[AR] Ishamat al-Shaykh Adam Abdullahi al-Ilori fi Nashr al-Lughah al-‘Arabiyyah wa al-Thaqafah al-Islamiyyah fi Gharb Afriqiya: Jumhuriyyah Banin Unmuzajan

The Contributions of Sheikh Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory in Promoting the Arabic Language and Islamic Culture in West Africa: A Case Study of Benin Republic

Abstract

Shaykh Adam Abdullahi al-Ilory is one of the scholars cum propagators who contributed immensely to the spread of Arabic and Islamic culture in West Africa. Different researches had been carried out on al-Ilory’s personality, his works and contributions to Islam and Arabic in Nigeria, but there is inadequate research on his contribution, in this context, in other West African countries, the vacuum this study set out to fill. The aim of this study therefore, is to examine the contributions of al-Ilory to the spread of Arabic Language and Islamic culture in selected West African countries with Republic of Benin as a case study. The paper adopted descriptive method to analyse materials gathered from books, Journals, interviews and electronic correspondence. The main points of discussion include; the biography of al-Ilory, Introduction of Benin Republic, Contribution of al-Ilory to the spread of Arabic and Islamic culture in West Africa generally and in Benin specifically. It was discovered that al-Ilory was able to produce Islamic scholars, Propagators, Imams, Poets, Orators, writers and Academics, those who spreads Islam and Arabic language across the West Africa and beyond. It was recommended that the methods employed by al-Ilory in disseminating Arabic and Islamic studies in the region should be studied.