Modibbo Raji

Modibbo Raji (Muhammad Raji b Ali b Abubakar, born c. 1790) was a 19th century Fulani Islamic scholar who was part of the community of Usman Dan Fodio, founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, and his brother Abdullahi dan Fodio.[1] After a long career as a teacher, Qadi, Naib (deputy Imam) and Wazir (vizier) in the Gwandu Emirate under his mentor Abdullahi dan Fodio and his successors, Modibbo Raji emigrated in the 1850s and eventually settled in Adamawa.[2] He is generally regarded as the founder of the Islamic scholarly tradition in Adamawa as well as one of the earliest exponents of the Tijjaniyya Islamic sect in the Sokoto Caliphate. He died c. 1865 and was buried in Yola leaving behind his writings both in Arabic and Fulfulde, and a large scholarly community of his sons, daughters, students and associates.[1]

Modibbo Raji
Born
Muhammad Raji b Ali

c. 1790
Maratta, Gobir, present-day Republic of Niger.
Diedc. 1865
Yola
Resting placeYola
Years active1815-65
ChildrenAbubakar (Alfa), Usman (Baba Modibbo), Mustafa (Ba Dikko), Ahmad (Ba Sambo), Murtala (Baba Girei), Isa (Gaji), Amina, Zainab (Goggo Abu), Asma'u (Goggo Nana), Fatima (Goggo Zahra'u), Hajara (Goggo Hamdalla), Maimuna (Goggo Muna), Hafsat (Goggo Peto)
Parents
  • Ali b Abubakar (father)
  • Rabi'ah (mother)

Early life and time in Gwandu

Modibbo Raji was born in Maratta (in present-day Republic of Niger) to Aliyu Ibn Abubakar who had moved from Zinder to join the community of Usman dan Fodio which was at the time based in Maratta.[1] His mother Rabi’ah was dan Fodio’s cousin.[2] He was taught the Quran as a little boy by his mother after which he obtained advanced Islamic education under both Usman and Abdullahi Fodio. The latter remained his teacher and mentor until death. The community subsequently moved to Degel (in present-day Sokoto State, Nigeria) where Modibbo Raji continued his early education. He was 14 years old at the start of Usman Dan Fodio’s Jihad. With the establishment of Gwandu Emirate, he went to live there under his teacher Abdullahi dan Fodio, who gave him his daughter in marriage.[2] He rose to become a teacher in Abdullahi Fodio’s school and a Qadi under Abdullahi’s successor Emir Muhammad (1829-35). He was the deputy or Naib of Emir Muhammad’s successor Emir Ibrahim Khalil (1835-60).[2] A few years after the death of Abdullahi dan Fodio in 1828, Modibbo Raji was initiated into the Tijjaniyya Islamic sect by al-Hajj Umar al-Futi. However, he initially kept his membership of the sect secret because the Sokoto establishment at the time belonged to the Qadiriyya sect. He didn’t reveal his allegiance to the Tijjaniyya until he had retired from his public roles c. 1848.[1]

Migration to Adamawa
Sokoto Caliphate, 19th century

Modibbo Raji decided to emigrate during the reign of the Emir Khalil, a decision that may have partly emanated from his initiation into the Tijjaniyya sect.[1] Another possible reason is his increasing disillusionment with what was in his view, the setting of decadence in the Caliphate which he clearly alluded to in his Fulfulde poem Alaamaaji Ngirbuki (Signs of Collapse).[3] After openly acknowledging his membership of Tijjaniyya, Modibbo Raji sought permission from the Emir Khalil to emigrate. His intention was to travel to the Holy Land, perform the Hajj and eventually settle on the banks of the Nile. The Emir Khalil was initially opposed to the plan but later came around to grant permission.[4] In c. 1855, accompanied by most of his family members, his students and their families, Modibbo Raji left Gwandu and travelled eastwards through Katsina and Kano where he met his new companions (who were Islamic scholars in their own right) like Modibbo Nakashiri, Modibbo Sufyanu and Malam Muhammad Na Gano who either travelled with him or joined him later in Yola. On arrival in Yola, Modibbo Raji was warmly welcomed by the emir Lamido Muhammad Lauwal who sought to discourage him from proceeding to the East. The Lamido granted a piece of land just south of Yola for Modibbo Raji and his companions to settle, a location that has now grown into the settlement of Wuro Modibbo.[5] Two years later, in c. 1857, Modibbo Raji left Yola to continue his eastward journey. In the 1980s, his descendants built a school in his memory at Wuro Modibbo.

Stay in Kalfou
German map showing Adamawa Emirate in 1890 (upper right)

At the eastern boundary of Adamawa Emirate, Modibbo Raji was unable to continue his journey because of troubles in the Sultanate of Bagirmi in the present-day Republic of Chad. He therefore remained in the sub-emirate of Kalfou (in the present-day Far North Region of Cameroon) and founded the settlement of Dinawo (religious town) while waiting for the return of peace to Bagirmi to continue his journey.[1] In the 19th century, Muslim scholars commanded large personal following distinct from those of the rulers in whose territory they settled. The community that he had founded in the Kalfou sub-emirate was distinct by virtue of its Tijjaniyya inclination. This was a source of worry for the then ruler of Kalfou Lamdo Koiranga who appealed to Lamido Lauwal at Yola for a solution. The Lamido then prevailed on Modibbo Raji to return to Yola after a sojourn of several years in Dinawo.[1]

Return to Yola and death

Modibbo Raji returned to Yola and was housed near the residence of the head of the Lamido’s palace guards (Sarkin Dogarai). It was there that he died seven months later at the age of 75 in c. 1865. He was buried inside the residence, the site of which has remained a family burial ground (Hubbare) up to the present day.[5]

Legacy

Modibbo Raji was one of the foremost Islamic scholars in Gwandu Emirate in its early years and later, in Adamawa Emirate. He was also one of the pioneer leaders of Tijjaniyya in the Sokoto Caliphate, being one of its earliest initiates in the area.[6] In addition to his teaching, judicial and administrative careers, he was also renowned for his writings (in Arabic and Fulfulde) in a literary career that lasted for almost 60 years from 1806 up to his death in 1865.[2] Upon his death, his sons and companions moved out of Yola to settle in and around the nearby town of Girei where they established the most prominent Islamic scholastic community of their time.[1] His sons include Modibbo Usmanu (Baba Modibbo), Modibbo Abubakar (Alfa), Modibbo Murtala (Baba Girei), Modibbo Ahmadu (Ba Sambo), Modibbo Musdafa (Badikko) and Modibbo Isa (Gaji).[5] His companions Modibbo Nakashiri[7] and Modibbo Sufyanu were also high-ranking members of the Girei scholastic community. One of his students Muhammad Tanu Mo’ililal was a prominent Islamic scholar and writer in the later part of the 19th century in Yola.[8] Modibbo Nakashiri’s daughter Amina a.k.a. Inna Jangirde (1877-1947), a descendant of Modibbo Raji on her mother's side, was a noted scholar in Yola who once taught prominent members of the ruling house of Adamawa.[7] Some of Modibbo Raji's daughters were noted Quranic teachers who ran schools for children. They also conducted Quranic Tafsir for women. The most learned among them were Zainabu, Asmaú and Hafsatu.[9]

Modibbo Raji’s grandchildren like Modibbo Dahiru (later known as Galadima Dahiru) were also noted for Islamic scholarship.[10] Dahiru, along with his cousin Muhammadu Girei (later known as Sardauna) and Mallu Hamman (later known as Waziri Mallu Hamman) were the first natives of Adamawa to undergo Western education when they were sent by the provincial administration in 1911 to attend the new school run by Hanns Vischer (Dan Hausa) in Kano.[10] Upon his return from Kano, Dahiru became the first Native Treasurer in the then Yola Province. Later in 1919, he was appointed by Lamido Muhammad Abba as the fourth Galadima of Adamawa,[10] a title that has now remained with the descendants of Modibbo Raji for over 100 years.[11] Other descendants of Modibbo Raji were appointed as district heads of Chubunawa (Sardauna Muhammadu Girei),[12] Maiha (Sardauna Muhammadu Girei),[12] Ga’anda (Usman Muqaddas), Mambilla (Usman Muqaddas)[13] and Madagali (Dan Galadima Dahiru Aminu) at various times in the early to mid-20th century. Galadima Aminu, a grandson of Modibbo Raji, was one of the longest serving senior councillors in Adamawa Emirate.[14] He held the post of Galadima Adamawa from 1921 to 1967 during which he also doubled as the District Head of Yola (including Jimeta) between 1934 and 1958.[15][16]

Later descendants of Modibbo Raji have played prominent roles in the civil service, politics, military, business, academia and various professions in post-independence Nigeria. In their home state of Adamawa, his hundreds of descendants are found mainly in Yola South, Yola North, Girei, Mayo Belwa, Gombi and Song local government areas. Over a century of intermarriage among the descendants of Modibbo Raji and those of his companions Modibbo Nakashiri, Modibbo Sufyanu and Malam Muhammad Na Gano[9] has created a large, unified community of descendants referred to as the Fulbe Hausa, which means the Fulani who came from Hausaland.[17]

Prominent descendants
Yola horsemen in 1955
  • Modibbo Usmanu (son) – the most prominent member of the late 19th century group of Islamic scholars known by historians as the Girei Ulama.[18] Apart from being a noted scholar and teacher, he held the posts of Chief Qadi of Girei and Chief Imam of Girei central mosque. As Chief Qadi, he was in charge of the northern sub-emirates of Adamawa from Maroua down to Ngaoundere. He died in 1906, a few years after the establishment of colonial rule. Among his students were Modibbo Girei Ahmadu,[19] a onetime judicial member of the Lamido's Council and Alkali Hamma Joda,[20] a onetime Chief Qadi of Yola.
  • Modibbo Murtala (son) – noted scholar and onetime Chief Qadi of Girei.[21] He died in 1915.
  • Galadima Dahiru - v.s.
  • Modibbo Mu’azu (grandson) – prominent Islamic scholar in the Girei area in the first half of the 20th century.
  • Sardauna Muhammadu Girei (grandson) - former district head of Chubunawa (Michika/Moda) and later, Maiha.[12]
  • Galadima Aminu - v.s.
  • Galadima Usman Muqaddas (grandson) – school teacher, District Head of Ga’anda[11] and Mambilla[13] and later, Galadima of Adamawa.
  • Dan Galadima Dahiru Aminu (great-grandson) - onetime District Head of Madagali.
  • Waziri of Gwandu Umaru Nasarawa and family – descendants of Modibbo Raji's daughter Fadimatu.[22]
  • Galadima Bello Ahmad (grandson) - former Arabic Visiting Teacher of Adamawa Native Authority,[23] Producer of Islamic Programmes at NBC Radio, Kaduna, Upper Area Court judge and Galadima of Adamawa.[11] During his time at NBC, Galadima Bello started the radio broadcast of the famous tafsir of Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi in 1966.[24]
  • Alhaji Aliyu Girei (great-grandson) - Visiting Teacher, Adamawa Native Authority, first Chairman, Song Local Government Council.
  • Galadima Murtala Aminu (great-grandson) - lawyer, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Gongola State and Galadima of Adamawa 1984-2011.
  • Ambassador Bello Maiha (great-grandson) - diplomat and former Chairman of the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission for Co-operation.
  • Alhaji M.C. Dahiru (great-great-grandson) - civil servant and businessman.
  • Qadi Muhammad Raji Usman (Bamanga), great-grandson. Teacher, Qadi (Sharia Court of Appeal), Mubi and Yola.
  • Mallam Muhammad Aminu Usman (Babba), great-grandson. Divisional Officer (DO), Ningi, Toro, Gashaka/ Mambila and Bade Divisions, North Eastern State, Nigeria. Executive Secretary, Local Government Service Commission, Gongola State, Nigeria.
  • Alhaji Ahmed Usman (great-grandson) - onetime Company Secretary, Northern Nigerian Development Corporation (NNDC) Kaduna.
  • Alhaji Sa’adu Aminu (great-grandson) - former Director, Gongola State Board of Internal Revenue and former Commissioner, National Assembly Service Commission.
  • Major Aliyu Tahir (Retd) – soldier, school principal and former Chairman, Yola Local Government.
  • Alhaji Muhammad Aminu (great-grandson) - former Registrar, Federal University of Technology, Yola.
  • Alhaji Bello Raji - former Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice of Gongola State, Nigeria. Former Company Secretary, Nigerian Agricultural and Co-operative Bank Limited.
  • Major Aminu Dahiru (Retd) (great-great-grandson) - soldier, businessman and politician.
  • Galadima Aliyu Raji (great-grandson) - Qadi of Sharia Court, Adamawa State and Galadima of Adamawa.
  • Galadima Mustapha Aminu (great-grandson) - former polytechnic administrator and Galadima of Adamawa.
  • Alhaji Abdulrahman Usman Raji - retired aeronautical engineer at Nigeria Airways, DAS Air Cargo and Max Air.
  • Hajiya Aisha Dahiru-Umar – Acting Director-General of National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Abuja, Nigeria.
  • Prof Zaliha’u Bello Ahmed (great-granddaughter) - Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
  • Dr Aminu Raji (great-great-grandson) - former Provost, Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology, Baga and Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology, New Bussa. Former Executive Director, National Institute of Freshwater Fisheries Research, New Bussa.
  • Prof Khadija H. Mahmoud - Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
  • Hajiya Aisha Mana (great-great-granddaughter) - former First Lady of Plateau State, Nigeria.
  • Maj. Gen. Halilu Galadima Aminu (Retd) (great-grandson) – soldier, former Defence Attache, High Commission of Nigeria, London, former Commandant Nigerian School of Military Engineering, Makurdi, Nigeria.
  • Hajiya Maisaratu Bello Ahmed (great-granddaughter) - retired permanent secretary, Adamawa State, Nigeria and businesswoman.
  • Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello (great-great-grandson, matrilineal) – Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
  • Dr Bappa Usman Amin (great-great-grandson)- Former Manager NACB, Yola, Jalingo, Keffi and Katsina.
  • Captain (Rtd) Kabir Aminu (great-great-grandson)- Former Deputy Director of Security Services, Nigeria LNG.
  • Dr Abdulrahman Umar Mukhtar - Chief Consultant Pathologist, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
  • Hon. Sa’ad M.C. Dahiru – businessman, former Member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria and former Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Nigeria.
  • Alhaji Ahmed Galadima Aminu (great-grandson) – General Manager, Education & Training, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Abuja, Nigeria.
  • Dr Sani Aminu (great-great-grandson)- Consultant Urological Surgeon, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, UK. Director of Uroandrol Services Ltd, UK.
  • Hajiya Fai’za Abubakar Ahmed (great-granddaughter) – Registrar, Federal College of Education (FCE), Yola, Nigeria.
  • Prof Abdulrahman Tahir – radiologist, former Chief Medical Director, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria.
  • Prof Mustapha Bello Ahmed - Department of Paediatrics, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
  • Prof Muhammad Chubado Tahir - Department of Surgery, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
  • Alhaji Sa'ad Tahir - onetime Chairman of Song Local Government Area.
  • Alhaji Mu’azu Hassanu Raji – Comptroller of Customs for Borno/Yobe States Command, Nigeria.
  • Alhaji Abdurrahman Raji - Dan Galadima of Girei, politician and former Special Assistant to the governor of Adamawa State.

Writings[2]

Fulfulde
  • Laamii'do mo hawtaaka nusal
  • Alaamaaji ngirbuki
  • Finndin daanii'do
  • Ter'de juul'de
  • Yah gi'do am
  • Yimre furuu'a
  • Yimre yeyraa'be
  • Shenii'do Raji

Arabic
  • Ajwiba
  • Irshad al-habib ila maqasid al-labib
  • Kitab al-jawab
  • Lubab al-din
  • Al-Qal sa’adat al-mar li-husn al-fal
  • Qasidah mimiyya fi ‘l-tasawwuf
  • Tahdhir al-Su'adah al-Fa'izin min Ittaiba al-Ashqiya al-Khasirin
  • Risala ila amir Gwandu Khalil
  • Wasiyya

Modibbo Raji's letter to Waziri of Sokoto Abdul-Qadir b. Gidado (1842-1859)[26]

In the name of God the Merciful and the Compassionate, may the blessing of
God be upon the noble Prophet and his followers in the path of the upright
religion.

From the slave of God Muhammadu Raji b. Ali to the emir of affairs, the wali
of advice, the Wazir, the son of our noble sister Asma' the daughter of the Sheikh,
most perfect peace and most perfect greetings and respect.

This is to let you know our news and that we, praise be to God, are well and in
good health. We have reached the land of the Imam Adama peacefully in regard
to both our religious and worldly affairs, all through your blessing (baraka).
And indeed your messenger, the emir Kassan had exerted himself to fulfill your
wishes and obey your commands, so much so that he executed all your instructions.
We are grateful to you and him. May God place you on the Day of Resurrection
among the leading or chosen people.

Next, convey our greetings to the amir-al-mu'minin (Ali b. Bello 1842-59) and
convey to him our prayer and gratitude - may God increase his greatness and
sovereignty. Indeed he has brought all of us under his authority through his bounty;
verily, his Blessings never allowed us to be thirsty or hungry - praise be to God.

Next, I have learnt from numerous reports that the route to the Holy Places is
impossible except through association with and befriending the unbelievers and
obeying their orders all the way from here to the Holy Places. I did not accept
bargaining with my religion in this manner though a number of the Ulama have
done so. In fact, our Sheikh b. Fodiyo said "To have association with a Kafir
- unbeliever, who is immoral and oppressive, is a sin even if done only outwardly."
Because of this, I turned to the right-handside and stayed in the land of
Lawal b. Adama.

Further reading
  • Abba, I. Alkali. "Islam in Adamawa in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries." M.A. Thesis, ABU, 1976
  • Abubakar, Sa'ad. "The Foundation of an Islamic Scholastic Community in Yola." Paper presented at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Seminar, ABU, 1972
  • Muhammad Tanu Mo'ililal. Faya Fukarabe (a eulogy on Modibbo Raji's death), NHRS, ABU Zaria
  • Kirk-Greene A.H.M., Adamawa Past and Present, (London, 1958)
  • Strumpell, Kurt. History of Adamawa according to oral tradition. In: Special print from messages from the Geographical Society in Hamburg. Volume 26, Hamburg 1912
gollark: Just optimize all programs which print the word "bees".
gollark: LyricLy will probably release a Macron interpreter soon enough for me to do this, right?
gollark: I was thinking I might compile to Macron.
gollark: Macron.
gollark: Just make a self-extracting shell script archive containing the Python interpreter and your code.

See also

References
  1. Abubakar, Sa'ad (2008). Lamibe Fombina: A History of Adamawa Emirate, 1809-2008. Ibadan: Book Wright Nigeria (Publishers). pp. 213–217. ISBN 978-245-744-2.
  2. Hunwick, John (1994). Arabic Literature of Africa: The writings of central Sudanic Africa Vol.2. Volume 13. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. pp. 434–436. ISBN 9004104941.
  3. Bobboyi, Hamid (2008). Ajami literature and the study of the Sokoto Caliphate. In: S. Jeppie, SB Diagne (Eds). The Meanings of Timbuktu. Cape Town, South Africa: HSRC Press. p. 130. ISBN 0796922047.
  4. Last, DM (1967). Literature of the North: Additions to the collection of Manuscripts on Microfilm at Zaria 1966-67. Zaria: Northern History Research Scheme, Second Interim Report. pp. 31 ff.
  5. Raji, AM. (1978). The life and career of Modibbo Muhammad Raji B. Ali 1790-1862. B.A. Thesis. Bayero University, Kano.
  6. Njeuma, MZ (2012). Fulani Hegemony in Yola (Old Adamawa) 1809-1902. Bamenda, Cameroon: Langaa RPCIG. p. 97. ISBN 9956726958.
  7. Hunwick, John (1994). Arabic Literature of Africa: The writings of central Sudanic Africa Vol.2. Volume 13. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. pp. 437. ISBN 9004104941.
  8. Abubakar, Sa'ad (2008). Lamibe Fombina: A History of Adamawa Emirate, 1809-2008. Ibadan: Book Wright Nigeria (Publishers). pp. 212. ISBN 978-245-744-2.
  9. Abubakar, Sa'ad (2008). Lamibe Fombina: A History of Adamawa Emirate, 1809–2008. Ibadan: Book Wright Nigeria (Publishers). pp. 366. ISBN 978-245-744-2
  10. Tukur, MM (2016). British Colonisation of Northern Nigeria, 1897-1914. A Reinterpretation of Colonial Sources. Dakar, Senegal: Amalion Publishing. p. 486. ISBN 9782359260465.
  11. Abubakar, Sa'ad (2008). Lamibe Fombina: A History of Adamawa Emirate, 1809-2008. Ibadan: Book Wright Nigeria (Publishers). pp. 432. ISBN 978-245-744-2
  12. Abubakar, Sa'ad (2008). Lamibe Fombina: A History of Adamawa Emirate, 1809-2008. Ibadan: Book Wright Nigeria (Publishers). pp. 407. ISBN 978-245-744-2
  13. Hare, John (2013). Last Man In. The End of Empire in Northern Nigeria. Kent, UK: Neville & Harding. p. 102. ISBN 9780948028038.
  14. Njeuma, MZ (2012). Fulani Hegemony in Yola (Old Adamawa) 1809-1902. Bamenda, Cameroon: Langaa RPCIG. p. 240. ISBN 9956726958.
  15. Abubakar, Sa'ad (2008). Lamibe Fombina: A History of Adamawa Emirate, 1809-2008. Ibadan: Book Wright Nigeria (Publishers). pp. 410. ISBN 978-245-744-2
  16. "Yola district gets new ruler". Blueprint. August 19, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  17. Tukur, MM (2016). British Colonisation of Northern Nigeria, 1897-1914. A Reinterpretation of Colonial Sources. Dakar, Senegal: Amalion Publishing. p. 512. ISBN 9782359260465.
  18. M. Abba, A. Fari, Y. Wali. The role of Girei Ulama in sustaining the government and administration of the emirate of Fombina 1809-1901. In S. Abubakar (Ed). Papers on Nigerian History, Vol.1, Abuja 1996, p. 69.
  19. Abubakar, Sa'ad (2008). Lamibe Fombina: A History of Adamawa Emirate, 1809-2008. Ibadan: Book Wright Nigeria (Publishers). pp. 301. ISBN 978-245-744-2
  20. Njeuma, MZ (2012). Fulani Hegemony in Yola (Old Adamawa) 1809-1902. Bamenda, Cameroon: Langaa RPCIG. p. 112. ISBN 9956726958.
  21. Abubakar, Sa'ad (2008). Lamibe Fombina: A History of Adamawa Emirate, 1809-2008. Ibadan: Book Wright Nigeria (Publishers). pp. 301-302. ISBN 978-245-744-2
  22. Tukur, MM (2016). British Colonisation of Northern Nigeria, 1897-1914. A Reinterpretation of Colonial Sources. Dakar, Senegal: Amalion Publishing. p. 440, 514. ISBN 9782359260465.
  23. Hamid Bobboyi, Alkasum Abba (2009). Adamawa Emirate 1901-1965, A Documentary Source Book. Abuja: Centre for Regional Integration. p. 163. ISBN 9789789011308.
  24. Abubakar Gumi, Ismaila Tsiga (1992). Where I stand. Ibadan: Spectrum Books. p. 131. ISBN 9782461512.
  25. "Ahmed Joda". Nigerian Wiki.
  26. Hamid Bobboyi, Alkasum Abba (2009). Adamawa Emirate 1809-1901, A Documentary Source Book. Abuja: Centre for Regional Integration. pp. 150–152. ISBN 9789789011292.
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