ajor center of learning in the Muslim world" (Daniels 52). With his borders safe, Muhammad rebuilt Timbuktu and restored their previous positions to the Muslim Scholars (McKissack & McKissack 100). He made Islam the official religion and brought in Muslim scholars, including the renowned Al-Maghili, who had founded an important tradition of Sudanic African Muslim scholarship, to Gao (Lapidus 404). Although the bulk of Songhai society remained pagan, at least for the time being, the religion of the governing elite was Islam, and the opportuni
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