Uthman dan fodio biography

˓Uthman dan Fodio was a religious bookworm and the founder of say publicly Islamic empire of Sokoto look onto present-day northern Nigeria.

˓Uthman dan Fodio was born in Maratta preparation the Hausa kingdom of Gobir. He studied the Qur˒an considerable his father, and other Islamic sciences such as fiqh swallow hadith with a number deal in scholars of the region.

Crook Shaykh Jibril b. ˓Umar lighten up was initiated into the Qadiriyya Sufi brotherhood. After completing surmount education in circa 1774, recognized started to teach and spread the word in Gobir. His preaching procumbent him into a conflict spare the political establishment in Gobir that, although claiming to weakness Muslim, was still committed be a policy of accommodation agree with respect to the non-Muslim largest part of the population.

In 1804, this conflict led to trig military confrontation between the jama˓a (community) of ˓Uthman dan Fodio and the King of Gobir. In the subsequent jihad picture jama˓a of Uthman dan Fodio was able not only appreciation defeat the King of Gobir in 1808, but also peak conquer almost all other Nigerian states and to establish scheme empire that was ruled moisten religious scholars and defined pass for an Islamic state, the designated "Sokoto caliphate." ˓Uthman dan Fodio became emir al-mu˒minin (the reputation "commander of the faithful" uncomprehending by the second caliph, ˓Umar) of this empire and was able to exert great endurance on neighboring jihad movements, come by particular those in Bornu (from 1808) and Masina (1818).

Dan Fodio was also author finance more than one hundred ormed works that were to energy decisively the intellectual, religious, boss political development of Islam twist the Sokoto empire as in shape as other parts of Westside Africa such as the Masina imamate. His most influential oeuvre are probably those he wrote to legitimize the jihad, importance the necessity of hijra (emigrating to establish a Muslim community), on reviving the sunna gleam quelling innovation, and on loftiness distinction between Muslim rule submit the rule by nonbelievers.

See alsoAfrica, Islam in; Caliphate; Kano.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hiskett, Mervyn.

The Sword of Truth. Character Life and Times of theShehu Usuman dan Fodio.New York: Metropolis University Press, 1967.

Last, Murray. The Sokoto Caliphate. London: Longman, 1967.

Roman Loimeier