Brief History of Uthman Dan Fodio – SS3 Islamic Studies Lesson Note (First Term)

Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo (Uthman Dan Fodio) was a Fulani Muslim scholar, preacher and reformer, born in 1754 at Maratta in what is now Niger Republic. He called people to the true teachings of Islam, led the Jihad that began after his Hijrah from Gobir in 1804, and established the Sokoto Caliphate, becoming its first Sultan.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. describe the early life and education of Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo;
2. state his main contributions and the books he wrote;
3. explain what he taught and preached to the people and the rulers;
4. explain why his mission was suppressed and how the Hijrah and Jihad followed;
5. state the lessons to be learnt from his life.

Who was Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo?

Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo (also spelt Shaykh Uthman, and called Shehu in Hausa) was a Fulani scholar and reformer who founded the Sokoto Caliphate.

What was his birth and early education?

• Birth: he was born in 1754 at Maratta in what is now Niger Republic.
• Family: he came from a family of learned Fulani Muslims who studied the Quran under famous scholars.
• His mother: she taught him recitation of the Qur’an.
• His father: he taught him some elementary books in Fiqh and Tawheed.
• Upbringing: his two righteous parents gave him his religious orientation.

Who taught him in his further studies?

The Sheikh later travelled to Kebbi, Zamfara and Gobir, where he studied with many scholars.

• Other teachers: Sheikh Jibril bin Umar and Sheikh Ramadan also taught him.

When did he start teaching?

• Age: he started teaching and preaching at 21, while still a student.
• Students: they included his brother Abdullahi, his son Muhammad Bello and his daughter Asma’u.

What are the key dates in the life of Sheikh Uthman?

The main events in his life ran from his birth in 1754 to his death in 1817.

What did Sheikh Uthman teach and preach?

Sheikh Uthman called people to follow the true teachings of Islam and called rulers to rule by the Shari’ah (Islamic moral and legal regulations).

Where did he preach and write?

• Places: he preached in Gobir, Zamfara and Kebbi.
• Scholars: he and his brother Mallam Abdullahi became famous scholars.
• Writing: they wrote books on Islam in Arabic and in Fulfulde.
• Home: the Sheikh and his family settled in Degel in Gobir, near where Sokoto is today.
• Community: scholars, students and visitors gathered around him to learn the true teachings of Islam.

What did he say about his character?

His son, Muhammad Bello, wrote of him:

• “He surpassed all men in nobility of character.”
• “He was a charming friend. He was generous and truthful. He was modest.”
• “Men came in such crowds that there was no room to move.”
• “He showed them a smiling face and was kind and happy to be with them.”
• “He was patient and pitied Muslims.”

What did he tell the people and the rulers?

• To the people: behave well and abandon drinking alcohol.
• To the rulers: rule by the Shari’ah, collect taxes lawfully and do not imprison people illegally.
• On rights: he told the people their rights under the Shari’ah.
• On courts: he advised them to appeal to the Alkali if they did not get their rights.
• On judges: he advised rulers to appoint learned and fearless judges who would uphold the law.
• On women: he wrote and preached on the rights of women and warned men against oppressing them.

How did he reach people far away?

• Preaching tours: the Sheikh and his followers went on long tours.
• Short books and poems: he wrote them in Fulfulde, and they were translated into Hausa.
• Wa’azi songs: songs teaching religion were composed for those who could not read.

How was the mission of Sheikh Uthman suppressed?

The rulers of Gobir suppressed his mission because they became jealous of his growing influence.

1. His fame spread far and wide, and a new ruler of Gobir became jealous of him.
2. The ruler made laws forbidding people to change from paganism to Islam.
3. He also forbade the Sheikh’s followers to preach, and good Muslims began to leave Gobir.
4. The ruler died, but his son Yunfa continued the persecution and once sought to kill the Sheikh.
5. Open hostility broke out between the Chief of Gobir and the Sheikh’s community.
6. The Chief ordered the Sheikh to leave his community, take his family and go away.

What was the Hijrah of Sheikh Uthman?

The Hijrah of Sheikh Uthman was his emigration with his community from Gobir to Gudu in February 1804.

• His reply: “I will not leave the Community but I will leave your country. ALLAH’S earth is wide.”
• Departure: the community packed their books, belongings and a little grain on cattle, horses and camels.
• Destination: they settled in Gudu, in Kebbe, about 60 miles away.
• Followers: other Muslims in Gobir left to join him and escape persecution.
• Attack: the Gobirawa (people of Gobir) attacked the travellers and robbed them of their possessions.
• Reaction: Yunfa attacked the Sheikh and his followers at Gudu.

What was the Jihad of Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo?

The Jihad was the struggle by Sheikh Uthman and his followers to defend their faith and their lives against oppression.

What was the Muslims’ position at the start?

• Declaration: the Chief of Gobir declared war on the Sheikh and his community.
• Leadership: the Muslims promised obedience to the Sheikh as Commander of the Faithful (Sarkin Musulmi).
• Preparation: they prepared the defences of the town and got ready for Jihad.
• Gobir strength: Gobir had many fighters, horses and weapons.
• Muslim weakness: the Muslims had about 20 horses, no shields and no heavy weapons, and relied chiefly on bows and arrows.

How did the Jihad develop?

1. Mallam Abdullahi led the army out of Gudu and surprised the Gobir army at Tabkin Kwatto, a lake.
2. The Gobir army was defeated despite its greater numbers and equipment, and its soldiers fled.
3. A series of battles followed as each side increased its recruits, and the Muslims lost many men.
4. In 1805 the Gobir army attacked the Sheikh’s army just outside Gwandu.
5. The Sheikh preached to his people, prayed for victory and inspired them to fight with courage.
6. The Gobirawa were defeated, and the tide of the war turned.
7. The Shehu’s followers went from success to success under Mallam Abdullahi, Muhammad Bello and other flag-bearers.
8. Alkalawa, the capital of Gobir, fell, and Yunfa, the Chief of Gobir, was killed.
9. Hausa land and some areas beyond it, as far as Kano, Katsina, Adamawa, Bida and Ilorin, came under their rule.
10. The Sokoto Caliphate was established, and the Sheikh became its first Sultan.

What were the contributions of Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo?

His contributions were in preaching, government, scholarship, spiritual training and writing.

• Preaching: he was the first African preacher to change the bad habits of the people with heart, tongue and hand.
• Government: he was the first African to establish a nation whose rules of law were purely Islamic.
• Scholars: he graduated more than a hundred scholars and jurists who qualified to be a ‘MUJTAHID’.
• Sufism: he was a great Sufi (ascetic) who trained people’s souls with different Adhkar and Aurad.
• Tariqah: he established At-Tarikatu Al-Fudiyyah, a branch of At-Tarikat Al-Qadiriyyah.
• Writing: he wrote more than a hundred books.

What are his most popular books?

• Ihyaus-Sunnah Wa Ikhmadut Bid’ah: on reviving the Sunnah and ending innovations.
• Bayanu Wujubul-Hijrah: on the duty of Hijrah.
• Nasihat Ahluz-Zaman: advice to the people of his time.
• Hisnul-Afham Minjuyushil-Auham: one of his well-known works, among others.

What were the qualities of Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo?

Sheikh Uthman was an outstanding scholar and a leader who led by example.

• Scholar: an erudite scholar who wrote many books on diverse aspects of Islam.
• Poet: an eloquent poet.
• Jurist: a versed jurist.
• Preacher: a wise preacher.
• Leader: a pious leader, a skilled commander, a just emir and a responsible statesman.
• Imam: a great Imam of unparalleled qualities.
• Service: he devoted himself to the service of Islam and humanity.
• Self-denial: he was a Sufi who sacrificed this world for the next.
• Honesty: he refused the presents the King of Gobir gave to scholars at Sallah, because he was not looking for a monetary reward.
• Reform: his Jihad transformed Hausa land and unified Hausa states.
• Learning: he promoted learning in Hausa land and beyond.

How did Sheikh Uthman spend his later years?

Sheikh Uthman settled finally in Sokoto, where he studied, wrote and advised his followers on government until his death in 1817.

• Family: all his family were famous for their scholarship.
• Nana Asma’u: his daughter was an educator, writer and poet.
• Graves: the graves of the Sheikh and some of his family can still be seen at the Hubbare in Sokoto.
• Standing: he is regarded as the greatest Muslim scholar and reformer in West Africa.
• His books: they preached reform, purification of the religion from pagan practices and the supremacy of the Shari’ah, and are still relevant today.
• His intention: he wanted only to preach in peace and persuade people to do right.
• Why he fought: the jealousy and love of power of rulers such as Yunfa left him and his followers no choice but to defend themselves.

What lessons can we learn from the life of Sheikh Uthman?

His life teaches scholarship, care for the common people, and faith with courage.

1. His scholarship: it helped him see the difference between truth and falsehood, and between true Islamic social teaching and un-Islamic customs.
2. His care for ordinary people: he was ready to suffer discomfort to teach them about Islam and about their duties and rights as Muslims.
3. His faith, steadfastness and courage: he refused to abandon his mission and stood firm against the military power of the oppressors.

Evaluation

1. Name the town where Sheikh Uthman was born and the people to whom he belonged.
2. List four books written by Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo.
3. State five things Sheikh Uthman called on the rulers and people of Hausa land to do.
4. What was Sheikh Uthman’s reply to the Chief of Gobir, and what did it lead to?
5. State three lessons from the life of Sheikh Uthman.

Assignment

Write a short account of the Hijrah of Sheikh Uthman Ibn Fodiyo to Gudu and the battle of Tabkin Kwatto.