Sufi Revival and Islamic Literacy: Tijani Writings in Twentieth-century Nigeria Andrea Brigaglia University of Cape Town This paper provides a provisional account of Morocco, 1815) after a vision of the Prophet ongoing research on the literary production of experienced during one of his retreats (khalwa) Nigerian authors belonging to the Tijaniyya Sufi in the Algerian village of Abu Samghun (Bou order. The research is part of a wider collaborative Semghoun). Like many Sufi orders of the late project launched in 2007 by ISITA (Institute for the classical era, the Tijaniyya is established around Study of Islamic Thought in Africa)1 at Northwestern the principle of the ‘Muhammadan way’ (al-tariqa University, funded by the Ford al-muhammadiyya), a spiritual Foundation and directed by method that emphasises the The project is aimed at producing a Rüdiger Seesemann, now at practice of sending invocations full catalogue of the literature of the Bayreuth University, Germany. of blessings (salawat) on the Tijaniyya, whose ‘ulama’ have formed The project covers several Prophet as a means of spiritual one of the most prolific (in terms of African countries including— realisation.2 The Tijaniyya is literary production) Islamic religious besides Nigeria—Morocco, also distinguished by the claim networks active in the northern and Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, made by its founder Ahmad al- western regions of the continent Chad, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Tijani of being the ‘Seal’ (khatim) during the last two centuries. Mauritania. The project is aimed of sainthood (wilaya). The idea at producing a full catalogue of of the existence of a spiritual the literature of the Tijaniyya, whose ‘ulama’ have station known as the 'Seal of Saints' had a prior formed one of the most prolific (in terms of literary history in Sufism. It first appeared with al-Hakim production) Islamic religious networks active in al-Tirmidhī (d. ca. 910), author of a full treatise the northern and western regions of the continent entitled Khatm al-Awliya’ (The Seal of Saints).3 The during the last two centuries. concept also featured prominently in the works of the celebrated Muhyi al-Din Ibn ‘Arabi (d. 1240), The Tijaniyya especially in a number of sections of his al-Futuhat A Sufi tariqa grounded in Sunnism (the founder al-Makkiyya (“The Meccan Revelations”) as well as and many of his associates were Maliki jurists in a treatise known as al-‘Anqa’ al-mughrib fi khatm besides being Sufis), the Tijaniyya was established al-awliya’ wa-shams al-maghrib (“The Fabulous by Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani (born in ‘Ayn Madhi, Gryphon, on the Seal of Saints and on the Sun in the Algerian desert in 1737; died in Fez, rising from the West”).4 102 THE ANNU A L REVIEW OF ISL A M IN AF R IC A • ISSUE NO. 12/1 • 2013-2014 TIJ A NI WRITINGS Although no explicit reference was made by al- on his way back to Futa Toro. ‘Umar befriended Tijani about the coming of the mahdi (the awaited the Caliph of Sokoto at that time, Muhammad Bello messianic figure of the Islamic tradition), it is (d. 1837), and married one of his daughters. The also generally believed within the order that the question of whether Bello himself was initiated manifestation of the spiritual way (tariqa) of the into the Tijaniyya by ‘Umar, however, has been Seal is also connected to the approaching of the a subject of contention and, at times, of heated Last Hour, thereby infusing the order with some controversy for Nigerian scholars for almost two kind of a messianic dimension. centuries.9 During the life of its founder, and immediately Through the nineteenth century, while the after his death, the Tijaniyya spread quickly in Qadiriyya continued to hold semi-official status North Africa among the literate elites, influencing in Sokoto, capital of the Caliphate, the Tijaniyya to a considerable degree the religious, intellectual gradually penetrated among the political and and political life of countries such as Morocco, scholarly elites of other emirates such as Kano, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and, to a lesser Katsina and Zaria. The latter was considered to be extent, Egypt.5 The order also enjoyed some the centre of excellence in northern Nigeria for visibility in Palestine6 and Turkey.7 In West Africa, the study of Arabic literature and grammar, and it the Tijaniyya attained exceptional prominence is here that the first Tijani poems (qasa’id) in Hausa after the military Jihad of al-Hajj ‘Umar al-Futi were written by Malam Shi’itu b. ‘Abd al-Ra‘uf (d. 1864), a scholar from Futa (d. ca. 1864), a scholar born in Toro (today’s Senegal) who ‘Yandoto (Kano) into a family of ... it is here that the first Tijani poems had been nominated a khalifa Tunisian origins. He later settled (qasa’id) in Hausa were written by (representative) of the order in Zaria, where he became a Malam Shi’itu b. ‘Abd al-Ra‘uf (d. ca. by Muhammad al-Ghali, a major Tijani propagandist. 1864), a scholar born in ‘Yandoto (Kano) companion of Ahmad al-Tijani Among his students was the into a family of Tunisian origins.. whom he had met in Mecca. thirteenth emir of Zaria, ‘Ali b. The history of ‘Umar al-Futi, as ‘Abd al-Qadir (d. 1924), known well as the subsequent history of the order during as Aliyu Dan Sidi, whose elegant religious poetry the colonial time in the region that fell under of the wa’azi (admonition) genre, originally written French control (Mali, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire), is in Arabic script Hausa, has been published many well known, thanks to the attention that a number times in Latin script by the Northern Nigerian of Tijani leaders attracted by being involved first Publishing Company (NNPC; first edition 1980, in the anti-colonial fight, and later, in setting the most recent edition 2010). The most outstanding ‘accommodation’ with the Europeans that allowed Nigerian Tijani author of the nineteenth century, Islam to continue growing in West Africa under however, was ‘Umar al-Wali (d. 1897), also based colonial rule.8 in Zaria, who was a learned theologian, a mystic, a grammarian and an exceptionally skilled poet. The Tijaniyya in Nigeria His writings, all in Arabic, include poems on Due to the influence of the Qadiriyya as the astronomy, jurisprudence, theology and on such ‘official’ order of the Sokoto Caliphate in northern abstruse grammatical issues as the conditions Nigeria, during the nineteenth century, the that require the elision (ibdal) of the Arabic letter Tijaniyya remained relatively marginal in Nigeria, hamza, a topic he deemed worth dedicating an if compared to other regions of West Africa. A entire poem of 414 verses!10 Though ‘Umar al-Wali nucleus of Tijanis was established there by ‘Umar wrote on virtually every subject, he was especially al-Futi, who visited Sokoto in 1830, while he was known for his works on Sufism, among which on his way to Mecca, and then again in 1837, while feature a 582-verse poem on the diseases of the 103 THE ANNU A L REVIEW OF ISL A M IN AF R IC A • ISSUE NO. 12/1 • 2013-2014 FOCUS : MA NUSC R IP T S & LI T E rat U R E soul called al-Matlab al-nafis,11 as well as what is A few years after the death of al-‘Alami, the emir probably his most influential work, Mablagh al- of Kano Abdullahi Bayero (d. 1953) returned amani (also known as Alfiyyat al-tariq),12 a poem from his first pilgrimage to Mecca with the firm of five hundred verses on Tijani doctrines and conviction of having met the depository of the practices; this poem is still taught today by local predicted flood (sahib al-fayda) in the person of the scholars to their students.13 Senegalese scholar and mystic Shaykh Ibrahim In Kano, the main commercial centre of Niasse (d. 1975), whom he had encountered during Hausaland, the Tijaniyya rose to prominence in the the pilgrimage rites. The association of Abdullahi early twentieth century, under Bayero and Ibrahim Niasse Emir ‘Abbas (r. 1903-1919). The paved the way for the formation The revival of Sufi practices associated history of the Tijanis in the city of an organic link between the with the fayda network in Nigeria of Kano has been extensively network of Kano Tijani scholars indirectly generated also an authentic documented by John Paden in who had formerly studied under boom of Islamic literature, the likes of his important monograph.14 Mijinyawa and Salga, and the which the region had not experienced In the early 1920s, a dynamic Senegalese Sufi, whose cause since the times of the celebrated Jihad network of the order formed as the “depository of the Tijani of Shaykh Usman Dan Fodio (d. 1817).. around the students of two flood” was enthusiastically influential local scholars. The embraced by the students of first of these was Abu Bakr Mijinyawa (d. 1946), Salga starting from the late 1940s.17 Such a link who was considered to be a specialist of Sufism between Niasse and the scholars of Kano, from and who wrote, among other works, a long poem then on known as ‘Asimat al-fayda (“The capital of on the Tijaniyya known as Sullam al-diraya.15 The the [Tijani] flood”), in turn, accounts for the fast second was Muhammad Salga (d. 1938), who was spread of the fayda movement in Nigeria and the a jurist known for his reformist attitude, and neighbouring countries. who has a number of short legal treatises to his credit, as well as some works on the Tijaniyya.