In fact, Islam is one of the major religions in Nigeria, which is one of the most populous countries in Africa. Islam and Christianity are the two main religions in this country, and most Muslims in Nigeria follow the Maliki Religion.
There are many theories about the entry of Islam into this land, but the best and most unanimous theories can be considered more prominent in these two theories. Some believe that Islam has penetrated the continent since the first century AH, and others have considered the entry of Islam into Nigeria in the seventh century through North Africa, especially Sudan and the Western Sahara by Muslim merchants.
Although the history of the influx of Islam into Nigeria dates back to the first decades of the first century AH, the entry of Islam on a large scale in Nigeria, dates back to the seventh century and more through trade and immigration relations and is the center of Muslim gathering in the north of the country.
The victory of the Islamic uprising under the leadership of Sheikh Usman Dan Fudio and the formation of the Islamic Caliphate in the eighteenth century in West Africa is one of the most critical phrases in the history of Muslims in West Africa, especially Nigeria.
Geographical location of Nigeria
Nigeria is the most populous African country and the third largest Muslim country in the Islamic world. The Federal Republic of Nigeria, with an area of 923,768 square kilometers, shares a border with Niger to the north, Benin to the west, and Cameroon to the south.
Nigeria has the largest Muslim community in Africa and is the center of Muslim gatherings in the north of the country.
Due to its special geographical and human conditions, “social faults” have always had a significant appearance, and religious and economic faults are the most serious faults in the region.
Origen of Islam in Nigeria
As mentioned earlier, Islam is considered one of the main religions in Nigeria, as we said in the beginning, two theories regarding the entry of Islam into Nigeria seem to be more interesting and researched than other theories. We will have a brief look at the details of these ideas.
The first theory / The arrival of Islam in the first Century
Islam became popular in North Africa during the first century after the death of the Holy Prophet of Islam. It then spread to North Africa and gradually spread to the south. Although this influence was initially carried out through war and military force, it gradually and later expanded through trade routes and trade in the east, west and south.
Most scholars who rely on this theory of their research believe that the entry of Muslims into this land was based on trade and relations between buying and selling property.
The second Theory / The arrival of Islam in the seventh century
The religion of Islam in the seventh century AH entered the country through northern Nigeria by Muslim merchants and businessman. It was first accepted by the people of the northern and central parts of Nigeria, and then spread to the west and south of the country for several centuries. At present, in the city of Kaduna, you can see ancient Islamic monuments and buildings from the 19th century in Nigeria.
Muslims have lived in different parts of Nigeria since the 7th century AH, equal to the 13th century, and little by little, with their morals and character, even the rulers of the areas in which they lived; became Muslims.
In fact, for two centuries, the Muslims of Nigeria were able to convert first the ruler of Kano and then the ruler of Katisna, so that in the late ninth century AH, the greatest achievement of the political presence of the followers of Islam, the union of the two kingdoms “Hossa” and “Fulani”. In fact, from the point of view of scholars, Muslims have been very successful in Nigeria, and this success goes back to the two main and major factors of their material and spiritual progress.
In fact, the material and moral progress of Muslims in that region led to the spread of Islam throughout Nigeria.
Colonialism in Nigeria
At the height of the Western colonialists’ rivalry for domination of the African continent, in 1472 the Portuguese reached the southern coast of Nigeria and then in 1553 the British joined them. This was the beginning of the Christian religion’s relationship with Nigeria. During the division of the African continent into affected areas, Nigeria became the share of British colonialism. Christian evangelical delegations, along with colonialism, entered the southern regions, which led to the spread of Christianity in these areas.
Ever since the colonialists discovered the continent, Nigeria has always been the scene of Islam and Christianity in Africa. There has been almost no lasting compatibility between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria at almost no time, and there have always been numerous conflicts between Christians and Muslims on various issues, including the implementation of the Islamic Sharia law, which has led to frequent seizures. With the start of the devastating war waged by the British in the Islamic regions of the Northern Niger, clashes between Muslims and Christians began and continued until the beginning of independence in 1960.
The most prominent of these conflicts after independence was the 1960 coup, which was prepared by fanatical Christian commanders, and then the 1971 coup led by a Protestant named Yaqub Ghunen. The fire of the civil war that lit up after this event remained burning for a while, until the beginning of the national reconciliation, which ended the war. These tensions have always flowed among the followers of these religions in these areas, and each time they overshadowed each other, but in terms of spiritual victory and moral dimension, Muslims have always been at the forefront.
It was based on these tensions that Muslims also took some actions, actions that caused uprisings and had very significant consequences.
Islamic governments have sometimes caused the collapse of colonial ideas in this land with the rule of a hundred years, and the British colonialists can also be mentioned among them.
The uprising of Sheikh Osman Dan Fodio
Sheikh Osman can be considered the most important leader of West Africa. His uprising in 1804/1218 AH is considered a turning point in the revival of Islam in the West African region.
Introduction with individual personality and uprising of Sheikh Osman Dan Fodio
Osman bin Muhammad bin Osman bin Saleh bin Harun bin Muhammad Ghortu bin Muhammad Jubb, known as Dan Fodio in Hausai texts, and known as Benfudi in Arabic texts, was born in Safar year 1168 (December 1754) in the city of Marat (Maratt) in Gobir district.
After the birth of Osman, his family came to the city of Degol (Toghl) and he grew up in this city. He learned the Quran from his father and memorized it. In addition to acquiring various sciences from the scholars of Degol, he went to Agadis and spent a year meeting with Gabriel Ibn Omar, one of the prominent Sufi scholars of the region, and started studying with him and soon attained a high level of knowledge.
From his youth, Sheikh Osman was thinking of propagating his religion and reforming his disordered society, and he actually started his preaching activities in Central Sudan from 1774/1188 AH. He went from place to place and preached his reform movement by inviting people to return to Islam and many supporters of his movement in different parts of Hausa land joined him in these preaching trips.
In the beginning, Sheikh Osman had a spiritual influence in the court of the kingdom of Gobir region due to his deep familiarity with Maliki jurisprudence and his possession of various writings, hence the first steps of his revolution were based on preaching and pointing out the polytheistic way of life of the nobles and rulers of Gobir. By reciting the clear verses of the Qur’an about the promise of hell to the sinners, he warned the nobles of Gobir and by promising heaven to his followers, he comforted them and encouraged them.
Sheikh Osman became increasingly involved in political issues during the propaganda and guidance of “Bavajan Gwarzo” of Amir Sal Korda Gobir and his successors. In the first meeting with him after Eid al-Adha prayer in 1779/1193 AH, the sheikh asked him to respect the scholars, release the prisoners and refrain from collecting excessive taxes from his subjects. But Sheikh Usman’s advice had no effect on Gobir’s commanders, and their stubbornness and wrong behavior made the Sheikh disappointed in their peaceful persuasion to implement Islamic Sharia.
Sheikh Usman started the next phase of his movement by protesting the way of life of the regional rulers and the courtiers and the aristocratic society that supported them. In his protest against the government of his time, he criticized their brutality, corruption, cruelty and non-observance of Islamic principles, and criticized the Hausa rulers for taking unfair taxes, confiscating property, taking bribes and taking gifts, forcing people to serve in the army, wars and etc. he was criticized in vain for taking spoils and allowing idolatry.
Adopting many wives, wearing luxurious clothes, believing in talismans, fortune-telling, and sleight of hand were other criticisms of Osman against the Hausa rulers. In the same direction, Sheikh Usman wrote books such as Tahzeer Ahl al-Iman min al-Tashba ba Ahl al-Kufr wa Al-Usyan, and Punbiyeh al-Ghaflin, Tazkir al-Arifin, and Al-Amr bimwalat al-Mominin, and Al-Nahi an al-Mwalat al-Kafrin.
Bawa John Gwarzo died in 1789 and after two other emirs (Yaqub: 1794-1789 and Nafata: 1801-1794) in 1802, the government came to Yunfa. The new Sultan sought to improve his relations with Osman; However, Sheikh’s criticism led to the straining of the relationship between the two, and after some time Yunfa turned away from Sheikh Osman. At the same time as the gap between the ruling class and Usman’s supporters increased, Gobir’s courtiers tried to seduce the sheikh with money and position, which he did not accept. In the next stage, they tried to assassinate Sheikh, but they did not succeed. As a result, they harassed and pressured the Sheikh’s followers; They restricted religious freedoms and forbade Muslim men from wearing a turban and Muslim women from wearing a veil, and forbade converting to Islam and ordering Muslims to return to their previous religion.
In this critical situation and with increasing threats from the government, Osman did not find it advisable to stay in Gobir and in early 1804 he migrated with his companions (about five thousand people) to “Godo” outside the Gobir control area in the north of today’s Nigeria. He called this trip a migration from Aral Kafr to Dar al-Islam, but the ruler of Gobir considered it a rebellion and sent an army to attack them, which the Fulani Muslims who followed the Sheikh rose up against and a conflict began between the parties.
In Godo, Sheikh Osman called the people to overthrow the sultans of infidelity and establish the system of Islamic justice by referring to verses from the Qur’an in the field of jihad and defense.
Sultan called Gobir an infidel for attacking Muslims and declared Jihad against him.
But until 1804/1218 AH, there was no direct confrontation with the governors of Gobir, in the first direct and unequal conflict between the Muslim Fulanis and the governors of Gobir, Sheikh Osman was able to defeat the kingdom of Gobir with the help and courage of his revolutionary companions.
In 1808-1804, with the capture of the cities of Zaria, Kano and Katsina and the overthrow of the Hausa emirates and the unification of vast lands under the banner of Islam, a powerful Islamic government in West Africa called the “Sokoto Caliphate” was established, which was a mixture of the Islamic government and the Hausa royal system. In this government Sheikh Osman Khalifa and his son Muhammad Bello (settled in Borno and then Sokoto) along with his brother Abdullah bin Fudi (settled in Gwandu) were considered his proxies. After the realization of the invitation and the victory of the movement, the sheikh withdrew from the administration of government affairs and in order to facilitate the administration of the country, in 1812 he divided the government into two parts: he entrusted the eastern part to Muhammad Balu and the western part to his brother Abdullah, and he taught, and Authorship turned.
The caliphate founded by Osman Dan Fodio lasted for a hundred years in 1218/1321 AH/1804-1904 AD. During this period, 13 imams relied on the post of power.
Most of the research done about the life and thoughts of Sheikh Abdullah Dan Fodio focuses on the Sheikh’s uprising and movement.
An overview of Sheikh’s political thoughts:
The following points can be prominently observed in Sheikh Osman Dan Fodio’s political views:
1- Not accepting the leadership and guardianship of infidels over Muslims
Shaykh Osman Dan Fodio did not accept the governorship of infidels and considered it a religious and personal humiliation.
He rejected companionship and cooperation with oppressors and evildoers and emphasized these issues in some of his works such as “Warning of Ahl al-Ayman”.
In his book “Nur al-Lab” he divides the residents of Balad Hausa into three groups; Those who practice Islam, and blasphemous acts are not seen in their behavior and deeds, this group is approved; Those who mix Islam and disbelief and whose behavior is contradictory to Islam, this group is considered among the infidels; The third group are those who were born infidels and have no knowledge of Islam, so the rules of Islam do not apply to them.
From Sheikh’s viewpoint, if the ruler of an Islamic region is a non-Muslim, that region is non-Islamic, and according to his opinion, infidels cannot rule over Muslims, and Muslims should not accept their rule. In his jurisprudence books, he has stated the duties of Muslims towards irreligious rulers. The sheikh excommunicates Muslims who help infidels against their Muslim brothers. In Don Fodio’s thought, the uprising against corrupt native rulers is very important. From the beginning of his reform movement, he believed in military operations against native opponents and considered his uprising as a holy war against corrupters on earth. When the Sheikh rebelled against the rulers of Gobir, he sent representatives to the rulers of Hausa and Borno and asked them for help, but he did not get any results. Therefore, he called that place the land of infidelity and called the Muslims of these areas to migrate from their land (Dar al-Kafr) to the Islamic lands (Dar al-Salam) and excommunicated the Muslims who remained in these lands.
2- Jihad
In fact, it is not out of place that Sheikh Osman is referred to as “Mujahid” and “Reviver of Islam in Hausa”. His thoughts mostly originated from the thoughts of the advanced scholars.
Osman Dan Fodio has devoted the twelfth to the fiftieth chapters of the book on the necessity of emigrating to Ali al-Abad to the discussion of Jihad and its dimensions. In the twelfth chapter of this book, under the title “Persuasion of people in Jihad”, he proves the necessity of Jihad in order to protect Islam and the Islamic government by citing Quranic verses and prophetic hadiths. which should be observed during Jihad, he enumerates things such as urging people to Jihad, continuing the obligation of Jihad, the limit of Jihad, the conditions of the obligation of Jihad, the obligations of Jihad, the ruling on fighting in the forbidden months, the rulings related to Jihad and the mujahids.
In the book “Siraj al-Akhwan” Sheikh Uthman also mentioned Jihad and brought issues such as the ruling of Jihad against people who are ignorant of the religion and rules of Islam, Muslim warriors and those who do not pledge allegiance to Islamic rulers.
3- Necessity and need to establish and form an Islamic government
In addition to rejecting the rule of the infidels and Jihad with them, Sheikh Usman worked hard to create a spirit of necessity for the existence of the Islamic justice system.
Sheikh Usman’s outline regarding the Islamic government is presented in the book on the Obligation of Hijra to the Abad and on the Obligation of Installing Imams and Establishing Jihad. In this book, he tries to prove the establishment of the Islamic government as a Shariah obligation by referring to the verses of the Qur’an and the Prophetic hadiths. In the first chapters of this book, he lists three stages for the formation of an Islamic government: Da’wah with Islam and preaching to gather forces; Emigrating from the land of disbelief to the land of Islam and choosing and pledging allegiance to the Imam; and Jihad against infidels and enemies to establish Islamic government.
4- Existence and installation of Imam and obedience to him
Sheikh Usman worked hard to have an Imam and an Islamic leader and to convey this theory and plan to the people. is to understand in this field and take practical action themselves.
Sheikh Othman, in the book Bayan Jub Hijra Ali al-Abad, presents the obligation of establishing an Islamic government to the comprehensive Imami leadership. In the sixth chapter of the book, he explains the necessity of appointing an Imam and a leader and following him.
5- The use and benefit of scholars in the structure of Islamic government
The difference between Osman Dan Fodio’s uprising and other uprisings in West Africa was his use of great scholars and jurists in starting the movement and establishing the Islamic government.
Don Fodio’s ideology was based on the creation of a government of clerics that relied on Islamic law, Uthman firmly believed that pious scholars should take charge of the fate of society, and it is obligatory for Muslims to pledge allegiance to scholars as “princes of the believers”. Therefore, scholars in Hausa land achieved high political and judicial positions and established a strong bond with political rulers.
