The Contributions of the Dagomba Tribes to the Spread of Islam in the Interior of West Africa during the Nineteenth Century: The Gold Coast as a Case Study

Abstract

The Dagomba Kingdom, located south of the Volta River, contributed to the spread of Islam in the interior of Africa after Islam reached the region through the Hausa and Wangara peoples. The kingdom relied on two distinct approaches: the first involved political and social relations with other kingdoms, while the second consisted of migration routes and commercial exchanges connecting major Islamic and trading centres in the north with the inland savannah region and the Atlantic coast to the south.

During the nineteenth century, Muslim scholars emerged in the kingdom, including Muhammad Buba and Mahama Toure, who undertook the task of consolidating Islamic teachings through the instruction of Qur’anic sciences, Hadith, and Islamic jurisprudence. This development influenced various aspects of Dagomba social life, including marriage, birth, and death rituals. It also affected the political sphere, contributing to the decline in the status of the Tindamba institution, which was replaced by the council of the Naa Limam.