The Status of the Algerian Sufi Movement and Arab Culture among the Peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

It is a well-established historical fact that the spread of the Sufi movement into the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa was one of the reasons why many of their peoples embraced Islam and why Arab-Islamic culture spread among them. This process helped bring Arab-Islamic culture into close contact with African culture. The former, however, had a noticeable influence on the latter because it was more able to absorb civilizational factors and develop them in ways compatible with the requirements of the age. The Algerian Sufi movement played a major role in bringing the two cultures together. This gave the Algerian Sufi movement and Arab-Islamic culture a high and prestigious position among the peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa. This status was due to the contribution of Algerian scholars and merchants, through Sufism, to the intellectual and cultural life of these countries. That contribution had deep historical roots reaching back to the Middle Ages. It was also continuous. It did not cease, but was renewed at the beginning of the nineteenth century and has continued to the present day. In addition to this historical depth and continuity, the influence of Algerian scholars and merchants on Sufism and culture in Sub-Saharan Africa was closely linked to jihad against African pagans and Crusader invaders, and against their despotic sultans and kings. This study highlights a number of these Sufi scholars, who may be regarded as shapers of awareness in African circles. Their religious outreach, awareness-raising, and educational roles provided strong support for other Algerians who strove to shape African Islamic thought in every country of Sub-Saharan Africa.