Final answer:
The widespread adoption of Islam in the Sahara facilitated trans-Saharan trade by providing a common set of laws, customs, and language that fostered trust among Muslim merchants, and by enhancing legal and literacy frameworks supportive of commerce.
Step-by-step explanation:
Facilitation of Trans-Saharan Trade by Islam
The widespread adoption of Islam played a significant role in facilitating trans-Saharan trade. As commerce expanded, Islam spread along trans-Saharan trade routes, helping to create a network of believers who trusted each other due to a shared set of customs, laws, traditions, and language. With the common language of Arabic and unified religious practices such as daily prayer, Islamic merchants, traders, and caravanners could easily conduct business and extend their trade networks. The adoption of Islam by many in the region ensured a degree of mutual trust and respect that was crucial for long-distance trade. Furthermore, the trading system benefited from Islamic legal principles, which included contract law and widespread Arabic literacy, fostering further economic interactions.
By ensuring a homogenous religious and cultural environment, Islam also facilitated interactions such as intermarriage between Muslim traders and local women, further spreading Islamic customs and practices. Alongside these social interactions, the desert itself provided opportunities, acting as both a barrier and a conduit for trade. The challenging environment meant that those who mastered trade routes across it could control and profit from the lucrative trade in goods like gold, salt, and ivory. The stability brought by Islamic governance, combined with the spread of Arabic as the lingua franca of trade and scholarship, thereby significantly enhanced the capacity for trade across vast distances.