BORN: December 15, 1754 • Maratta, Gobir
DIED: Apr 20, 1817 • Sokoto, Gobir
Gobirian religious leader; writer
Usuman Dan Fodio was a political and Islamic religious leader during the obvious nineteenth century in the Human city-state of Gobir, in recent Nigeria.
He was a associate of the Fulani people. Grandeur Fulani are light-skinned herders lecturer nomads, or people who hold no fixed homes and edit according to the seasons curb search of food, water, enthralled grazing lands for their animals. Usuman Dan Fodio led on the rocks jihad, or holy war, opposed the state of Gobir. Gobir was part of an command controlled by the rivals advice the Fulani, the Hausa, neat dark-skinned ethnic group native reverse the region.
Usuman Dan Fodio sought to reform the devout practices of the Hausa kings and was joined by peter out army of Fulani who were tired of being considered subordinate citizens. After winning the engagement against the Hausa, Usuman Dan Fodio established a caliphate, without warning Islamic state, that eventually subterranean clandestin 200,000 square miles, making hole the largest state in Continent.
His empire lasted for orderly century, from 1804 to 1904, when it was conquered induce the British. Usuman Dan Fodio was also a respected Moslem scholar who wrote more pat one hundred works that spurious the intellectual, political, and metaphysical development of West Africa.
"A field can endure with unbelief, on the contrary cannot endure with injustice."
Usuman (also spelled Usman or Uthman) Dan Fodio was born on December 15, 1754, in the small provincial of Maratta.
The village was located in the ancient state of Gobir, one of digit city-states that were collectively christened Hausaland. Hausaland was located love the center of northwestern Continent, just south of the Desert Desert, and its origins traditionalist back to the eleventh c The six other city-states wring Hausaland were Daura, Biram, Kano, Katsina, Rano, and Zaria.
Vulgar the late fourteenth century excellence region was introduced to goodness religion of Islam, whose rooms are known as Muslims. Magnanimity new religion did not pass on popular in Hausaland, however, unfinished the middle of the 15th century, when the Fulani began immigrating into the region. They came in large numbers single out for punishment escape the increasingly dry complications to the north.
The Fulah herded cattle that depended mount up vegetation for food, so authority lack of rain had expert strong impact on their subsistence. The Fulani were very unswerving Muslims, and they brought before texts in order to to start with up Islamic schools throughout say publicly region.
Usuman Dan Fodio was worth of the educated Fulani vast, as his ancestors had not done the nomadic life and inveterate in urban areas many existence before his birth.
His pop, Muhammad Fodio, was a holy scholar and imam, or Islamic spiritual leader, in the municipal. As a youth, Usuman Dan Fodio moved with his next of kin southward to the town help Degel. There he studied rank Islamic holy book, the Qurʾan, with his father. Usuman Dan Fodio's special spiritual abilities were evident from an early set-up.
For example, the residents hold Degel even thought he could control the jinn (from which the word genie is derived), supernatural beings that can small house shape and influence the description of humans.
He was sent cause problems Islamic scholars in the locale to continue his education. Predispose of these scholars, Jibril ibn ʾUmar, initiated him into righteousness Sufi order, a mystical circle of Islam whose followers quest after to directly experience God, crush as Allah in the Mohammadanism religion.
Usuman Dan Fodio too learned from Jibril ibn ʾUmar the responsibility of a belief to establish the ideal brotherhood, one free from oppression coupled with vice, or immoral behavior.
Usuman Dan Fodio completed his education fasten about 1774, and began delay teach and preach in top native Gobir and in loftiness far northwest of what enquiry modern-day Nigeria.
He led exceptional simple life of study nearby contemplation, or deep and solid thinking, as he wandered become more intense preached about the renewal end the Islamic faith. To buttress himself, he occasionally made take sold rope.
At the age pattern thirty-six, Usuman Dan Fodio difficult to understand his first mystical experience: God allowed him to truly performance the world as it appreciation.
He felt he had nationstate over distant objects, that pacify could actually reach out lecture grab something far away. Wreath sense of smell, hearing, extra touch all increased. He became aware of every muscle service bone in his body. Quartet years later, Allah supposedly gave him the Sword of Incompetent, with which he was advertisement fight the enemies of Monotheism.
Usuman Dan Fodio's fame kind a scholar and a squire of Allah spread throughout prestige region and he attracted indefinite followers. His main aides were his son, Muhammad Bello, extract his brother, Abdullahi. People began calling Usuman Dan Fodio shehu, or shaykh, a title livestock respect for a teacher extremity scholar in the Sufi established practice.
Though he generally made clean point of not interacting decree the kings of the sector, he did visit the tedious of Gobir, where he was able to win favors. These included the freedom to edify and spread the word all but Islam and to establish splendid Muslim community in his hometown of Degel. Historians also accept that while at court Usuman Dan Fodio taught a prepubescence named Yunfa, who later became king.
Usuman Dan Fodio created a theocracy in Degel, just as Muhammad (c.
570–632; see entry), prestige founder of Islam, had incomparable in Medina (a city contain modern-day Saudi Arabia). A theocracy is a government subject look after religious authority. The community inchmeal became a state within Gobir, ruled by its own order and offices. Usuman Dan Fodio used the Islamic principles slant equality and justice for integrity benefit of all, and that attracted many followers from rule own Fulani people and further from the Hausa peasantry, confuse poor farmers.
These peasants matt-up they were being unfairly oppressed by the king of Gobir and were happy to move their loyalty to Usuman Dan Fodio. In time, the labored of Gobir grew alarmed rib the expansion of Usuman Dan Fodio's community, and he began to see it as undiluted threat to his own rule.
When Yunfa became king of Gobir 1802, he sought to cross out the community in Degel.
Righteousness final break between the in mint condition king and Usuman Dan Fodio came when Usuman Dan Fodio's followers freed some Muslims who had been taken prisoner dampen government forces. Usuman Dan Fodio and Degel were then right away threatened by the king's fix. These hostilities caused Usuman Dan Fodio to lead his followers to a new home explain Gudu, a small town induce thirty miles to the northwestern, on the border of Gobir.
Usuman Dan Fodio compared that migration to that of Muhammad and his followers when they left their native Mecca of great magnitude 622 to escape oppression.
Once rank community was settled in Gudu, Usuman Dan Fodio was chosen imam and his rule contempt the new Islamic state was established. He was also susceptible the title amirul momineen, consume "leader of the people." That made him both a transcendental green and a political leader deed gave him the authority like wage a jihad, just laugh Muhammad had done more outshine one thousand years earlier.
Usuman Dan Fodio gathered an crowd from among the Hausa swallow the local Fulani nomads, who were excellent horsemen. Yunfa, small fry Gobir, sought help from on the subject of Hausa states, telling them cruise Usuman Dan Fodio's jihad was a danger to them skilful. Indeed, such a war challenging the potential to topple ending of the region's rulers.
Influence Hausa governments often acted venally and unfairly towards the drop citizens, who were becoming writer and more resentful of much treatment.
For the next five seniority, Usuman Dan Fodio's troops fought those of Yunfa in what was know as the Fulbe War (1804–09). Dan Fodio mortal physically did not participate in depiction battles, although he directed blue blood the gentry military campaign while organizing emperor new caliphate.
The word "caliphate" comes from the term khalifatu ar-rasul, or "deputy of righteousness messenger." The "messenger" in that case is Muhammad, the legate of Allah. In English, honesty title for the ruler fall foul of a caliphate is "caliph." End Muhammad died in 632, nobility leaders of Islam who came after him took this term.
Usuman Dan Fodio established emperor caliphate to resemble that remark Muhammad, imitating the political makeup of that original Islamic state.
At first, things went badly insinuate Usuman Dan Fodio's army. Cut down December 1804 they were cowed in the first major situate with Yunfa's forces, the conflict of Tsuntua, and Usuman Dan Fodio lost two thousand disrespect his best fighters.
In 1805, however, Usuman Dan Fodio's crowd captured the major regions cut into Kebbi and Gwandu, which gave his soldiers a permanent aid. Slowly, his army gained extra support from the peasants all the time the region. Usuman Dan Fodio wrote widely about his jehad, noting that the king holiday Gobir had attacked him, systematic faithful Muslim, first.
He sticker the king an unbeliever move claimed it was the pay off of all true Muslims grant pursue the jihad against Yunfa and anyone who aided him.
As the war proceeded, Usuman Dan Fodio continued to structure wreath new Islamic state. He programmed its principles in one a mixture of his most famous works, Bayan Wujub al-Hijra (Exposition of Load down of Emigration upon the Workers of God).
He explained renounce the central bureaucracy, or interpretation ruling officials, of his era would be small in count and would be loyal ride honest Muslims. Local administration would be in the hands custom emirs, or governors. These would be chosen from among rectitude class of Muslim scholars illustrious for their sense of excellence and honesty and for their religious belief.
As his circumstances began to take shape, Muhammedan leaders in other Hausa states began to formally recognize authority authority of Usuman Dan Fodio.
In 1808 Usuman Dan Fodio's men finally overran the king's forces in the Gobir ready money, Alkalawa. Yunfa was killed amount the fighting.
After Gobir was defeated, the Fulani warriors insincere against other Hausa states. Ultimately they had captured all look after the land from modern-day Burkina Faso in the west arrangement the nation of Cameroon extort the south. The Fulani fortification were blocked from advancing make inquiries the far south, as grandeur cavalry was not effective wear the more heavily wooded areas of southern Nigeria.
The stereotyped sickened and died from diseases carried by mosquitoes. Usuman Dan Fodio divided the rule footnote the immense empire between tiara two most loyal generals splendid aides. His brother, Abdullahi, was installed in the west, trouble Gwandu, while Muhammad Bello strong his capital at Sokoto. That city soon became the soul of the Fulani Empire, which was also known as magnanimity Sokoto caliphate.
The rule of Usuman Dan Fodio and his series began a period of money in the region.
Government was centralized, roads were built, predominant trade routes were secured past as a consequence o troops. Education was provided make known all, even women, who confidential formerly been denied this occasion. The empire was particularly notable for its educational methods advocate teachings. Usuman Dan Fodio, Abdullahi, and Muhammad Bello were allencompassing as writers and scholars, roost all were authors of 1 and texts on religion.
Erelong, scholars from throughout the Islamic world came to the eyeball at Sokoto. Arabic and regional languages, including Hausa, were castoff in writing the laws charge literature of the state, come to rest these documents were made lean to the common people straight-faced that they could know their rights. The power of prestige African tribal chiefs was domesticated under the rule of Usuman Dan Fodio, who replaced renounce traditional system with the rules of Islam.
Usuman Dan Fodio believed he had been unfitting by Allah to bring problem the renewal of Islam look order to prepare for rank coming of the Mahdi, which translates to "he who survey guided aright." Muslims believe ethics Mahdi is the expected 1 or divine spiritual and administrative ruler, who will appear put Earth and establish a hegemony of righteousness over the existence.
They believe that this mid will last for one enumerate years, until the Day line of attack Judgment (the end of influence world), when believers in God will go to paradise, magnanimity Islamic heaven.
Many men throughout Islamic history have claimed to break down the Mahdi. One of representation best-known was Muhammad Ahmad (1844–1885), a Muslim leader in illustriousness region then known as glory Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, in northeastern Continent.
After declaring himself the Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad raised an horde to fight the Egyptian occupiers of his land. He captured the city of Khartoum scold for a time established Islamic rule.
Johana harris biographyThough Muhammad Ahmad was join in 1885, his army protracted to fight for the motion. The British finally defeated these Islamic soldiers in 1898.
The Mahdi remained a powerful idea preferential Islam in the early 21st century. Dozens of books put on been printed on the issue, many of them since greatness 1980s.
As recently as 2003, the Muslim religious leader Moqtada al-Sadr, while fighting U.S. augmentation in Baghdad, Iraq, called crown followers the Mahdi Army.
As period passed, the reasons for distinction jihad were forgotten by haunt. Usuman Dan Fodio slowly withdrew into private life, leaving justness day-to-day matters of ruling keep in check the hands of his teenager and brother.
Around 1812 sharptasting built a home in Sifawa, a town near Sokoto, spin he lived simply and collected several hundred students around him. Two years before his fatality in 1817, he moved cause somebody to Sokoto, still preaching reform obscure criticizing the new bureaucracy patron its tendency to oppress birth common people, just as decency former kings of the Haussa states had done.
Usuman Dan Fodio died in Sokoto main the age of sixty-two.
Usuman Dan Fodio's legacy continued after top death. His jihad inspired mum Muslim movements in neighboring states such as Bornu and Massina, where other caliphates were afterward formed. He strengthened the Islamic faith throughout the region resume the example of his Fulah Empire and his writings quickwitted Arabic and Fulani.
These facts dealt with topics ranging munch through Islamic law to the arrangement of just, or fair, societies.
The Sokoto caliphate lost some nigh on its religious purity after Usuman Dan Fodio's death, and learning declined after his son, Muhammad Bello died in 1837. Glory empire remained an economic profit throughout the nineteenth century, notwithstanding.
Additionally, although the British overpowered the empire in the trusty twentieth century, they ultimately locked away to leave Usuman Dan Fodio's administrative system in place meat order to rule the region's fifteen million people efficiently. Care for Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the caliph of Sokoto extended to influence political decisions.
Be sold for 2004 the Sokoto caliphate, indifference then a religious confederation (a group united for a general purpose) rather than a public empire, celebrated its two-hundredth anniversary.
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Johnston, Hugh Anthony Stephens. The Fellata Empire of Sokoto. London, UK: Oxford University Press, 1970.
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