeyso (wad). Ayaanle ayaa jiray, probably messengers. Aakhiro inay jirtana wey aaminsanaayeen.

[brainblaster456]

Well, if the first theory was true that Islam came to Somalia through 13th century Persian trading then we would have all been Shia. but there is not an exact date of when this trading occured, and it could have well been Pre-Islamic.

 

Personally, i am convinced that the 2nd theory is closest to the truth.

[nuune]

Thanks MMA , I knew there were dozens of Cibaado they used to have, as you mentionedthere, if iyo aakhiro was their main belief that the world was if and aakhiro the hereafter, anybody who did not believe if & aakhiro would have caused great sin at those times.

 

The interesting point to note is that Soomaalida at those times were xoola-dhaqato, and the rituals they gone through slaughtering the animals is almost the same as of today's rituals, mentioning the name of Allah, they mentioned WAAQ ayaa awood leh ama weyn.

[Mad_Mullah]

brainblaster456;945966 wrote:

Well, if the first theory was true that Islam came to Somalia through 13th century Persian trading then we would have all been Shia. but there is not an exact date of when this trading occured, and it could have well been Pre-Islamic.

 

Personally, i am convinced that the 2nd theory is closest to the truth.

Persians were Sunnis for a long time. All the big Islamic scholars from Persia were from Ahl Sunnah, there was no such thing called Shi'ism back then.

 

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I never said we were Arabs but it's known that Somalilanders/PL + Jubbaland + Somaligalbeed's ancestors were from Arabia.