Final answer:
Ibn Battuta likely disapproved of Malians' Islamic practices because they differed from his interpretations of the faith and Islamic law. His criticisms reflected a tendency to contrast local Islamic practices against his own understanding, which was shaped by his background and experiences in the broader Muslim world.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question at hand explores Ibn Battuta's disapproval of the way Malians practiced Islam during his travels. Ibn Battuta, a Muslim geographer and explorer from the 14th century, is known for his extensive travels across the Muslim world and his detailed accounts of the places he visited. Despite his travels illustrating the diversity of Islamic practice, Ibn Battuta was a product of his time and place, holding specific interpretations of how Islam should be practiced. While the inhabitants of Mali during Mansa Suleyman's rule were described as pious Muslims, there were elements of practice and societal structures in Mali that Ibn Battuta did not agree with, likely because these practices did not align with his understanding of Islamic law and traditions.
Mali's society during that period was complex, involving interactions between different social and ethnic groups, often with varying interpretations of Islam. In particular, Ibn Battuta may have been critical of the ways Islam was blended with local customs and the status of Islam among different classes and ethnicities, which sometimes led to certain groups being treated as second-class Muslims compared to Arab rulers. It is also possible that Ibn Battuta had concerns about legal norms and adherence to sharia law within Malian society.
During his travels, Ibn Battuta was also known to critique other Muslims' practices, which he felt were not in line with his understanding of Islamic teachings. His criticisms of Malian practices would have been consistent with his tendency to contrast what he encountered against his own expectations and interpretations of the faith.