In 1846, al-Kanemi's son Umar I ibn Muhammad al-Amin became the sole ruler of Borno, an event which marked the end of the Sayfawa dynasty's 800 year rule.

The current Shehu of Bornu, a traditional ruler whose seat remains in modern Borno State, Nigeria, is descended from al-Kanemi.

His father, Muhammad Ninka, was a well-known local Kanembu mallam ('Islamic teacher') from Fahi, a village near Mao in the Kanem Province of the Kanem-Bornu Empire.

[1]: 29-30 The Mai of Bornu, Ahmad ibn Ali, dispatched several expeditions under the command of the Kaigama to confront the southern Fulani, but his forces were defeated.

Recognizing the severity of the situation, the Mai sent a letter to Shehu Usman, questioning the justification for the uprisings in his territory, arguing that his people were already Muslims.

The Mai found Sokoto's proposals completely unacceptable, viewing the Bornu Fulani as rebels against his authority who were actively waging war against his people and himself.

[1]: 30–32 Despite initial victories against the Fulani, the Mai's army eventually suffered a devastating defeat, resulting in the deaths of several important Bornu leaders, including the Galadima.

al-Kanemi, leading a small group of students, mallams, and a few Kanembu and Shuwa Arab mercenaries, successfully defended Ngala and defeated Wabi's forces.

Traditional stories suggest that al-Kanemi isolated himself in prayer for several days, after which he created a religious charm by inscribing Arabic formulas on a small calabash.

According to Dr. Heinrich Barth, a German explorer who visited Bornu in the 1850s, "the inspiring fanaticism of [al-Kanemi], and by the courage and valour of his Kanembu spearmen" led to the victory at Birni Gazargamu.

[4] He carried on a series of theological, legal and political debates by letter with Usman dan Fodio, and later with his son and successor, Muhammed Bello, Caliph of Sokoto.

[5] As the expansion of Sokoto was predicated upon a struggle against paganism, apostasy and misrule, al-Kanemi challenged the right of his neighbours to strike at a state which had been Muslim for at least 800 years.

Shortly after their arrival, Muhammad Manga, son and successor of Goni Mukhtar, launched attacks on the region around Birni Gazargamu and Alau.

His growing friendship with al-Kanemi further damaged his standing with the titled courtiers, eventually leading to a palace revolt in which Dunama was deposed and replaced by his uncle, Muhammad Ngileruma.

[10] It is not clear as to what extent al-Kanemi was dominating the whole territory of Borno after the Fulani jihad, he might have been at the head of a personal principality or might have overthrowned the power of the mai.

In his travel narrative published in 1826, Dixon Denham described al-Kanemi: Nature has bestowed on him all the qualifications for a great commander; an enterprising genius, sound judgment, features engaging, with a demeanour gentle and conciliating: and so little of vanity was there mixed with his ambition, that he refused the offer of being made sultan