WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Over time, the population began to adopt Islam, often selectively appropriating aspects of the faith. The Mali Empire (1215-1450) rose out of the region’s feuding kingdoms. At its height, the empire of Mali composed most of modern Mali, Senegal, parts of Mauritania and Guinea.

Detailed explanation-2: -The coming of Islam to the Sudanic States provoked many changes. As merchants fell under the protection of state law, trade flourished and trading centers grew wealthier. The Muslim concept of a ruler who united political and religious authority was used to strengthen and reinforce traditional ideas of kingship.

Detailed explanation-3: -The rulers of the Western Sudan encouraged the trans-Saharan trade and extended hospitality to both traders and visiting clerics, but perhaps one of the most important ways in which they encouraged acceptance of Islam was through their own conversion.

Detailed explanation-4: -The first converts were the Sudanese merchants, followed by a few rulers and courtiers (Ghana in the eleventh century and Mali in the thirteenth century). The masses of rural peasants, however, remained little touched.