Sheikh Usman Bn Fodio

Sheikh Uthman bin Fodiyo (1754–1817) was born in Maratta, in the land of Gobir, in what is today Sokoto State, Nigeria. He was born into a family widely respected for its piety, religiosity, and complete submission to the will of Allah. His father, Muhammadu Fodiyo—a title among the Fulani used to denote a highly respected and knowledgeable Islamic scholar—and his mother were his first teachers. By the age of twenty, the man revered as Shehu among the Hausa had memorized the Qur’an at a young age and had studied almost all available works on Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic sciences, and Islamic history in Hausaland. At that same age, he authored his first book, In Praise of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Over the course of his life, he wrote more than one hundred and fifteen books addressing nearly every subject of relevance and importance to the Islamic community. Throughout his life, Sheikh Uthman was driven by a strong desire to establish an Islamic Ummah based on the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him), as understood and explained by earlier Islamic scholars. A dedicated reader and prolific writer, he was deeply committed to contextualizing Islamic teachings within the social and cultural framework of Hausa society. Beyond writing, he traveled extensively to preach, listen to complaints, and respond to questions. Many of his books, poems, and pamphlets were written in direct response to issues he encountered, questions posed by his students, and criticisms raised by his opponents. …