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achievements of African Muslims throughout history, a thread:
disclaimer I said african & not black because some figures/events are non-Black North Africans, all love 
Fatima al-Fihriyyah started the world’s oldest existing university, the University of al-Qarawiyyin, in Fez, Morocco. The university was a center of both scientific and Islamic knowledge and continues to enroll students to this day.
During the Islamic Golden Age, Timbuktu, Mali was THE learning center of the Islamic world. The Sankore madrasah in Timbuktu was the largest university of the 14th century, with more than 25,000 students enrolled! Forget the Italian Renaissance, this was the place to be then!
Mansa Musa was the 10th leader of the Islamic West African Mali empire. This man was so rich that on his way to hajj in Makkah, Mansa Musa’s stay in Cairo LOWERED THE VALUE OF GOLD IN THE CITY. he caused an economic recession if you don’t understand that level of drip idk for you
coffee!!! your favorite bean juice was pioneered by shepherds in Ethiopia (and Yemen I ain’t forget) around the 11th century. That region continues to have one of the largest exports of coffee beans in the world.
Spanish architecture as seen in the Andalus (modern Spain) was largely influenced by Moorish styles of North Africa during the Islamic Golden Age. Spanish colonizers later carried these designs to Mexico and central/South America. THE IMPACT !!
Egyptian mathematician Abu Kamil Shuja Ibn Aslam was the first scholar in the world to use irrational numbers & coefficients in writing algebraic solutions. Later on, Fibonacci referred to the book “The Algebra of Abu Kamil” to invent the Fibonacci series.
In the late 18th/early 19th century, West Africa saw a wave of spiritual and political change, led by revolutionary scholars such as Usman Dan Fodio, who founded the Sunni Sokoto caliphate in modern-day Nigeria.
Usman dan Fodio’s daughter, Nana Asma’u, was an extraordinary poet and teacher of her people. She focused on Islamic revival in West Africa and women’s education, and was a pioneer of modern African feminism. She was also considered a princess because her father was the Caliph 
Ahmed Bābā was a Malian scholar at the University of Timbuktu known for his biographical work and books. His works covered many subjects including Arabic, math, literature, theology, etc. He helped shape modern ideas about ethnicity & the issue of slavery
“In the early 19th century, a Muslim slave in America, Bilali Muhammad, wrote a 13-page manuscript about Islamic law based on West Africa’s educational curriculum to teach fellow slaves on his plantation.” (Faris Al-Khateeb, “Lost Islamic History”)
Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan explorer who, after traveling to Makkah for Hajj, visited Iraq, Persia, Southeast Asia, ALL of Africa, Anatolia, and more, recording the sights of his 30+ year travels across the Islamic world in his journal. At the same time as Marco Polo.
Baya Mahieddine was an Algerian painter who, at 16, had her art presented in an exhibit in Paris. While working on pottery in France, she met Pablo Picasso, and was said to have inspired surrealist themes in Picasso (and other major artists of the time) art later on.
Tayeb Salih was one of Africa’s most celebrated writers of 20th century. The Sudanese author’s works centered around themes of postcolonialism, which was reflective of the newly independent Afro-Arab world. His best known work, Seasons of Migrations to the North, is a must read!
Ahmed Deedat was a scholar, speaker, and author from South Africa in the 20th century. He was extremely popular during his lifetime as a da’wah man who engaged in religious debates with leaders of other faiths as a representative of the Muslim community.
Former foreign minister of Somaliland Edna Adan Ismail is a famous politician, philanthropist, and women’s rights advocate in Somalia and Somaliland. She has dedicated her life to hospital work, founding a maternity hospital & fighting against the practice of FGM.
May Allah (swt) accept these brothers and sisters into the highest ranks of Jannah for the excellence they showed in their various paths, and may He make us those who follow in their footsteps to make our communities proud in all that we do. Everything good is from Allah
