Sufi Islamic Discourse in Africa: From the Greatest Jihad to the Establishment of the African Caliphate

Abstract

In the nineteenth century, African Muslim societies were marked by the emergence of a reformist Sufi Islamic discourse aimed at changing and moving away from traditional Islamic practices. Although this discourse was influenced, to some extent, by external sources of inspiration, it was linked to the local African context. This study demonstrates that the reformist discourse of major Sufi figures such as Sheikh Amadu Bamba in Senegal and Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio in Nigeria reflects a number of common features of Islamic reform in Africa, yet their reform programs were shaped by the conditions of the local context. This research contribution aims to understand the actual role that the discourse of Sufi spirituality played—and still does—in the religious, economic, and political life of Muslim societies in Africa. This study has shown that despite the prevailing belief that Sufi discourse does not tend to politicize as it tries to maintain a safe distance away from matters of politics and governance in order to achieve its message of moral and spiritual purity, it may turn into violent radicalism as embodied by the jihadist Sufi experience in West Africa.

Sufism and Politics: Internalization of Political Piety in Young Sufi in Indonesia

“…Such attitudes emerged from their deep belief in the teachings of Islam (Salamah-Qudsi, 2020). This attitude is not inconsistent with their religious beliefs, but shows how strong and true their faith is that it is able to penetrate the heart of other religions (Hassan, 2020).…”

Sufi Feminism

“…Thus, members of the al-Mirghani family held prominent positions throughout the colonial period as judges, translators, and religious leaders. The Khatmiyya's ability to accommodate Italian authorities Journal of Religion in Africa 53 (2023) 1-30 by creating a relatively safe space for their own Islamic religious and civic institutions mirrored similar processes that Sufi leaders undertook throughout Islamic Africa during the colonial era, most notably the Tijaniyya, Qadiriyya, and Mouridiyya in West Africa under French rule (Hassan 2020). This was true even among Khatmiyya leaders who had crossed into British-ruled Sudan.…”

“…Women and the Achievement of Cultural Independence Amadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouridiyya order, often referenced the importance of the Muslim community's cultural independence from French cultural hegemony (Hassan 2020). He did not oppose colonialism by adopting the Islamic duality of the outside world as the realm of unbelief on the one hand and the realm of Islam on the other.…”

“…A disciple in Sufism is someone who follows a spiritual guide (murshid) (Gemmeke 2011). 6 Shaykh Othman wrote a treatise urging women's education, the 'Kitab Tanbih Al-Ikhwan Ala Jawaz Ittikhaz Al-Majlis li Taalim Al-Niswan' [A Treatise Alerting the Brethren to the Permissibility of Holding Sessions to Educate Women on Religion] (printed in Sokoto, n.d.), in which he defended women's right to educate themselves about religious matters (Hassan 2020). 7 Nana Asma ʾu's sociocultural environment was heavily patriarchal, which should have hampered her intellectual pursuits.…”

“…The shaykhs would subsequently assume a position of reverence according to which their disciples would show them the highest signs of obedience and loyalty, seeking blessings from them and making supplications. Thereafter crowds of people wishing to adopt Islam flocked to the shaykhs, causing great changes in African societies, particularly in women's dress, work, and travel (Hassan 2015). Although these societies established prominent spiritual roles for Muslim women, research on them is limited (Helminski 2003).…”