Thread by @firstladyship

1. He was Fulani, a teacher, Islamic cleric & a reformer who was the leader of a revolution. But who was Usman Dan Fodio really? What does the History Books tell us about him?

Let’s take a deep dive into his life & strife to spread Islam throughout Northern Nigeria.

2. My story is set in the late 18th century. The tail end of that century was so remarkable. Marked by wars & religious upheavals around the world, Africa & indeed Nigeria, was not left out in the turmoil of that Era. In what is today much of the Sahel, a Revolution was underway.

3. It all started with the dream of a young Muslim cleric called Uthman Dan Fodio. He was a philosopher & a teacher in one of the Royal households of what is now Northern Nigeria. This Royal household was one of the Seven Kingdoms that formed the Hausa lands. READY YOUR POPCORNS

4. The 18th century was drawing to a close. “Gobir” which was one of the Seven Kingdoms in Hausa land, found itself exposed to attacks from within its walls. This was in response to the polytheistic practices of the Royal families.

5. There was this thing about the exercise of power by the Royal family that Dan Fodio found really nauseating. For instance, he frowned at the unjust taxes on pastoralists, the moral corruption: the alcohol consumption in part, & womanizing now widespread among the Royals.

6. At the root of the turmoil of his time, is the increasing spate Muslims were being sold as slaves. This is particularly so because Islamic law forbids specifically Muslims enslaving other Muslims. This had become pervasive since the rise of Transatlantic slave trade in Africa.

7. Motivated by religion, Uthman Dan Fodio began to denounce the rulers of Gobir. Then he begins to preach against all kinds of injustices, especially the malfeasance of Muslims enslaving other Muslims.

8. Now all the victims of this increasingly exploitative regime of the Hausa State, start to gather around Dan Fodio. This became a cause for worry for the rulers. Dan Fodio’s preachings led him into conflict with the King of Gobir called Yunfa (son of Nafata).

9. Then in 1801, Dan Fodio was exiled to the rural village of Degel, were his teachings would soon metamorphose into armed conflict. At the peak of the rift between the rulers of Gobir & Dan Fodio’s men, 300 of Dan Fodio’s soldiers were taken captive.

10. Now these were not just ordinary soldiers, but literate scholars, the exemplars of piety. It gets interesting because these pious soldiers were not ransomed, but sold as slaves. This was the very last straw; the tipping point that tipped the scale.

11. Uthman Dan Fodio have had enough, he didn’t want to dialogue no more. At this point, he was convinced, he had to fight. On one fateful night, a great mystic silhouette appeared in Dan Fodio’s dream. This is how Dan Fodio described the encounter;

12. “he addressed me as Iman the Saint. And commanded me to do what is approved, & forbade me from doing what is disapproved. And he gave me the Sword of Truth, so that I may advance Islamic law, & defeat the enemies of Allah.” This was his inspiration.

13. Right here, Dan Fodio claimed he was visited in the dream by no other person than the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, & the Sufi preacher - Abdul Qadir Gilani. In this dream, he was given explicit permission to fight.

14. He wasn’t going to fight until he had some kind of divine permission to do so. So at the open of the 19th century (1801-1808), Dan Fodio & his soldiers conquered all the Hausa city states. From this, they created a new state; the Sokoto Caliphate.

15. Dan Fodio now titled Emir Amir al-Mu'minin; translated into "Commander of the Believers," executed the King of Gobir. The Sokoto Caliphate is born. This was novelty; Hausa Kingdom have never been united under a single political ruler.

16. Then all of a sudden, not just the Hausa kingdom but a larger part of the neighboring Sahel, was also brought into the Sokoto Caliphate. Sokoto Caliphate was one of the largest political unit in terms of population & surface area ever created in Africa.

17. This was a complete & total Revolution. Change of status quo (up became down, down became up). A clever man Dan Fodio was; the Revolution was able to spread like wildfire because he offered freedom to the slaves of his enemies, expanding his Empire.

18. Dan Fodio was inspired by another Jihadist Revolution in the Imamate of Futa Toro (present day Senegal), led by his contemporary; Abdul Kader (almami). This theocratic Imamate of Futa Toro started in the year 1776, the same year as the American Declaration of Independence.

19. At a time, the Sokoto Caliphate was one of the most powerful empires in Africa. Founded on strict Islamic principles of morality, piety & justice, this would shape the politics of the entire region, right to this day. The caliphate was a new kind of state.

20. In the past, scholars had served as counselors to kings. But now, the scholars themselves were running things. Also note that one of the major outcomes of this revolution was that African languages become languages for scholarly production.

21. That ushered in the world of Islamic texts & manuscripts. His revolution was social, as much as it was political. It wasn’t just the jihad of the sword, but also of the heart. Women were at the center of his revolution.

22. One of the most notable figures that emerged from Usman Dan Fodio’s revolution was his daughter. She was not a warrior but a Poet. Her name was Nana Asmaʼu. Nana’s life & works are still being celebrated today.

23. The Sokoto Caliphate boosted of textiles & trade in Kola nuts (one of the stimulants allowed in Islam). Every aspect of trade was booming, including the trade in people. Now only non-Muslims were sold as slaves. But slaves could convert to Islam & be freed.

24. Yet an estimated 2 million people were kept by the Sokoto Caliphate as slaves, to work the fields. In fact at its peak, the Sokoto Caliphate had more slaves than any state in the whole of Africa. This is one of the great ironies of History, isn’t it?

25. A Revolution that began in part to correct the enslavement of Muslims, ends up leading to probably more enslavement than what had come prior to it. And even Usman Dan Fodio himself warned against the way that he saw his revolution turning.

26. But at this time, he was too old to be able to do anything about it. He said & I quote; “when we enter towns & enslave free people, know that the fire will enslave us.” The Sokoto Caliphate went on to inspire other holy wars elsewhere in West Africa.

27. There would be the domino effect; the rise of the Islamic empires of Massina (in present day Mopti & Ségou Regions of Mali), Tukulor (in present day Senegal to Timbuktu Mali), & in Northern Guinea as well.

28. This was a time of revolutions around the world. The American Revolution, French Revolution, & the Haitian Revolution. All were reactions against tyranny & inequality, leading to new definitions of justice & renaissance. Africa was not left out.

29. The Republic of Haiti & the Sokoto Caliphate were established in the same year; 1804. Dan Fodio died in 1817, at age 62. By this time he had established an Empire of some 30 Emirates administered from the seat of his Caliphate; Sokoto.

30. Dan Fodio was succeeded by his son, Muhammed Bello. By early 20th century, the Sokoto Caliphate fell to the British army in 1903 & was incorporated into its protectorate in Northern Nigeria.

31. The Caliphate is far from forgotten. Its belief systems live on through the Sultans & Emirs in the polytheistic Northern Nigeria.

32. The purpose of this thread is not to stir up any kind of tribal or religious war. This is a story retold many times already. I honestly do not like to talk Nigeria History, because people have their biases. No wonder the Goverment removed History in schools.

33. There is too much bad blood down there. My preference is China, the larger Africa, Europe & America. Divisions in Nigeria are just too much. I expect some form of backlash from those who imagine they’re the custodians of Nigeria’s History. Good or bad, I welcome all comments.

34. Telling History precisely how it happened, it shouldn’t be predicated on anyone’s comfort. Like most nations, Nigeria has been through blood & shame, nowadays ‘he’ lives in denial. But if Nigerians truly want to know their History, then it should be taught in schools. THE END