Mussa Bin Bique Explained

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 during the XVth century, 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]

According to the traditions recorded by Eduardo do Couto Lupi, Mozambique was founded by a group of refugees from Kilwa Sultanate shortly before the arrival of Vasco da Gama on the coast in I498, though at each place there was an earlier Muslim community already established. One of the leaders of the refugees was Mussa (the other Hassani), who settled at Mozambique and Quelimane respectively. Mussa was still alive when Vasco da Gama called at the island in 1498.[5]

Mussa Bin Bique was considered to be a shaykh, i.e a person with authority in Islamic knowledge.[6] The name of the island, and subsequently the entire African nation of Mozambique, was derived from his name.[7] [8] 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.[9]

Legacy

Mozambique's first Islamic University, established in 2000, is named after him.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: إفريقيا | اتحاد علماء إفريقيا. africanulama.org.
  2. Book: SELLIER, Jean. Une histoire des langues et des peuples qui les parlent. 2019-10-17. La Découverte. 978-2-348-05509-6. fr.
  3. http://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2521&context=vincentiana DePaul University. The Experience of Islam in Mozambique
  4. Islam and Literacy in Northern Mozambique: Historical Records on the Secular Uses of the Arabic Script. Liazzat J. K.. Bonate. April 12, 2016. Islamic Africa. 7. 1. 60–80. brill.com. 10.1163/21540993-00701007.
  5. M. D. D. Newitt . The Early History of the Sultanate of Angoche . The Journal of African History . 1972 . 13 . 3 . 398 . 10.1017/S0021853700011713 . 14 July 2024 . Cambridge University Press.
  6. Web site: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Mozambique. May 7, 2018.
  7. Web site: Mozambique Island | Everything to know | Discover Africa Safaris.
  8. Web site: موزمبيق.. الوجه الآخر - اتجاهات - مقالات - البيان. www.albayan.ae. 26 December 2018 .
  9. 10.1080/13602000802548201. Islam in Mozambique: Some Historical and Cultural Perspectives. 2008. von Sicard. S.. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. 28. 3. 473–490. 216117226 .
  10. Book: Morier-Genoud, Eric . Towards Jihad?: Muslims and Politics in Postcolonial Mozambique . Oxford University Press . 2024 . 9780197769348 . Oxford . 40-41.