Mansa Musa was the king of the Mali empire from 1312 - 1337 CE and ruled during the high point of the empire. Mansa Musa observed Islamic tradition by making his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 - 1325 CE.

Mansa Musa drew great political inspiration from his pilgrimage to Mecca, and upon return to Mali he took his religion even more seriously than before. He built mosques, particularly in the trading cities frequented by Muslim merchants, and sent promising students to study with distinguished Islamic scholars in north Africa. He also established religious schools and brought in Arabian and north African teachers, including four descendants of Muhammad himself, to make Islam better know in Mali.

While within a century of Mansa Musa's rule, Mali would face serious decline, the king and other Mali rulers had established a tradition of centralized government that the Songhay realm would continue, and they had ensured Islam would have a prominent place in west African society over the long term.