The Contribution of Uthman Bin Foduye (D.1817) in Changing Nigerian Society: a Discussion from the Perspective of Ibn Khaldun’S Concept Ofñumran
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THE CONTRIBUTION OF UTHMAN BIN FODUYE (D.1817) IN CHANGING NIGERIAN SOCIETY: A DISCUSSION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF IBN KHALDUN’S CONCEPT OFÑUMRAN SHUAIBU UMAR GOKARU ACADEMY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA KUALA LUMPUR 2017 THE CONTRIBUTION OF UTHMAN BIN FODUYE (D.1817) IN CHANGING NIGERIAN SOCIETY: A DISCUSSION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF IBN KHALDUN’S CONCEPT OF ÑUMRAN SHUAIBU UMAR GOKARU THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ACADEMY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA KUALA LUMPUR 2017 UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA ORIGINAL LITERARY WORK DECLARATION Name of Candidate: Shuaibu Umar Gokaru (I.C/Passport: No: A06882764) Matric No: IHA140056 Name of Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Project Paper/Research Report/Dissertation/Thesis (“this Work”) THE CONTRIBUTION OF UTHMAN BIN FODUYE (D. 1817) IN CHANGING NIGERIAN SOCIETY: A DISCUSSION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF IBN KHALDUN’S CONCEPT OF ÑUMRAN Field of Study: Islamic Civilisation (Religion) I do solemnly and sincerely declare that: (1) I am the sole author/author of this Work; (2) This Work is original; (3) Any use of any work in which copyright exists was done by way of fair dealing and for permitted purposes and any excerpt or extract from, or reference to or reproduction of any copyright work has been disclosed expressly and sufficiently and the title of the Work and its authorship have been acknowledged in this Work; (4) I do not have any actual knowledge nor do I ought reasonably to know that the making of this work constitutes an infringement of any copyright work; (5) I hereby assign all and every right in the copyright to this Work to the University of Malaya (“UM”), who henceforth shall be owner of the copyright in this Work and that any reproduction or use in any form or by any means whatsoever is prohibited without the written consent of UM having been first had and obtained; (6) I am fully aware that if in the course of making this Work I have infringed any copyright whether intentionally or otherwise, I may be subject to legal action or any other action as may be determined by UM. Candidate’s Signature Date: Subscribed and solemnly declared before, Witness’s Signature Date: Name: Designation: Department of Islamic History and Civilisation Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ii ABSTRACT Nigeria is one of the most populous countries in Africa and is majority Muslim. Thus, various scholars had attempted to change Nigerian society. Among them was Uthman bin Foduye, who lived from 1754-1817 and contributed toward changing Nigeria to a united society according to the dictates of the SharÊÑah. This is a historical-comparative research analysing the contribution of Uthman bin Foduye in changing Nigerian society from the perspective of Ibn Khaldun’s concept of ÑUmrÉn. The study relies on the books written by Uthman bin Foduye to understand the extent of his thought on societal change. Meanwhile, some key important academics in Nigeria were interviewed to supplement the documentary data to understand the real picture of Uthman bin Foduye’s contribution in Nigeria. The findings reveal that Uthman bin Foduye made evolutionary and revolutionary contributions. His evolutionary contributions comprised peaceful teaching, preaching and writing. Uthman and his community resorted to revolutionary tactics due to the plot made by the rulers of Hausaland to assassinate him and his followers. He succeeded in overthrowing their government and establishing his Islamic government known as the Sokoto Caliphate, in present-day, Northern part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which its impacts still exist to this day. Ibn Khaldun’s concept of ÑUmrÉn is relevant as both scholars shared the belief that corruption, injustice, imposing a heavy tax on the subjects, indulgence in a life of luxury and favouritism are among the negative factors responsible for the decline of states/societies and dynasties. Moreover, an analysis of Uthman’s writings reveals that Ibn Khaldun’s thought indeed influenced his societal change. iii ABSTRAK Nigeria adalah di antara negara yang mempunyai bilangan umat Islam teramai di Benua Afrika. Beberapa usaha untuk membawa perubahan telah dilakukan oleh toko-tokoh masyarakat, antaranya ialah Uthman bin Foduye sepanjang usianya dari tahun 1754 hingga 1817. Beliau berusaha membawa masyarakat Nigeria agar berusaha menjadi masyarakat maju yang bersatu dan mengikut syariat Islam. Kajian menggunakan metod historis dengan menganalisis dokumen perkembangan hidup tokoh serta sumbangannya. Temubual dengan para cendekiawan di Nigeria juga dilakukan untuk mendapatkan gambaran jelas tentang sumbangan tokoh di samping buku-buku karya tokoh dijadikan asas untuk memahami pemikiran beliau. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa Uthman bin Foduye membawa evolusi dan revolusi secara aman kepada masyarakatnya melalui bidang penulisan, pengajaran dan dakwah. Uthman dan masyarakatnya telah menggunakan taktik revolusi ekoran plot yang dibuat oleh raja-raja Hausaland untuk membunuh beliau dan pengikut-pengikutnya. Beliau telah berjaya menumbangkan kerajaan Hausaland dan menubuhkan kerajaan Islam yang dikenali sebagai Sokoto Khalifah di bahagian utara Republik Persekutuan Nigeria, dan kesan pemerintahannya masih wujud hingga ke hari ini. Konsep ÑUmrÉn Ibn Khaldun dilihat relevan di mana tokoh ini meyakini bahawa rasuah, ketidakadilan, mengenakan cukai yang tinggi kepada orang awam, kehidupan yang mewah adalah di antara faktor-faktor negatif yang bertanggungiawab atas kejatuhan negara-negara, pertubuhan dan dinasti. Selain itu, analisis karya Uthman mendedahkan bahawa pemikiran Ibn Khaldun telah mempengaruhi perubahan yang dilakukan oleh beliau di Hausaland. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praises and thanks are due to Allah who taught man what he knew not. Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon His final Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It is due to the will and graces of Allah that this work has been accomplished. In addition, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Ahmad Faisal bin Abdul Hamid. Despite the fact that he is Head of Department, he took the time to read the work and made various suggestions and corrections. He indeed has supported me with kindness and confidently encouraged to the completion of the thesis. May Almighty Allah reward him with the best of His rewards. Similarly, my profound gratitude goes to my other supervisor, Dr. Aizan bt Ali @ Mat Zin, for her countless scholarly contributions. She reads the work and made comments and corrections, which energetically led to the completion of the thesis. May Almighty Allah reward her abundantly.. I am deeply and profoundly indebted to Prof. Yakubu Yahaya Ibrahim of the Department of Islamic Studies, UDUS, Nigeria. My thanks are also extended to my dearly loved wife, Maryam Abubakar, my mother, Hajiya Maimunatu Abubakar, and my brother, Alhaji Adamu U. Gokaru, for their constant prayers and support during the heavy task of this study. Thanks are also due to my beloved sons, Umar (Bassam) and Abubakar Sadiq because they were the sources of my comfort and inspiration of my eyes and heart especially when the stress of research became great. I acknowledged the kind contribution of Prof. Dr. Abdullah Ahsan of IIUM and Dr. Asyiqin bt Abdul Halim of UM. My sincere gratitude goes to my great mentor Dr. Mansur Is Yelwa, of the Faculty of Law, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria, whose contribution is unforgettable. Due to the space-factor, there are many others who contributed of whom I will not be able to mention their names. But, indeed, they are in my mind, and I sincerely pray Almighty Allah to bless and give them the best of what they are looking for in this world and the next to come. v TRANSLITERATION TABLE vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Original Literary Work Declaration ............................................................................... ii Abstract ......................................................................................................................... iii Abstrak .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgement.......................................................................................................... v Transliteration Table ..................................................................................................... vi Table Of Contents ........................................................................................................ vii CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION .......................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Historical Records of the Role of DaÑwah in the Earliest Period of Islam ....................................................................................................... 2 1.1.2 The History of Societal Change in Africa ..................................... 4 1.2 Definition of Terms ................................................................................... 10 1.3 Objectives of the Study .............................................................................. 20 1.4 Research Questions .................................................................................... 20 1.5 Justification of the Study ..........................................................................