The Role of University-Educated Africans

In speaking of Islamic outreach on the African continent throughout its long history, from the migration of the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—to that part of the continent known as Abyssinia, down to the present day, I cannot overlook the role of university-educated Africans. They are the finest people on the continent, for they possess learning and knowledge. “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?”

One reason for optimism about the continent’s future is that Islamic universities, foremost among them our own university, have begun graduating large numbers of its young people at what may rightly be considered the best, happiest, most blessed and most favourable time for Islamic work on the continent. This is a time when the peoples of the region are striving to free themselves from the effects of both Western and Eastern colonialism, seeking to forge close ties with their brothers in faith and creed—the Arab and Muslim peoples. It is also a time when Islamic awareness is making tangible progress in the region, as we have observed during our repeated visits.