Sokoto Jihad and the Formation of the Caliphate
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
Sokoto Jihad and the formation of the Caliphate The greatest and certainly the most influential of the nineteenth century jihads was that of Usman dan Fodio. He was a Fulani of the Torodbe clan which had migrated to Gobir, in north-western Hausaland, many generations before. He was born in 1754 into a scholarly family and he and his younger brother Abdullahi, were given a broad Islamic education. At that time of his youth, Gobir, as have seen, had become the most powerful of the Hausa states, particularly in Zamfara and Kebbi, Gobir’s domination was hated. The people generally resented the heavy taxation that was used to maintain the armies and to make the big men in society greater and richer than before. The weak feared enslavement by the strong. Though the Habe kings thought of themselves as Muslims, they did not always follow Muslim law and often tolerated and even participated in ‘pagan’ practices. The Muslim communities of Hausaland deeply resented the ‘paganism’ of their rulers and their failure to observe the Shari’a. When Usman dan Fodio, at the age of twenty, returned to Gobir from Agades, where had has been taught by the Muslim revolutionary teacher, Jibril, there were many who were willing to listen to someone who would attack their rulers.1 Usman dan Fodio held the attention of large crowds. When he criticized the Hausa rulers for their bad government, he found eager response from his listeners. In such circumstance, many flocked to join Usman dan Fodio who was becoming a major political force in Gobir. Usman established his community at Degel on the borders of Gobir and Zamfara. It was effectively independent of Gobir, and provided an example of what Muslim government should be.2
There emerged a clash between Gobir and dan Fodio’s faction, caused by the fact that the leader of Gobir, Nafata, felt threatened, thus he made attempts to frustrate dan Fodio’s mission. Dan Fodio and his companions at Degel, including his
INTRODUCTION
Sokoto Jihad and the formation of the Caliphate The greatest and certainly the most influential of the nineteenth century jihads was that of Usman dan Fodio. He was a Fulani of the Torodbe clan which had migrated to Gobir, in north-western Hausaland, many generations before. He was born in 1754 into a scholarly family and he and his younger brother Abdullahi, were given a broad Islamic education. At that time of his youth, Gobir, as have seen, had become the most powerful of the Hausa states, particularly in Zamfara and Kebbi, Gobir’s domination was hated. The people generally resented the heavy taxation that was used to maintain the armies and to make the big men in society greater and richer than before. The weak feared enslavement by the strong. Though the Habe kings thought of themselves as Muslims, they did not always follow Muslim law and often tolerated and even participated in ‘pagan’ practices. The Muslim communities of Hausaland deeply resented the ‘paganism’ of their rulers and their failure to observe the Shari’a. When Usman dan Fodio, at the age of twenty, returned to Gobir from Agades, where had has been taught by the Muslim revolutionary teacher, Jibril, there were many who were willing to listen to someone who would attack their rulers.1 Usman dan Fodio held the attention of large crowds. When he criticized the Hausa rulers for their bad government, he found eager response from his listeners. In such circumstance, many flocked to join Usman dan Fodio who was becoming a major political force in Gobir. Usman established his community at Degel on the borders of Gobir and Zamfara. It was effectively independent of Gobir, and provided an example of what Muslim government should be.2
There emerged a clash between Gobir and dan Fodio’s faction, caused by the fact that the leader of Gobir, Nafata, felt threatened, thus he made attempts to frustrate dan Fodio’s mission. Dan Fodio and his companions at Degel, including his