The Sakkwato Caliphate: Beyond A Jamboree

By

Muttaqa Yushau 

myushau@yahoo.co.uk 

Having reached 200 years of the Sakkwato jihad in the year 2004.The Sakkwato jihad that was spearheaded by Shehu Othman Ibn Fodio was a watershed in the development of Islam in Nigeria and beyond. The jihad that succeeded in ushering in to the northern and western Nigeria had revolutionalised the society against evil doing, and enjoin it to the right track (amr bil ma'aruf wa nahyi anil munkar). 

This paper intends to look at the legacy bequeathed by the Sakkwato caliphate, the challenges ahead of our contemporary society, particularly in the academic cycle, the dare need for documentation of the works of such eminent Islamic scholars for proper dissemination of their message, as well as reflecting in our contemporary life that is enmeshed in psychological holocaust, economic penury, moral erosion, political mischief, religious bigotry, intolerance and educational degradation. LEGACY OF THE CALIPHATE knowledge: knowledge has been the cornerstone of the Sakkwato caliphate. 

The writings of Shehu Othman Ibn Fodio, his daughter nana Asmau, the writings of Muhammad Bello, Abdullahi IBN Fodio, has been written extensively in the areas of Islamic Jurisprudence, Tafsir (Qur'anic exegeses) medicine (adib),and politics. This showcases the relevance of knowledge before any action, which corresponds with saying of (al ilm qablal qaul wal amal) i.e. knowledge before action. Dogmatism and blind adherence is ultimately frowned and boycotted by the jihad's leaders, Qur'an and Sunnah should serve as the basis of the religion and any innovation that will subvert the cardinal principle of the religion,( Islam) should be jettisoned. Daawah: the propagation of Islamic religion as enjoin by Allah “call unto the way of your lord with wisdom and good preaching” Calling people to the way of Allah has been implicit in the Jihad movement, which subsequently resulted in to the penetration of various communities in Nigeria, and eventually succeeded in the institutionalisation of Islam This brings us to the fact that so long as we claim to be the emulators of Shehu Othman Ibn Fodio, we should not relent in our effort in spreading the way of Allah, and not allowing sect affiliation to affect the way we preach Islam. 

Tolerance and respect of each other is paramount. The task ahead of the Muslim community in Nigeria is beyond identifying our selves with a given religious group, be it: Tijjaniya, Izala, Qadriyya, etc rather attempt should be geared toward harmonising our differences. Capitalisation and argument on trivial issues should not be in the trajectory of our consideration. However , my heart bleeds whenever I heard of an Islamic scholar insulting one another all in the course of Daawah which subsequently resulted in to further divisions among the ummah, as well as compounding antagonism. If Shehu Othman and co were to live by such a trend the development of Islam in the caliphate would have been a mere utopian mission. 

The quest for knowledge has become incumbent, for us to appreciate the almighty Allah, and continue to live by the virtue of his injunctions and the Sunnah of his noble Prophet. “in a world where knowledge is the greatest capital, perhaps no one needs to be told to search for knowledge. This is more so when one is a Muslim whose first word of revelation was the command to read! The regeneration of our decaying society is something that can only be done with knowledge” Bugaje 1996: 6 www.salam\knowledge\w society. The challenges posses by the Sakkwato caliphate to the contemporary Muslims in Nigeria are enormous, this paper is just an incomplete alphabet in the vocabulary of challenges the Sakkwato caliphate owe to our society. 

THE CHALLENGES IN THE ACADEMIC CYCLE 

The second aspect of the challenge has to do with our Muslim intelligentsia, in the Universities, and higher institution of learning, to expose their students particularly those in the final years to inculcate Sakkwato caliphate philia in their mind, so that they can write their final thesis on any issue of concern, which could in turn enrich the literature and documentation, there by supporting the efforts of Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu Dr Usman Bugaje, Dr Yusuf Adamu, Ibrahim Sheme and the rest. We have really come of age of dewestenising our academic exercise by writing on things that lack root and respect in our immediate society, it is a petty us when asked about Shehu Othman Ibn Fodio, the answer is either not knowing him, and what He does, or that of regarding his ideas as ancient, academic imperialism had really distorted our thinking. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for our Muslim intelligentsia particularly those in Education Arts and Social Sciences in our universities to incorporate the teachings of the Sakkwato caliphate in some of the relevant topics, and discuss it with high passion. 

DOCUMENTATION 

The argument in this aspect goes in line with the suggestion forwarded by Dr Yusuf Adamu: to initiate a Sakkwato caliphate trust fund, with the aim of earmarking funds to produce and publish the works of the caliphate, which could be seen as a way of perpetuating with the Daawah mission. For us to be true disciple of Shehu we have to live by his exemplary life. This is a clarion call that is supposed to be answered by all the stake holders, ranging from our royal Fathers, the academia, business sector, civil society, students, and above all the Ulama. The teaching of history and social studies in our primary and secondary schools could be aided through this documentation, by teaching the pupils moral values bequeathed by the caliphate and their works that cat across various human endeavor, so that they will know more about the reality of our society, as argued by Cabral” we have to understand the reality of our land, it is the reality that defines man not man defining the reality, and wherever our heads might be our feet must be planted in the ground. 

The task ahead is to understand our reality, the Sakkwato caliphate , define it propagate it, and live by its teachings for the development and reinvigoration of the Islamic Ideals, the restoration upliptement of the teachings of Shehu Othman Ibn Fodio and co, which has become a responsibility upon our shoulders. The 200 years of Sakkwato jihad should be seen as a beacon of hope, to rekindle the light of the Sakkwato caliphate rather than a mere “jamboree” for the purpose of celebration and showcasing worldly materials. Islam is beyond jamboree, Islam believes in action, “Al Islam amalun” rather than a mere showing of excitement. In conclusion, the challenges posed by Sakkwato caliphate to the contemporary Muslims in Nigeria is beyond explanation, we have to wake up from our slumber to propagate Islam with wisdom tolerance, and full understanding of each other, and try to wipe out the negative connotation level against Islam, which was in most cases as a result of the behavior of Muslims. “may Allah help us”