Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio and the Revival
of Islam in Hausaland - 5

[Preamble]   [The Milieu ]   [Birth, Studies & Career ]    [The Phase of Teaching and Public Da'awah ]   [Phase of Organising and Planning ]   [Phase of Hijra and Jihad ]   [Phase of Victory and Establishment of Caliphate ]   [Shaykh Uthman's Contribution & Ideas ]  [Impact of the Shaykh Beyond the Sokoto Caliphate ]  [Concluding Remarks ]  Phase of Organisation and Planning Having spent some two decades roving the whole of Gobir, kebbi, Zamfara, Agades and perhaps other Hausa states, spreading Islamic learning, converting pockets of non-Muslim communities, reawakening Muslims and creating a network of teachers and students through out the vast region, Shaykh Uthman decided to settle down in the town of Degel in the state of Gobir in 1793. Within these two decades Shaykh Uthman with the assistance of his brother Abdullahi and their growing number of disciples have literally changed the intellectual and social horizon of Hausaland. Many schools have sprouted; teachers have been graduated and are constantly on the move teaching; books had been written on numerous subjects and issues and were circulating; poems in local languages carrying clear and liberating messages have become household. These new schools, unlike the ivory towers the Shaykh criticised, were open to all and sundry. The new teachers, though much younger, were well read, yet distinguished themselves not so much by their learning like their zeal in spreading and living their new found knowledge. The new books were addressing the situation at hand and were urging a return to Islam proper, in every aspect of life, individual as well as collective, free from the innovations that have found their way into the religion. One book which seemed to have been particularly written for this purpose and which became a textbook for the new centres of learning was the Shaykh’s Ihya al-Sunnah wa Ikhmad al-Bid’ah. The new mosques also became not only places of prayers but, as they ought to have been, centres of learning. As Shaykh Uthman settled in Degel he found himself at the centre of an expanding and ever growing network of mostly young Muslims looking forward to changes that will reinstall Islam in Hausaland. Degel itself turned in to a kind of university town as many students, teachers and disciple came to further their education to consult the Shaykh on issues. Shaykh Uthman thus found himself heading an Islamic movement whose members were growing and spreading all over Hausaland and beyond, looking up to him to provide them with guidance. He had to reluctantly accept the leadership of this movement which he chose to give the modest name of Jama’a. He had to consequently take the full responsibility of guiding the Jama’a not only because they looked up to him for guidance but also because he realised that with out proper guidance this youthful energy can get out of control, especially with potential provocation. Soon after settling in Degel the Shaykh thus found it necessary to write a book titled ‘Amr bi al-Ma’ruf wa al-Nahy ‘an al-Munkar, clearly to guide the members of this movement in their conduct of this important aspect of their mission. From the content of the book the Jama’a appeared to have been expressing some impatience in the realisation of their goals which were becoming clearer with time. For though the Shaykh started rightly by emphasising the central significance of ‘Amr bi al-Ma’ruf, going as far as saying "every Muslim should observe this duty, even though he be a sinner, because this duty and individual piety are two distinct injunctions and failure to observe one should not justify neglecting the other." The Shaykh proceeded to warn against undertaking jihad without proper preparation and without having an Imam, for in these kind of situations "it only results in failure and drags weak Muslims into perdition unnecessarily." The Shaykh cited examples of rushed jihads which ended up in total failure, like the case of Abu Mahalli in early 17th century North Africa. If this book was meant to caution the Jama’a in exhibiting their zeal, it did not. In fact it seemed to have had the opposite effect, for members of the ever growing Jama’a were beginning to challenge openly the activities of the kings, particularly the injustices against the weak and the lack of upholding the Sharia. This high profile the Jama’a was assuming was quite naturally sending signals to the kings of Hausaland, that their way of ruling was not going to be tolerated. The anxiety of the rulers was particularly heightened by the fact that the rank of the Jama’a was swelling with people especially the weak and the oppressed who were beginning to see not only their heavenly salvation but even their earthly salvation in the Jama’a under the leadership of the Shaykh. In fact as Abdullahi reported, some of the Hausa kings were enraged by these trends, understandably so for every increase in the ranks of the Jama’a represent a shift in loyalty and the narrowing of the political base of the Hausa rulers. Threatened by these developments and eager to save their diminishing political base on which rested precariously their thrones, the Hausa kings started harassing members of the Jama’a, who were not too difficult to identify. This, it must have been hoped, would discourage others from joining the ranks of the Jama’a and to persuade the older members to down-size their activities. But it did not quite discourage the Jama’a. The Shaykh had to intervene, he composed a poem, ostensibly in praise of Shaykh Abdulqadir al-Jaylani, the great sufi Shaykh, but in reality calming the Jama’a while at the same time encouraging them to take up arms to defend themselves, arguing that it was Sunnah to carry arms. This was shortly followed by yet another work, Masa’il al-Muhimma, important matters, in which the Shaykh, foreseeing a confrontation an a large scale, cautioned that hijra might be eminent and in these kind of situation Muslims cannot be abandoned without an imam to whom bay’ah is sworn. This call to arms, as it were, further frightened the Hausa rulers even more and in their frantic response the situation worsened, forcing the Shaykh to make a hijra to Gudu, a place on the boarders of Gobir, in preparation for a confrontation which the Shaykh appeared to have been determined to avoid but which the circumstances have made rather inevitable. But a few month before making the Hijra he had to write a pamphlet which was to be circulated through the very efficient network of the Jama’a. This pamphlet the Shaykh called Wathiqat ahl al-Sudan wa man sha’ Allah min al-Ikhwan, a letter to the people of the Sudan and who so ever Allah wished among the brothers. This work had been described by a British scholar who edited and translated it as the ‘manifesto of the jihad’ and perhaps so, for while calling people for hijra the letter made it clear that it was a prelude to jihad and went ahead to give the justifications and objectives of this impending jihad. This document therefore triggered a massive movement of members of the Jama’a from all over Hausaland towards Gudu on the northern outskirts of Gobir. It was a hazardous journey, for the Hausa army were lying ambush all along the routes, yet it continued.