USMAN DAN FODIO: PROGENITOR OF THE SOKOTO CALIPHATE

Sheikh Usman Ibn Fodio or Shehu Usman dan Fodio (December 15, 1754 — April 20, 1817) was the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1809. A religious teacher, writer and Islamic promoter, Dan Fodio was one of a class of urbanized ethnic Fulani living in the Hausa States in what is today northern Nigeria. A teacher of the Maliki school of law and the Qadiriyyah order of Sufism, he lived in the city-state of Gobir until 1802 when, motivated by his reformist ideas and under increased repression by local authorities, he led his followers into exile.

This exile began a political and social revolution which spread from Gobir throughout modern Nigeria and Cameroon, and was echoed in an ethnicly Fula-led Jihad movement across West Africa. Dan Fodio declined much of the pomp of rulership, and while developing contacts with religious reformists and Jihad leaders across Africa, he soon passed actual leadership of the Sokoto state to his son, Muhammed Bello.

Dan Fodio wrote more than a hundred books concerning religion, government,culture and society. He developed a critique of existing African Muslim elites for what he saw as their greed, paganism, or violation of the standards of Sharia law, and heavy taxation. He encouraged literacy and scholarship, including for women, and several of his daughters emerged as scholars and writers. His writings and sayings continue to be much quoted today, and is often affectionately referred to as Shehu in Nigeria.

Dan Fodio's uprising is a major episode of a movement described as the Fulani hegemonies in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It followed the jihads successfully waged in Fuuta-Jalon and Fuuta-Tooro between 1650 and 1750, which led to the creation of those three islamic states. In his turn, Shehu inspired a number of later West African jihads, including those of Masina Empire founder Seku Amadu, Toucouleur Empire founder El Hadj Umar Tall (who married one of dan Fodio's granddaughters) and Adamawa Emirate founder Modibo Adama.

Dan Fodio was well-educated in classical Islamic science, philosophy and theology and became a revered religious thinker. His teacher, Jibril ibn 'Umar, argued that it was the duty and within the power of religious movements to establish the ideal society free from oppression and vice. His teacher was a North African Muslim who gave his apprentice a broader perspective of the Muslim reformist ideas in other parts of the Muslim world. Dan Fodio used his influence to secure approval to create a religious community in his hometown of Degel that would, Dan Fodio hoped, be a model town. He stayed there for 20 years, writing, teaching and preaching.

In 1802, the ruler of Gobir and one of Dan Fodio's students, Yunfa turned against him, revoking Degel's autonomy and attempting to assassinate Dan Fodio. Dan Fodio and his followers fled into the western grasslands of Gudu (present day Niger State) where they turned for help to the local Fulani nomads. Usman dan Fodio was proclaimed the Commander of the Faithful in Gudu. This made him political as well as religious leader, giving him the authority to declare and pursue a jihad, raise an army and become its commander.

A widespread uprising began in Hausaland. This uprising was largely composed of the Fulani, who held a powerful military advantage with their cavalry. It was also widely supported by the Hausa peasantry who felt over-taxed and oppressed by their rulers. Usuman started the jihad against Gobir in 1804. The Fulani communication during the war was carried along trade routes and rivers draining to the Niger-Benue valley, as well as the delta and the lagoons. The call for jihad did not only reach other Hausa states such as Kano, Katsina and Zaria but also Borno, Gombe, Adamawa, Nupe and Ilorin. These were all places with major or minor groups of Fulani scholars.

After only a few short years of the Fulani War, dan Fodio found himself in command of the largest state in Africa, the Fulani Empire. His son Muhammed Bello and his brother Abdullahi carried out the jihad and took care of the administration. Dan Fodio worked to establish an efficient government grounded in Islamic law. After 1811, Usman retired and continued writing about the righteous conduct of the Muslim belief. After his death in 1817, his son, Muhammed Bello, succeeded him and became the ruler of the Sokoto Caliphate, which was the biggest state south of the Sahara at that time.

Usman’s brother Abdullahi was given the title emir of Gwandu, and was placed in charge of the Western Emirates, Nupe and Ilorin. Thus, all Hausa states, parts of Nupe, Ilorin and Fulani outposts in Bauchi and Adamawa were all ruled by a single politico- religious system. From the time of Usman dan Fodio there have been twelve caliphs, until the British conquest of Sokoto, at the beginning of the twentieth century, in 1903 by Frederick Lugard. #HistoryVille

Credits:

# In one word, he spread "Islam" with force (sword) (war).

AlBaqir:
# In one word, he spread "Islam" with force (sword) (war).

I still don't understand why you people (shias) like war.

Aminu212:
I still don't understand why you people (shias) like war.

# Was Uthman Dan fodio a Shi'a? He was a Fulani, Sunni, Maliki, Qadiriyah. I believe if he saw Shia during his Jihadi work, he will never hesitate to kill them all.

AlBaqir:


# Was Uthman Dan fodio a Shi'a? He was a Fulani, Sunni, Maliki, Qadiriyah. I believe if he saw Shia during his Jihadi work, he will never hesitate to kill them all.

You mean we should also spread Islam using sword right?

Aminu212:
You mean we should also spread Islam using sword right?

# Subhan'allah! So, that's what you can decipher from my comment? Oluwa o.

# Anyway, I just comment to highlight that I see no difference between Sheik Uthman Dan Fodio and somebody like Sheik Muhammad Ibn Abdulwahab. Both were violent Muslims who killed and forced their own understanding of Islam into people's throat.

* Hausa-Fulanis see Sheik Uthman Dan Fodio as a hero of Islam. I don't praise people like them.

AlBaqir:


# Subhan'allah! So, that's what you can decipher from my comment? Oluwa o.

# Anyway, I just comment to highlight that I see no difference between Sheik Uthman Dan Fodio and somebody like Sheik Muhammad Ibn Abdulwahab. Both were violent Muslims who killed and forced their own understanding of Islam into people's throat.

* Hausa-Fulanis see Sheik Uthman Dan Fodio as a hero of Islam. I don't praise people like them.

Am sorry bro.

I thought you said we should start bombing ourselves just like bokoharam. lol.

AlBaqir:
# In one word, he spread "Islam" with force (sword) (war).

I think you need to let guard down on sunni/shia differences. It makes you sentimental and clouds your reasoning. Usman Ibn Fodio did not spread islam by force.

I am not saying he was perfect but to simply say he spread islam by force is overstatement. Anyways, could you highlight forced conversion from his profile up here?

sheikh abdulhakim quick is one of the best on usman dan fodio's history.

Empiree:
I think you need to let guard down on sunni/shia differences. It makes you sentimental and clouds your reasoning. Usman Ibn Fodio did not spread islam by force.

I am not saying he was perfect but to simply say he spread islam by force is overstatement. Anyways, could you highlight forced conversion from his profile up here?

sheikh abdulhakim quick is one of the best on usman dan fodio's history.

# Nah! It is you that failed to assess the flow of the thread well. I am not guilty of Shia-Sunni brouhaha here. And the subject of Uthman Dan Fodio has nothing to do with that.

1. The OP is a Shia, and probably an Hausa-Fulani. Uthman Dan Fodio is surely or probably one of his heroes. And to be honest to the OP, he did not bring out the SuShi subject


2. Unfortunately, it was a third commenter that misread my comment and made mention of "shia". Just like you have mistakenly did.


# The onus is on you to prove to us that Sheik Uthman Dan Fodio was not a Jihadi fighter who spread Islam with war and war and war.

AlBaqir:

I simply responded to this

# In one word, he spread "Islam" with force (sword) (war).

I am not concerned about the lady's misconception.

For accusing him of waging "war war war" as you put it, is like non-muslims accused the prophet(saw) of war war war. Yes, there were wars but for what and on what?

Empiree:
I simply responded to this

So where does that suggest Sunni-Shia brouhaha you accused me of starting or instigating? The point remains you accused me wrongly.

Empiree:

I am not concerned about the lady's misconception.

For accusing him of waging "war war war" as you put it, is like non-muslims accused the prophet(saw) of war war war. Yes, there were wars but for what and on what?

# The two are not in the same context.

If you think my assumption about Sheik Uthman Dan Fodio is wrong, kindly prove me wrong. There were lots of war mongers in Muslim history faah.

AlBaqir

So where does that suggest Sunni-Shia brouhaha you accused me of starting or instigating? The point remains you accused me wrongly.

time will tell this




[quote]If you think my assumption about Sheik Uthman Dan Fodio is wrong, kindly prove me wrong. There were lots of war mongers in Muslim history faah.

You see, it is the same with other empires. All or most rulers, empires, dictators etc love to expand their territories through conquest. There is no doubt they fought wars but you made it sound like Dan Fodio was some sort of cruel sheikh who just wanted to wage endless, senseless wars.

Empiree:

time will tell this.

You see, it is the same with other empires. All or most
rulers, empires, dictators etc love to expand their
territories through conquest. There is no doubt they
fought wars but you made it sound like Dan Fodio was
some sort of cruel sheikh who just wanted to wage
endless, senseless wars.

# @underline, Time will tell nothing. The fact is if you think its another Sunni attack, for your information, Shiism also has history of forceful conquest and today, there few Shia scholars with same mentality.

# So, in your view there is no big deal compelling nations, community etc to accept Islam, because there is no much difference between "Islamic conquest" and Empire conquest of kings and superpowers of the past. This is exactly the sense of one Iraqi Shia Scholar too. He argued

AlBaqir:


# @underline, Time will tell nothing. The fact is if you think its another Sunni attack, for your information, Shiism also has history of forceful conquest and today, there few Shia scholars with same mentality.

# So, in your view there is no big deal compelling nations, community etc to accept Islam, because there is no much difference between "Islamic conquest" and Empire conquest of kings and superpowers of the past. This is exactly the sense of one Iraqi Shia Scholar too. He argued

you put this in my mouth. I was simply giving illustration. It was situation on the ground that time. But today, hardly Muslims do that. It is others still doing in modern time now. Again, kindly point out "force conversion" by sheikh Usman ibn Fodio (ra)