Mussa Bin Bique

Mussa Bin Bique (Arabic: موسى بن بيق), other names Musa Al Big, Mossa Al Bique, Mussa Ben Mbiki or Mussa Ibn Malik, was ruler of the Island of Mozambique and wealthy merchant, before the Portuguese took over the island in 1544.[1][2]

Background

Islam in Mozambique has a history that goes back to at least the tenth century. The records show that the region was known and well frequented by Muslim travelers and traders.[3][4] Mussa Bin Bique was considered to be a shaykh, i.e a person with authority in Islamic knowledge.[5] The name of the island, and subsequently the entire African nation of Mozambique, was derived from his name.[6][7] With Islam came the literacy into this land in the fields of poetry, history, commercial transactions, and other literary genres.[4] By the middle of the fifteenth century, permanent and flourishing commercial and religious sultanates had been established along the coast and some had penetrated up the Zambezi.[8]

Legacy

Mozambique's first Islamic University, established in 2000, is named after him.[9]

References

  1. ^ "إفريقيا | اتحاد علماء إفريقيا". africanulama.org.
  2. ^ SELLIER, Jean (2019-10-17). Une histoire des langues et des peuples qui les parlent (in French). La Découverte. ISBN 978-2-348-05509-6.
  3. ^ http://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2521&context=vincentiana [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ a b Bonate, Liazzat J. K. (April 12, 2016). "Islam and Literacy in Northern Mozambique: Historical Records on the Secular Uses of the Arabic Script". Islamic Africa. 7 (1): 60–80. doi:10.1163/21540993-00701007 – via brill.com.
  5. ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Mozambique". May 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "Mozambique Island | Everything to know | Discover Africa Safaris".
  7. ^ "موزمبيق.. الوجه الآخر - اتجاهات - مقالات - البيان". www.albayan.ae. 26 December 2018.
  8. ^ von Sicard, S. (2008). "Islam in Mozambique: Some Historical and Cultural Perspectives". Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. 28 (3): 473–490. doi:10.1080/13602000802548201. S2CID 216117226.
  9. ^ Morier-Genoud, Eric (2024). Towards Jihad?: Muslims and Politics in Postcolonial Mozambique. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 40–41. ISBN 9780197769348.