Law, governance and administration

Islamic religious law, based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet, applied by qadis in Islamic states like the Abbasid Caliphate.

A trained Islamic judge appointed to apply sharia in court, handling marriage, inheritance, contracts and everyday disputes.

A separate court, often headed by the caliph or a governor, hearing complaints against officials outside strict sharia procedure — a fast, secular channel of justice.

A provincial governor appointed by the caliph, backed by tax and military officials answering to Baghdad.

The provincial governor the mansa placed in charge of a conquered or annexed region, usually a trusted general or courtier.

Mali's praise-singers and oral historians, who preserved customary law, genealogy and history by memory rather than writing.

Through a centralised bureaucracy: the caliph, a vizier running government day to day, and diwans (departments for tax, army, post) staffed by trained officials, plus a wali in each province.

Loosely and locally: governors (Farba) ran core provinces directly, while tributary chiefs kept their own thrones and customs as long as they paid tribute and stayed loyal.

The qadi's sharia court handled everyday religious and civil disputes, but had no power over powerful officials; the mazalim let subjects appeal quickly against official abuse outside normal sharia procedure.

Islamic law applied mainly in Muslim trading towns like Timbuktu (trade, religious duties, disputes between merchants), while customary law — preserved by elders and griots — handled land, marriage and inheritance for most ordinary subjects elsewhere.

Abbasids: trained scholar-officials (qadi) and appointed governors (wali), authority from religious training and formal appointment. Mali: Farba governors, nobility and griots, authority from personal loyalty, clan status and oral tradition.

Mali's wealth came from taxing the trans-Saharan gold-salt trade over a huge area, so ruling loosely through governors and tributary chiefs — rather than a dense bureaucracy — kept trade and tribute flowing efficiently.