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The West African Republic of Gambia was a British colony until 1965, when it gained its independence (Colonialism). As a country, it is one of the smallest in population, one of the most artificial colonial creations, and among the least developed countries in Africa. It consists of a strip of land on both sides of the Gambia River, 320 km. (200 mi.) long but never more than 45 km. (30 mi.) wide. As a political entity, Gambia has roots going back to the medieval empire of Mali, of which it formed the extreme western point. Records attesting to its history reach …

The Jakhanke, a specialised community of religious professionals or clerics with their roots in the Mali Empire (c. 627–1009/1230–1600), have devoted themselves to the tradition of peaceful propagation of Islam in society. Plying the paths of trade and pilgrimage to promote a tradition of peaceful Islam in remote hinterlands, the Jakhanke guided the course of Islam in the provinces of the Mali Empire and beyond. Established in self-contained religious communities, called by Sylvain Golberry, a tw…

Thankfulness or disdain in response to a kindness. A dominant feature of the concept of gratitude in the Qurʾān is its use to describe the spiritual bond binding the believer to God. Gratitude has a very broad semantic field in the Qurʾān with a strong theocentric character in the sense that gratitude is owed chiefly to God, even if that means through what God has made and the offices he has appointed. Gratitude is a spiritual and moral state of mind, spiritual in the sense of acknowledging the …