Judges and Jurists: role of Kadhis in promoting Islamic scholarship itn he East African Coast,

Abstract

Since the advent of Islam in the African continent, Muslim scholars have contributed tremendously in establishing institutions of learning and shaping the Islamic scholarship. Kadhis along the East African coast played a significant role promoting Islamic scholarship. In addition to their judicial duties, Kadhis had served as jurist-consults and contributed enormously to various Islamic disciplines. Kadhis’ intellectual contributions complimented the efforts done by the Muslim traders and merchants to bring Islam to the East Africa coast by institutionalizing Islamic scholarship. One of the significant roles played by Kadhis in the East African Coast was their continuous effort to promote and preserve Islamic scholarship through establishing Islamic schools (madrasas) and holding mosque seminars (darsas). This article will explore the intellectual contributions of Kadhis Seyyid Ahmad Bin Sumeyt (d.1925), Sheikh Al-Amin bin Ali Al-Mazrui (d.1947), Seyyid Omar Ahmad Bin Sumeyt (d.1973), Shaykh Fatawi bin Issa Ashirazy (d.1987), Seyyid Ali bin Ahmad Al-Badawy (d.1987), Shaykh Abdullah Swaleh Farsy (d.1982), Seyyid Hadi bin Ahamd bin Abdalla Al Haddar (d.1982) and Shaykh Yusuf Abdulrahman (d.1999)