Subtle Lessons from the Revolution of Usman Danfodio

Subtle Lessons from the Revolution of Usman Danfodio

Sani Aminu

During the bicentenary celebrations of the jihad of Usman Danfodio last month, two erudite scholars Dr Bala Usman and Mallam Muhammad Haruna have dealt extensively with the importance of the revolution to Nigeria and West Africa at large in this website. In this article I shall just highlight some subtle lessons that are usually taken for granted.

The jihad was a hard struggle against well armed oppressive rulers by less armed but determined men. They jihadist endured not only lost of their dear ones and comrades but suffered from famine and lost of property. It took them a long time on at least three occasions to neutralise the threat from Alkalawa the fortified town of Gobir . The account of the battles in Muhammad Bello’s book infaqul maisur revealed that the jihad was a serious and purposeful revolution involving great sacrifices. In that we can learn the importance of determination and perseverance in struggling to ensure change.

By the end of the jihad, a nation was built stretching from Agadez in the Sahara to Ilorin at the fringe of the forest region in the South and from the Niger bend in the West to the Adamawa highlands in the East. The nation included the three most important African linguistic groupings according to the observations of Dr Bala

Usman. Included in that nation are hundreds of ethnic groups ranging from among others Azbinawa, Hausawa, Nufawa, Kanuri, Gwari, Fulani, Gara and Jukunawa.

The Jihadists took steps to de emphasize and de mystify tribalism . Incessant battles between the kingdoms was replaced with joking relationships.Thus arose mutual joking relationships between Kanuri/Fulani, Hausa/Azbinawa, Katsinawa/Nufawa, Jukunawa/Zazzagawa, Kanawa/Zazzagawa and Fulani/Tiv among others. The jihadist in this responded to the Qur’anic advice that “you are made in to families, tribes and nations so that you may know one another and that the most important among you is the one that is most God fearing”. The lesson here is that the presence of multiple ethnic groups should not prevent harmonious co existence and infact is a source of strength for a nation It is most unfortunate that these days some opportunistic murderers and cultists holding political or religious offices incite their gullible tribesmen towards ethnic cleansing.

The jihadists took serious steps towards Islamic education and other sciences for both men and women. Shehu Usman Danfodio, Abdullahi Dan fodio and Muhammed Bello wrote numerous books and poems. They also encouraged the women folk like Nana Asma’u to do the same. Infact at one time a certain cleric condemned The Jihadists for allowing women to attend their preaching sessions which Abdullahi Danfodio answered by saying that leaving them in ignorance was worse. The lesson here is that if two hundred years ago these men supported their women folk to acquire knowledge it would be a shame on us if we don’t emulate them.

They have also taken practical steps to ensure that justice based on Sharia was implemented. Gifts to rulers and judges or their family members were discouraged to prevent reoccurrence of corruption. The emphasis was on frugal life rather than opulence and arrogance.

There was so much transparency and tolerance of views among the jihadist that their arguments were documented in books. There were no mutual betrayals, threats, abductions, succession plots or mysterious assassinations. Our latter day politicians can help us a lot by emulating their behaviour.

In conclusion, Shehu Usman Danfodio, Abdullahi Danfodio, Muhammed Bello, Umaru Alqamu and a host of their comrades sacrificed and built a great nation for us whose foundations withstood even the onslaught of colonialism, the onus is on us the present generation to rebuild our nation by first of all going back to the motto of the jihadists that is “encouragement of virtue and prevention of vice” which is essentially genuine application of Sharia.