They say we civilised Africa, as if there was no education in that continent.

This is Ayuba Suleiman Diallo (aka Job ben Solomon). He came from a very educated family in the Senegal region.

His grandfather converted to Islam and for that reason Job had received education in Arabic and Islamic sciences. He was a scholar par excellence.

He was abducted by European slavers in 1731 and was duly taken across the Atlantic. He attempted to escape from slavery and was caught by his "master". He wrote a letter to his in father in Arabic but instead of making its way to west Africa, the letter ended up in London in the hands of some English gentlemen.

He was bought and subsequently brought to London in 1733 to translate Arabic books. He wrote the Quran from memory, as one can be seen hanging in his neck in the portrait. He returned to his native land, having been freed, to find his father dead in a battle and his wife married to someone else.

Ayub bin Suleiman was one of the very few slaves to return home after slavery and was indeed one of the even fewer who were educated enough to free themselves.

Islam had enabled Ayub to be firm and never loose hope, as he never lost his faith. The Oxford University Press published a biography of Ayub authored by Douglas Grant.

Islam gives hope to the Africans today just like it did to Ayub then.