Early contact of Islam with Africa

Contents & notes: what this topic covers

Under Early contact of Islam with Africa, the JAMB Islamic Studies syllabus expects you to study:

• 18. Early contact of Islam with Africa
• (i) Hijrah to Abyssinia
• (ii) The spread of Islam to Egypt
• (iii) The role of traders, teachers, preachers, Murabitun, Sufi orders and Mujaddidun to the spread of Islam in West Africa.

Study notes & guidance

Study Early contact of Islam with Africa using a recommended Islamic Studies textbook that follows the JAMB syllabus. Work through the contents listed above one by one, make brief notes in your own words, and then practise as many questions on this topic as you can — in Islamic Studies, understanding and steady practice matter far more than memorising. Use the objectives below as a checklist: if you can do each one confidently, you have mastered this topic.

Objectives — candidates should be able to

After studying Early contact of Islam with Africa, you should be able to:

1. (i) evaluate their circumstances leading to the Hijrah to Abyssinia; (i) give reasons for the spread of Islamic in Egypt; (i) account for the roles of traders, teachers, preachers, Murabitun, Sufi orders and Mujaddidun in the spread of Islam in West Africa.

These objectives are from the official JAMB syllabus. Use them as a checklist — if you can do each one confidently, you have mastered this topic.

Source: official JAMB UTME Islamic Studies syllabus (IBASS, jamb.gov.ng). Reproduced for study use. Last checked: 17 Sept 2026. Always confirm the current syllabus on the official portal.