Religion in Sudan

The predominant religion in Sudan is Islam, practised by around 97% of the total population. Christianity is the second largest religion in the country, accounting for around 2.2% of the population. A minority of Sudanese adhere to indigenous beliefs, primarily in the Nuba

Mountains . Prior to the arrival of Islam and Christianity, the polytheistic Kushite religion was the dominant faith in ancient Nubia, part of modern-day Sudan. Lasting until the fourth century CE, the Kushite religion featured a pantheon of local deities such as Apedemak and some ancient Egyptian deities, including Amun.

Between the fifth to twelve centuries, the medieval Christian kingdoms of Nubia controlled present-day Sudan and delayed the expansion of Islam through a peace and trade treaty, known as the Baqt, with the ruling Muslim power in Cairo. Following the fall of the Christian kingdoms in the sixteenth century, Islam spread to Nubia peacefully when Muslim Kenzi preachers and merchants intermarried with Christian Danagla. In 1504, the native Funj Sultanate would be the first Muslim polity established in the region, attracting Sufi scholars and religious teachers from Egypt and the Hejaz. By the seventeenth century, western Sudan would come under the Islamic rule of the Sultanate of Darfur, another indigenous state.

The religious composition of northern Sudan would gradually shift from Coptic Christianity and traditional religions to Islam, with numerous indigenous groups such as the Nubians, Beja, Nuba, Fur, and Zaghawa largely converting to Islam over time.