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The Jihad And The Establishment
Of The Fulbe Emirate Of Muri
Abstract
The 1804 Jihad spearheaded by Sheikh Uthman bn Fudi (1754-1817)
paved way for the revitalization and spread of Islam in the then Central
Sudan. Among the causes of the Jihad was the socio-economic and
political unbecoming that had rocked the Hausaland which made the
people agitate for a reformation and thus, Sheikh Uthman became the
only answer. In 1812, its waves struck hard on the socio-economic and
political life of the Muri area which led to the establishment of Muri
emirate by Hamma Ruwa in 1817. With this development, the sociopolitical
and economic life of the people of the area like Jukun, Chomo,
Jenjo, Wurkun, Mumuye, Bandawa, Kunini, Yandan, was transformed
among others. Therefore, this paper looks into the socio-economic and
political impact of the Fulbe-Kiri settlement and Jihad campaigns in the
Middle-Benue valley which led to the establishment of a theocratic state
called the Muri emirate though it was initially a vassal state under
Gombe Emirate. It also examines the extent to which the establishment
of the Muri Emirate brought tremendous development to the area like
the establishment of unity among the different ethnic groups,
introduction of Islam and Islamic education to wipe out illiteracy, the
development of the peoples' economy, provision of security for
peaceful co-existence, the promotion of intercultural relations among
others.
Introduction
In 1804 the Sokoto Jihad was fought especially in the Hausaland
under the leadership of Sheikh Uthman bn Fudi (1754-1817). To further
spread the Jihad to other areas, the Sheikh distributed flags to his
students and associates as a sign of authority to also execute a Jihad in
their respective areas. The same flag was later given to Hamma Ruwa in
1812 (1817-1833) and thus, launched his Jihad in the Muri area, a
condition that paved way for the establishment of the Muri Emirate in
1817. With this development, there was a serious advancement in the
socio-economic and political life of the people of the area.
The Fulbe-Kiri and their Migration to the Muri Area
The Fulani though they prefer to be called 'Fulbe' (singular,
Pullo) have been classified into clans1. To the Bare-Bari they are known
as Fellata, and to the Mandingoes they are called by their preferred name
(Fulbe). Most Fulbe clans are named after residential areas, the persons
they intermingled with,their location, and so on. For instance, while the
Fulbe-Kiri are named after the area they occupied called Kiri, located
around the Fombina axis, the Fulbe in the far north called Waila'en were
named after the northern part of the present day Nigeria. Others being;
Dauranko'en (named after Daura), Yarima'en (named after a Borno
prince), to mention, but just a few.
It is important to note that the epoch that served as the beginning of
the Fulbe cultural transformation was in the 11th century when they
embraced Islam as a religion2. The Fulbe who adopted Islam were called
'Torobbe'. They forgo their pastoral life, settled in towns, mixed with
other Muslims, and, together with Berber and Arab clerics, formed
revered circles of scholarship. The Fulbe nomads who did not throw
away pastoralism also accepted Islam but the depth of their Islamic
knowledge was low compared to the settled ones and so also their
adherence to the do's and don'ts of Islam as a religion. Besides, the
settlement of most Fulbe clans further paved way for the transformation
of their culture which includes mode of dressing, language, ethics and
ethos, Pulaku itself, among other things. As at the time of the Sokoto
Jihad, the Fulbe could basically be classified into three groups viz.
nomads (Fulbe Na'i), semi-nomads and the settled Fulbe (Fulbe S re)3.
Scholars put forward theories about the origin of the Fulbe like
C.K. Meek who is of the view that:
The traditional first chief of the Fulani was Ilo Falagui, son of
Ham, and there is much to be said for the theory of the
Hamitic origin of this people. The physical resemblance
between the purer Fulani and representations of the proto-
Egyptians is remarkable4.
Muller on linguistic grounds classifies the Fulbe with the Naba
of the Upper Nile. Other writers believe that there is a strong relation
between the Fulbe and the Phoenicians especially as regards their
lighter skin and physique, and to most Fulbe scholars, it is believed that
they were the descendants of one of the Prophet's companions
(p.b.u.h), UqbahbnNafi5. However, there is no clear cut fact on the
origin of the Fulbe. This is also the view of Kirk-Green due to the
availability of so many theories in relation to the real origin of Fulbe
where he argues that:
The remarkable Fulani race has given rise to much scholarly
controversy as their origin, on which no definite theory has yet
been proved. One claim is that they are of the same Polynesian
stock that colonized Madagascar; another connects them with
the Zingari or gipsies of Europe and traces both races back to a
common Indian origin; while a third imaginatively relates
them to the Huksos or shepherd kings who were expelled
from Egypt about the year 1630 B.C. There is still more
fantastic hypothesis, ranging from a connexion between them
and the lost Roman Legionaries to the ascription to the Fulani
of the original colonization of Canada! Certain it is that the
lighter skin, thin lips, narrow nose, long straight hair, and
generally refined facial features of the Fulani indicate a non-
Negroid descent6.
However, various factors may contribute immeasurably to the
migration of a given people, but aversion of danger was the reason why
the Fulbe-Kiri migrated. It was said that the Kanakuru kings in Shelleng
made it compulsory for the Kiri to pay tributes in bulls and to submit to
a royal custom which gave the Kanakuru kings and princes the right to
cohabitate with any bride that was married within their territory before
she even did so with her husband. The immediate cause that set the cat
among the pigeons was when a Pullo (a Fulani man) stabbed a
Kanakuru prince to death as he wanted to have a sex with his bride.
With that incidence, it became clear to the Fulbe-Kiri that the best thing
they could do to avert attacks from the Kanakuru kings was to migrate
after all peace talks were proven abortive. From there, they split into
four migratory groups the first being under Hammadu who moved
ahead and later established a settlement at Tibati, the second under
Ngura settled at Mayo –Balwa in the present day Adamawa, the third.
Nadir A. Nasidi
The National Secretary, Youth Liberation Front
+2348033383019
The Jihad And The Establishment
Of The Fulbe Emirate Of Muri
(1817-1926).
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