Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Jos i perpective

JEP is absolutely right about the volatile textual, doctrinal, and even political relationship between the Sufi traditions and foundations of Northern Nigerian Islam and Wahabbism. Which is why the displacement of the traditional Tijanniya and Qadiriyya brotherhoods by Wahabism and, to a lesser extent, Shiism, is very disturbing. It represents the supplanting of a more pacifist, spiritual, indigenous Islamic tradition with a more fundamentalist, more political, and more bellicose foreign strain. One could argue that Wahabism has been or is being domesticated in Northern Nigeria and to some extent this has been true since at least the 1980s. But it seems that what Ali Mazrui calls "the martyrdom complex," which he locates squarely in semitic religious traditions (including Arab Islam) is being domesticated along with the traditional Wahabbi staples of condemning "innovation," modernization, Westernization, and interpretive moderation, and of promoting a literalist, decontextualized interpretation of the Islamic canons. This is what is frightening.

Cornelius, I am not sure that Boko Haram's genealogy reaches back to anti-colonial Mahdism, which I believe is what you were alluding to. Yes, Boko Haram shares Mahdism's intense disdain for "Nassara" or "mulkin Nassara" (roughly translated as European hegemony), but their methods and ideology should be situated in more contemporary impulses. 

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 10:55 PM, John Edward Philips <philips@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp> wrote:

On Jan 6, 2011, at 4:20 AM, Cornelius Hamelberg wrote:

> I do not see any conflict between Sheikh Othman Dan Fodio's writings
> on Tawhid and Wahabism – except that Wahabism does not seem to be very
> fond  of Sufism……

Sani Zaharaddin wrote a good article about that a long time ago: "Wahhabism and its Influence outside Arabia" _Islamic Quarterly_ 23 (1979) pp. 146-57.

I wrote about it myself in my dissertation. Sufism was a big issue to both the Wahhabis and Usuman Dan Fodiyo, and to say that Wahhabis are not very fond of Sufism is an understatement. When the Wahhabis took over Mecca the first time they destroyed all tombs of saints, and even argued about destroying the tomb of Muhammad. Preventing the veneration of saints and ceremonies at their tombs is a priority of Wahhabism. Usman Dan Fodiyo said that failure to venerate saints was false and an illusion according to the consensus of the scholars. It's hard to reconcile Usman Dan Fodiyo's teachings and those of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

Also, Usuman Dan Fodiyo rejected anthropomorphism in his _Usul al-Din_. As Hanbalis the Wahhabis do not reject anthropomorphism. That has nothing to do with Sufism. In fact the founder of Usman Dan Fodiyo's Sufi tariqa, the Qadiriyya, was a Hanbali lawyer.


John Edward Philips  <http://human.cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/philips/>
International Society, College of Humanities, Hirosaki University
"Homo sum; humani nihil a me alienum puto." -Terentius Afer
<http://www.boydell.co.uk/www.urpress.com/80462561.HTM>

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