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Source D: So, it came about that the king of Mali enclos…

Source D: So, it came about that the king of Mali enclosed (established) a large part of Western Sudan within a single system of law and order. He did this so successfully that the Moroccan writer IbnBatuta, traveling through Mali about twelve years after Musa’s death, found ‘complete and general safety in the land. This was a big political success and made Mansa Musa one of the greatest statesmen in the history of Africa. Like the Mali kings before him, Musa was a Muslim. Most of his people were not Muslims, so he supported the religion of the Mandinka people as well as Islam. Different religious customs and ceremonies were allowed at his court. The North African scholar, IbnFadl Allah al-Omari, who lived in Cairo a few years after the king’s visit, wrote about it, declaring that of all the Muslim rulers of West Africa this king was ‘the most powerful, the richest, the most fortunate, the most feared by his enemies and the ablest to do good to those around him. Behind these words of praise, we can glimpse the power and reputation that Mali drew from its control of a very wide region of trade in precious goods such as gold, salt, ivory, and kola nuts. The capital was visited by North African and Egyptian scholars. On returning from the pilgrimage to Mecca, the king brought back with him a number of educated men from Egypt. Adapted from: Wysinger.homestead.com/mansamusa.html