Introduction to early Quran manuscripts in West Africa

Abstract

This is a short introduction to the manuscripts of the Quran in West Africa. It aims to shed light on how the early Quran manuscripts were compiled and disseminated in those areas. The paper begins by articulating the first introduction of Muhammadan Islam to Africa as a continent, dating back to the prophet's time. Following the migrations of his companions to the continent. As per the early manuscripts, the paper demonstrates how Muslims used to write the Quranic Arabic scripts juxtaposed with their Ajami or local scripts to demystify the meanings of the Quran. Scanning through the previous works of literature and direct contact with some Muslim scholars from West Africa for the benefit of compiling this hamble work, we can therefore make an inference that that learning more about the early manuscripts of the Quran means learning more about the Ajami and the local scripts, which were used in the early time alongside the Quran text. Ajami in this context means the use of Arabic script to write their local languages – non-Arabic language. The paper, therefore, introduced some indigenous scripts and different Ajami approaches that were used in the manuscripts of the Classical period in some regions of West Africa.