The Role of the Jurists and Judges in the Islamic Empire of Songhai During the Reign of King Askiya Muḥammad al-Ḥājj

The Songhai Empire is regarded as one of the biggest and oldest empires in Africa; its formation, according to historians, dates back to the times of the Ghana Empire, in a small village by the name “Kukiya.” This small community in Kukiya started growing day after the other, until its star had risen among the warriors of the Sunni dynasty; the dynasty that had freed that community from the Malian Empire. However, this community expanded rapidly until it reached its peak and became a huge empire. More interestingly, it reached its golden age under the ruler Askiya Muḥammad al-Ḥājj, a period that witnessed a massive intellectual advancement, peace, stability, and prosperity, and above all, the establishment of Islamic governance. By examining the accounts on the establishment of the Islamic government, the praises and the credits were always in favor of King Askiya. Meanwhile, deep under, there are the judges, who stood firm and supported him, before and after he acceded to power. From this background, this paper aims to challenge the circulating narrative of attributing the establishment of the Islamic government to Askiya, while the judges had their share in this project. Further, it is not a means of undermining Askiya’s effort, but just to address the unaddressed issues regarding that. Through employing the descriptive and historical-analytical method, this paper concluded that the judges not only made contributions but also were the backbone in the establishment of the Islamic government.