BACKGROUND
OF JIHAD
During 19th a number of reformer movement emerged in west
African states especially in western Sudan the main aim is to restore the
Islamic faith, the empire like Songhai and Bornu in western Sudan had strong
Islamic faith. The influence of Islam manifested itself differently in
different societies places that were
conquered first in the Umayyad period and went on to become Muslim
states as Tunisia, Egypt and the rest of Berber of maghrib entered the Muslim
world at an early date Islam come later through missionary work so Islam had an
ambitious as an individual or community to strive to lead a virtual life and to
extend Islamic community through jihad the wholly war which mean struggle for
the defence of Islam there three most important jihad that is the jihad of
western Sudan led by Othman danfodio,
jihad of futa jalon and jihad of masina also there other people like
ahmadou, lobbo (hamad bari ) and al hajj umar as result several states emerged
and those appeared in west Africa after 1800.
The
term jihad movement means, the struggle for the defense of Islam
or it means the wholly war struggling for the defence of islam
Jihad movement started
in the period of 19th c for the aim of restoring Islamic faith the following are the participant of this
movement the movement of western Sudan under osuman Dan fodio, ahmadou lobbo
and al hajj umar and this movement create Islamic states like sokoto masina
empire, Tunisia, Egypt, Maghreb, Songhai, Bornu and others.
After looking the
background the definitional term, participants and period started of this jihad
movements let us looking about the origin and development of jihad war in west
Africa
The war originated in
the west Africa in area like Tunisia and others like as the Muhammad saw the
land of that countries was potential in supporting the poor who flooded medina,
Hebron traditional burial place of Abraham the father of monotheism and this
situation led the Islam to conquer other states in order to extend their faith.
There three major aims
of this jihad movement this are based on
the 3 major categories religion motives political and economic motives let us
start with religion motives
To
spread and strengthening Islamic faith this is among of the
major factors which led the occurance of jihad movement they make sure that
they establish that holy war through conquered Christians and other
denomination to become muslim for example quran does suggest that god sent
prophet to established justice on the earth also for muslim religion was the
core of identity they divided the world into two section first the house of Islam
where the law of Islam prevailed and the house war which was the rest of the
world for example Fulani pastrolalist they converted from pagan ways of life
into Christian, and also hausa societies in western sudan they also converted
to be muslims. Here are the guatation written to support this point written as
follows, “as there there is one god in
heaven so there can be only one ruler on earth” pg 272. Isichei.
To
create Islamic state like futa toro, futa jalon and futa
bondu, Syria, Songhai, bornu and others this states were the product of Islamic
revolution in the 18th c those revolution was against non muslim rulers and replace them with full
Islamic states under rulers with Islamic faith who would rule by using Islamic
laws called sharia. For example the jihad in fulbe led to the also
establishment of masina Islamic state which later become part of tukolar
empire, al hajj omar a muslim preacher led the tukolar jihad. During that
period.
To use Islamic law (sharia)
to rule the state as Muslim they use that law in order to follows the Islamic
rules like those five pillars of Islam’s.
As this quotation sayyid
“The
result was the Sharia the finished version of Muslim law … was the one that to
be most respected in Muslim Africa”( Isichei p.88)
Politically
there also factors like to fight against corruption among the Hausa
ruling families who continue to corrupt each other’s so the aims of this
movements is to make sure they destroy that habit of corruption for example
imposition of taxation in Hausa in this case the Fulani were forced to pay
cattle tax to Hausa rulers something which annoyed them and made them to join
Islamic jihad.
Antocratic
and self catering of hausa the jihad united the Hausa
states politically for the first time in history for example the larger number
of hausa like adamawa, nupe, gwari and Ilorin Yoruba those become into one unit
and becoming the strongest states.
Formation
of military organization this helps them to account for the
Muslims rapid success many recruits were
recent converts to Islamic from Christian person and Berber backgrounds so
through that situation the new military towns such as Al-fustat in Egypt and Basra
in Iraq become sites from which future conquests were planned and directed they
serf guarded Muslim identity and prevented the Muslim conqueror at first a small
minority from being assimilated into the larger indigenous population as the
subject people become Muslim the army towns become also major centre’s of the
spread of Islam culture. For example most of danfodio’s were Fulani, followed by tuareq and hausa at gudu” danfodio was elected as amir al-mumin (commander of the faithful) and
proclaimed a jihad against unbelievers just as the prophet had done in medina
since danfodio was middle aged, and not a warrior but a teacher and scholar hid
lieutenants Abdulla and bello were given charge of military operations”(
okoth.p.3.)
Also economically there
some of factors which led the occurance of jihad war this is like follow’s
Heavy
taxation to Fulani tribes were cattle keepers so they have
the responsibility of pay heavy taxation
to the hausa rulers so this situations led them to join Islamic jihads in order
to make sure that that amount could be decreases by those leaders of hausa so
this condition help them to avoid that problem. This point supported by the
following quotation below,
“
Every adult male of sound mind among you shall have to pay a poll tax (jizya)
Of
one dinar in good coin at the beginning of each year…poverty does not free you
From
any obligation nor it abrogate your pact”
(Mortimer c.1995,p,280).
Fulani
want to control salt mines example bama, kuwar, and taoden so
through that situation the main aims of this jihad war is to make sure they
defeated those societies and established themselves to colonize that areas
because on that day the salt mines it seems very important and thus why they
using force through that jihad war.
Desire
to control trade and trade centres the jihad movements
also were established in order to make sure that the wealth was being obtain through uses of force for example long
distance trade makes some merchants fabulous wealth a jeweler in Baghdad
remained rich even after the caph al mugtadir trade promoted scientific
advances in navigation, ship building and cartography for example from Chinese,
Arabic sailors seem to have learned about the compass and instrument used by manners
to determine direction on the earth surface Muslim also developed the astrolabe
an instrument used by manners to determine latitude and the time day. The following are the different quotation
supported this points this are as follows,
“if god permitted the in habitants
of paradise to trade they would deal in cloth and perfyme” another quotation also supported this points written
as follows.
“As the importance of trade increased in
the western sudan from the eleventh centuary on wards, the muslim long-distance
trade carried their network of commerce south ward from desert part on the
sahel, they spread as a trade Diaspora sending out emigrants to settle at all
the principal of trade so as to be assured of trust worthy business contacts
the Arabic sources refer to all these
traders as” wangara” and by 1500 at least three separate network can be
distinguished”
Racial
affinity the jihads were supported by the virtually all pastoralists Fulani
who had a racial affinity with the town Fulani ( leader of jihad) they wanted
to take the wealth of hausa towns so this is also one of the among of the
development of jihad war in west Africa.
The haus a rulers were autocratic they were harsh they segregated Fulani pastrolalists and they could not allow
them enter their empire so this situation
led Fulani to enter their empire there fore to gain political power the
Fulani started movement through jihad by 1808 the capital of gobir was captured
where kebbi, zaria, katsina, zamfala and kano were converted to islam here
bellow are the quotation supported this point, “I will deliver you from… the Fulani who are unjust … who impose upon
you things which you can not pay” (Isichei E,p.293)
Islamic
become a unifying factors for state formation which led state formation under the Fulani rule islam
spread outside the town into the country districts or rural areas, islam become
an official rulling ideology of state the religion become strong throughout the
hausa land the “Islamic law usharia” provided the alternative model of
government with which compare and
confront their rules conversion of non believers was an essential duty of every
muslim.
Fulan
and the bambara traders and rulers control the trade after the jihad war
trade routes and trade centres attracted many more traders the wealth obtained
from some trade such as guns and iron tools help them to create large and
strong states for example sokoto, caliphate under the leader ship of osman
danfodio thus why we can see the development of west Africa caused by jihad war.
Establishment
of strong army this is due to the jihads war the ruling
class and those merchants who were rich they establish strong armies which were
responsible for conquering and absorbing the weaker states for example hausa
states and creating other strong and large states for example the sokoto
caliphate in 1846 on a preaching tour of futa toro, his home land umar followed
the example of dan fodio and ahmed bari by preaching an appealing message of
social reform here I quoted,” your are
like the unfaithful eating and drinking oppression and your chiefs violate gods
law by oppressing the weak”( okoth.p 9)
Military
aristocratic and rich merchants controlled the
production of colanuts, gold and slaves
those labours which were captured they should be able to work on producing
colanuts , extracting gold and so on they contributed much to the rise and
consolidation of strong Islamic states for example sokoto and mandika.
Emergence
of strong leader like mushin mujahiddina this leaders
managed to create a new states under their leadership like futa-djalon in
guinea in 1725 and the sokoto caliphate states turned from the religious
reformers into a rulling class
Islamic
become an official ruling religion and Islamic ideology
was used as tools to be followed, Islamic religion was purified and strong
throughout the Hausa land, Islam and
literacy spread more widely through the population and the unity of Islam bring
an endless process to the destructive wars of inter states rivalry. Here are
the quotation supported this points “Islam
was seen as the final revelation, completing the message that God had partially
conveyed through the Hebrew prophets and jesus”( Mortimer C,p 201)
It
led to the consolidation of feudalism this was the mode of
production where by the owner of the land become fable (Fulani) and other paid
rent or feudal rent to the ruling class here are the examples written that” production was expanded by extending the
irrigation system and introducing year –around cultivation. Cotton had, we are
told, a great advantage from the view point of the ruling class the fact that
it could not be eaten by the peasant’s” (Isichei E,1997,p.280.)
Islamc
education was given to spread low and order this gave the
birth to strong political organization and a great deal of progress was made in
trade this trade activities flourished
in differents parts and kano in
particular become a major market centre. So due to that reasons there some
quotation supported this points this is as follows,
“They
were inspired to battle by the prophets promise of vast rewards to those who
died in the holy war against the non believers” (Mortimer C, p,202)
CONCLUSION
To
sum up the the above points mentioned those written is short summary about the
jihad the holy Islamic war which were used in order to strength the Islamic faith and also this war
contributed much to the development in west Africa politically, economically
and also at the religious motives and it seemed that some of the weaker
societies were conquered become stronger societies were conquered become
stronger societies
REFFERENCE
Isichei
Elizabeth ,( 1997) A history of African
societies to 1870, great Britain university press,combridge.
Jerry
H Bentley et al, (2008) Traditions and Encounters a global perspectives on
the past USA.
Mortimer
chambers et al,(1995) The western experience mcgrawhill NEWYORK.
Okoth
Assa, ( 2006) vol 1, A history of Africa 1800-1914 East African educational
publishers Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es salaam.
Steven
House et al, (2001) Essentials of western civilization History of european
society, wadsworth USA.
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