Uthman Dan Fodio the Reformer, the Renovator and the Founder of the Sokoto Caliphate 1774 - 1817
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DEMOCRATIC AND POPULAR REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OF ORAN FACULTY OF LETTERS, LANGUAGES and ARTS DEPARTMENT OF ANGLO-SAXON LANGUAGES SECTION OF ENGLISH THE SHEHU 'UTHMAN DAN FODIO THE REFORMER, THE RENOVATOR AND THE FOUNDER OF THE SOKOTO CALIPHATE 1774 - 1817 A Thesis for the Degree of Magister of Arts in African Civilisation Presented by : KAMECHE Mohammed Supervised by: Dr BOUHADIBA Zoulikha Members of the Jury: Pr. BAHOUS Abbas Pr. LAHOUEL Badra Pr. YASSINE Rachida Academic Year: 2008-2009 ABBREVIATIONS ABBREVIATIONS A.B.U. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria B.S.O.A.S. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies B.U.K. Bayero University, Kano C.U.P. Cambridge University Press I.A.A.S. Institute of African and Asian Studies I.J.A.H.S. International Journal of African Historical Studies I.P.B. Islamic Publication Bureau I.U.P. Ibadan University Press J.A.H. Journal of African History J.H.S.N. Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria K.U.P. Khartoum University Press O.U.P. Oxford University Press S.N.R. Sudan Notes and Records. VIII Glossary Glossary1 Al haji courtesy title accorded to any man who has made the Pilgrimage to the Sacred Places (Mecca and Medina), the Hausa form of Haffl. Al kaji a judge in a Muslim court. Alkalin Alkalai Muslim Chief Justice Ar Do A Fulani title, often accorded to the head of a clan or sub-clan. Askia the title of the Songhai Empire after Muhammad Askia. Atikawa the members of the Atilm branch of the Sokoto ruling family. Awa suffix meaning ‘the people of eg, Gobirawa, the people of Gobir Ba a prefix which, if followed by a place name, means ‘a man of, e.g Bagobiri, man of Gobir. Banza Bakwai a pejorative term, meaning roughly ‘ the Bogus Seven used to describe the states in or adjoining Hausa land which did not belong to the authentic seven. Barebari Berber Birni(n) a walled town, hence a city. Chief this title has been used to describe the rulers of the Hausa States in distinction to ‘Emir’ which has been reserved for their Fulani successors. Dagachi another title originating in Bornu but adopted in Hausa land, particularly in the eastern Emirates, and retained by the Fulani. Dan son of, equivalent of Arabic bin or ibn. Dan Galadima a title. Darb el-Arba’ in name given to Egypt-Chad caravan route. Emir this title has been reserved to describe the Fulani rulers in distinction to’ Chief ’, which has been used for their Hausa predecessors. Fillani Hausa name for the Fulani. Fulbe the Fulani name for themselves. Fulfulde the Fulani language Gaisuwa literally ‘greetings’ but often meaning the gifts or sweeteners given by inferiors to superiors or inter- mediairies. Galadima a title originating in Bornu but adopted later throughout Hausa land. Gida(n) the house (of). HaaBe a word used by the Fulani to describe the indigenous peoples of the Sudan. Haj the Pilgrimage to the Sacred Places (Mecca and Medina). Hajji courtesy title accorded to any man who has made the Pilgrimage. Sometimes, it is simply written Haj. Haraji poll-tax or general tax on the farming community. Hausa Bakwai the seven authentic States of Hausa land. Ijaza the licence to teach. Jama’a the Muslim community, hence the Shehu’s followers. Jangali the tax on cattle. Jekada the confidential messenger who acted as an intermediary between an absent fief- holder and his fief. Jihad holy war in the Islamic sense to propagate Islam. Jizya the levy that an Islamic State is entitled to impose on non-Muslim subjects. Kadiriyya / Qadiriyya (A) A fraternity of devout Muslim; one of the sects or brotherhood of Islam, the followers of Abd-el kadir el-Jilani of Baghdad. 1)N.B. :A means Arabic and H Hausa. 177 Glossary Kanemina (plural Kanembu), a native of Kanem. Kofa a councillor or courtier who acted as an intermediary (literally doorway) for an out- lying Emirate or fief and thus acquired special responsibility for it. Kurdin Kasa general tax on the farming community. Lamido title of the Emir of Adamawa. Madaki or Madawaki a Hausa title, literally ‘Master of the Horse’. Magaji a Hausa title. Mai in Kanuri the word represents the title of the Sultans of Bornu to 1846.In Hausa it is a prefix meaning the possessor of something, e.g. Mai-Futa, the flag-bearers. Makana a Hausa title. Maktab (A) Elementary Koranic school. Maliki (H) the School of Islamic Law founded by Malik ibn-Anas. Mallam courtesy title accorded by the Hausas to any man of learning, teacher, Muslim scholar Maqamat (A)Adventure stories. Marafa a Hausa title. Masu ilmi (H) Students of higher learning. Mithqal a measure of gold, about ½ ounce. Moddibo Courtesy title accorded by the Fulani to any man of learning, the equivalent of the Hausa Mallam. Mufti (A) Chief jurist. Muharram the first lunar month of the year. Qanun(A) Canon; a definitve text. Qara’a (A) to read or recite. Qasida Arabic ode. Quran (A) see Koran. Sabo(n) new, e,g. Sabongari meaning ‘Newtown.’ Sa’I a title. Sansani a war-camp or military outpost. Sarki(n) Chief or Emir (of). Sarkin Musulmi Commander of the Faithful, the Hausa form of the title of the Sultans of Sokoto. Sarkin Yaki Captain -general. Seku a corrupt form of the Arabic word Sheikh, used in the western Sudan and adopted as their title by the rulers of Hamdallahi. Shari’a Islamic law. Shehu the Hausa and Kanuri version of the Arabic word Sheikh, reserved in this thesis as the title of ‘Uthman dan Fodio. Sheikh the title of El-Kanemi and his successors, first as the administrative rulers of Bornu and after 1846 as the usurping but accepted Sultans. Sullubawa a branch of the Fulani people who played a prominent role in the Jihad in Sokoto, Katsina and Kano.. Sunna(h) the approved customs of Islam. Sunni orthodox Muslims. Tambari a Tuareg title. Tarbiyya (A) education with emphasis on moral discipline and character training. Tawhid (A) Dogmatism, the exposition of Islamic doctrine. Tijaniyya (A) a fraternity of devout Muslims Tijjani a member of the Tijaniyya sect of Islam, the followers of Ahmed Tijjani of Fez. 178 Glossary Toronkawa a branch of the Fulani people to which the ruling families of Sokoto and Gwandu belong. Ubandawaki a Hausa title. Ubandoma a Hausa title. Ulama (A) the community of Muslim scholars Wa’azu (A) warning and admonition Wali a Muslim saint. Wambai a title. Waziri vizier. Chief Minister (deriving from the Persian Vizir). Yarima a title of Bornu origin widely adopted in Hausaland. Zakka the Islamic tithe. Zaria and Zazzau (Zegzeg) in the Hausa era, Zazzau was the name of the state and Zaria the name of the capital. In the Fulani and British periods, however, the use of Zazzau began to die out and Zaria was employed increasingly to describe the Emirate as well as the city. In this thesis, therefore, Zazzau has been used to denote the Hausa State and Zaria the Fulani Emirate. Zaure (H) the entrance hall in a Hausa compound. 179 APPENDICES APPENDIX I BIOGRAPHIES OF SCHOLARS, HISTORIANS, EXPLORERS etc… APPENDIX I BIOGRAPHIES OF SCHOLARS, HISTORIANS, EXPLORERS etc… * Amina of Zazzau Amina, or to give her full name Aminatu, is described in The Kano Chronicle (Palmer, p. 109) as a Chieftainess who lived in the first half of the fifteenth century and pursued a career of conquest over a period of thirty-four years. She does not, however, appear in either of the lists of Zazzau Chiefs that have come down to us (LHdM, vol. I, pp. 43-44. )The Abuja Chronicle describes her as the daughter of Bakwa Turunku, who was Chief or Chieftainess of Zazzau a hundred years later than the date given by The Kano Chronicle and who in any case reigned for only three years. The Labarun Hausawa da Makwabtansu list does not mention Amina at all and clouds the issue by describing the Abuja Chronicle's Bakwa Turunku as Bako Turunku (thereby suggesting that he was a man and not a woman) and giving him a reign of thirty years instead of only three. Sultan Bello follows the Abuja Chronicle in describing Amina as the daughter of a Chieftain and not as a Chieftainess in her own right (Arnett, p. 12). It is just conceivable that the Abuja Chronicle and Sultan Bello were right and that Amina was an Amazon of the ruling house who flourished about A.D. 1540, but for a number of reasons it is very unlikely. First, as already mentioned, The Kano Chronicle places her a century earlier. Secondly, if she had in fact lived about i54o she would have overlapped Kanta in time; whereas we know that some of her reputed conquests, such as Nupe and most probably Zazzau itself, formed part of his Empire. Thirdly, her fame rests partly on her activities in fortifying towns with walls, but The Kano Chronicle (Palmer, p. 100) gives the early twelfth century as the period when walls were first built and by 1540 the art was certainly already several hundred years old. 176 APPENDIX I BIOGRAPHIES OF SCHOLARS, HISTORIANS, EXPLORERS etc… * Askia Mohammed I of Songhai (ruled 1493-1529, died in 1538 AD) Emperor of the Songhai Empire of West Africa Sonni Baru Dao, ruler of the Songhai Empire, was also a follower of a traditional African religion and rejected all attempts to convert him to Islam by Muslims in his empire. After several weeks of negotiations and no conversion, the Muslims resorted to battle.