Final answer:
The spread of Islam in Africa was primarily driven by peaceful trade relations, cultural exchanges, and the establishment of consistent Islamic practices through trading routes and intermarriage, rather than military conquest.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most important factors that helped spread Islam in Africa were peaceful trade relations and cultural exchanges, rather than military conquests and forced conversions. Key elements such as the trans-Saharan trade routes facilitated by Muslim Berbers, who brought ideas of Islam from North Africa to West African trading towns like Gao and Koumbi Saleh, played a significant role. Additionally, shared social bonds among Muslim traders, such as a common language — Arabic — and shared values, traditions, and customs, fostered increased trade and the spread of Islam through intermarriage and the establishment of Islamic institutions that provided consistency for local communities and travelers. Diplomacy also played a part in the creation of empires and the spread of Islam, along with the adaptation of the Arabic script for local languages, which further united the Islamic world.