Islam in Sierra Leone Mauvi Sadeeur Rahman. In the early 18th century Fulani and Mande-speaking tribesmen from the Fouta Djallon region of present-day Guinea converted many Temne of northern Sierra Leone to Islam. During the period of British colonization, attempts to spread Christianity were mostly ineffective. Islam continued to spread after independence in 1961; in 1960 the Muslim population was 35 percent and grew to 60 percent by 2000, and then to 71% in 2008. It is difficult for people from Sierra Leone to travel to Mecca for the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, due to the distance between the two places and
Sixth Pillar of Islam Muslims believe there are precisely five pillars of Islam, since in a hadith, Muhammad listed only five major pillars of the faith. Traditionalists say that no sixth pillar should be added, because changing the pillars would be altering the religion and its beliefs, therefore one who believes that there is a sixth pillar is committing a sin. Thus, Sunnis believe that a "six pillar of faith" is outside the folds of mainstream Islam. The sixth pillar of Islam is not included in the Sunni way of life. Also, a minority among Sunni scholars sometimes refers to the duty of jihad