Mussa Bin Bique (), other names ''Musa Al Big'', ''Mossa Al Bique'', ''Mussa Ben Mbiki'' or ''Mussa Ibn Malik'', was ruler of the

Island of Mozambique The Island of Mozambique () lies off northern Mozambique, between the Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay, and is part of Nampula Province. Prior to 1898, it was the capital of colonial Portuguese East Africa. With its rich history and sandy b ...

and wealthy

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

i merchant, before the Portuguese took over the island in 1544.

Background

Islam in Mozambique has a history that goes back to at least the tenth century. The records show that the region was known and well frequented by Muslim travelers and traders. Mussa Bin Bique was considered to be a shaykh, i.e a person with authority in Islamic knowledge. The name of the island, and subsequently the entire African nation of

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, was derived from his name. With Islam came the literacy into this land in the fields of poetry, history, commercial transactions, and other literary genres. By the middle of the fifteenth century, permanent and flourishing commercial and religious sultanates had been established along the coast and some had penetrated up the Zambezi.

Legacy

Mozambique's first Islamic University, established in 2000, is named after him.

References

History of Mozambique Islam in Mozambique 15th-century Arab people Omani politicians Omani economists Omani Muslims Arab slave traders {{Asia-economist-stub