Usman dan Fodio
Shehu Usman dan Fodio pronunciationⓘ (Arabic: عثمان بن فودي, romanized: ʿUthmān ibn Fūdī; full name; 15 December 1754 – 20 April 1817).
Born in Gobir, Usman was a descendant of the Torodbe clans of urbanized ethnic Fulani people living in the Hausa Kingdoms since the early 1400s.
Ɗan 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.
Usman Danfodio belong to the generation of wandering scholars who started settling in Hausaland since the 1300-1400s, some 400–500 years before the Jihad [13][14] The Sheikh's ancestors were Toronkawa who migrated from Futa Tooro in the 1300s under the leadership of Musa Jokollo.
Jibrin Ibn Umar was a controversial figure who later fall out with Danfodio; his preaching on defining who a Muslim is became a subject of disagreement between him and Shehu later in life.
[18] Other students of Ibn Umar include Danfodio's brother Abdullahi dan Fodio, and cousins Muhammad Firabri and Mustapha Bin Uthman[18] At age 20, Usman set up his school in Degel, he was preaching and studying at the same time.
One of the famous of his books "Ihyā’ al-sunna wa ikhmād al-bid’a (The revival of the Prophetic practice and obliteration of false innovation)" finished before 1773 and seems to established Danfodio's reputaion among contemporary scholars.
[18] Usman broke from the royal court and used his influence to secure approval for creating a religious community in his hometown of Degel that would, he hoped, be a model town.
[25] In the 1790s, Usman later had visions of Abdul Qadir Gilani, (the founder of the Qadiri tariqah) and ascension to heaven, where he was initiated into the Qadiriyya and the spiritual lineage of Muhammad.
[23] His theological writings dealt with concepts of the mujaddid (renewer) and the role of the Ulama in teaching history, and other works in Arabic and the Fula language.
[14] Danfodio wrote more than a hundred books concerning Economy, History, Law, Administration, Women's rights, government, culture, Politics and society.
The Shehu criticized ulama for neglecting half of human beings and ‘leaving them abandoned like beasts’ (Nur al-Albab, p. 10, quoted by Shagari & Boyd, 1978, p.
It is for the sake of fairness in dealing in the market that he emphasized revival of the Hisba institutions whose functions include checking the prices, Inspection of the quality of goods, correct weights and measures, prevention of Fraud and Usurious practices, removal of Monopolisation of products, etc.
[22] The Hausa peasants, slaves and preachers supported Usman, as well as the Toureg, Fulbe and Fulani pastoralists who are overtaxed and their cattle seized by powerful government officials.
He dispatched a campaign against them, and in a particular instance, his troops captured some of our men, including their wives and children and started selling them as slaves before our eyes.
Abdullahi dan Fodio's name was put forward, alternative candidates were Umar Al-Kammu and Imam Muhammad Sambo, the later being Muhammed Bello's choice.
The call for Jihad have spread widely across Hausaland and even beyond as can be seen in this poem written by a Bornu scholar; Verily, a cloud has settled on God's earth A cloud so densed that escape from it is impossible Everywhere from Kordofan and Gobir And the cities of the Kindin (Tuaregs) Are settlements of the dogs of Fellata (Bi la'ila) Serving God in their dwelling places (I swear by the life of the Prophet and his overwhelming grace) In reforming all districts and provinces Ready for future bliss So in this year of 1214 they are following their beneficient theories As though it were time to set the world in order by preaching Alas!
There were widespread uprisings in Hausaland and its leadership was largely composed of the Fulani and widely supported by the Hausa peasantry, who felt over-taxed and oppressed by their rulers.
Yunfa's army, composed of Hausa warriors and Tuareg allies, defeated Usman's forces and killed about 2,000 soldiers, 200 of whom were hafiz (memorizers of the Quran).
On the strength of the Cavalry, Muhammed Bello said its a hundred cavalry strong consisting of mostly Tuaregs, Sullubawa and Gobirawa while Danfodio's army consist of Hausa, Fulani, Konni Fulani who provide local support, Tuaregs under the leadership of Agali and Adar muslims including the son of Emir of Adar who also joined the Hijra (p.
[18] The battle of Tabkin Kwotto took place In Rabi’ al-Awwal 1219 or June 1804 C.E., the heavily armed Gobir forces under Yunfa met the ill-equipped and smaller army of the Jama’a under the commendarship of Abdullah.
After the success at Tabkin Kwotto, some local kings started aligning themselves with the Shehu notable among them were the leaders of Mafara, Burmi and Donko leaving only the Sarki of Gummi in South-Western Zamfara to support Gobir.
They sent traders with food to the Muslim Community, but according to Muhammed Bello, their friendship was due to their hostility with Gobir than there adherence to Islam or the need for reform.
After the defeat at Tsuntsua, the Muslims stayed the rest of Ramadan in the valley before starting upriver towards Zamfara in January and February in search of food.
Kebbi was a strategic place as it now allows the next move to Gwandu possible and allows a permanent settlement to be founded there, ending the Muslim's long tedious treks.
Considering this, the Shaykh appointed fourteen leaders and sent them back to their respective territories and communities, to lead their people in Jihad against their enemies who had assaulted them.
In 1812, the caliphate's administration was reorganized, with Usman's son Muhammed Bello and brother Abdullahi dan Fodio carrying on the jihad and administering the western and eastern governance respectively.
The Fulani cattle-herding nomads were sedentarized and converted to sheep and goat raising as part of an effort to bring them under the rule of Muslim law.
[11] Many of the people led by Usman ɗan Fodio were unhappy that the rulers of the Hausa states were mingling Islam with aspects of the traditional regional religion.
[46] In Islam outside the Arab World, David Westerlund wrote: "The jihad resulted in a federal theocratic state, with extensive autonomy for emirates, recognizing the spiritual authority of the caliph or the sultan of Sokoto".
