Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: Humphrey J. Fisher, Slavery in the 

History of Muslim Black Africa (New York: New York 

University Press, 2001); Murray Gordon, Slavery in 

the Arab World (New York: New Amsterdam, 1992); 

Bernard Lewis, Race and Slavery in the Middle East: A 

Historical Enquiry (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 

1992); Shaun E. Marmon, ed., Slavery in the Islamic 

Middle East (Princeton, N.J.: Marcus Weiner, 1999).

Sokoto Caliphate

The Sokoto Caliphate was a 19th-century Islamic 

state in Hausaland (modern-day northern Nige-

ria), founded by the preacher and jihadist Shehu 

U

sman

 d

an

 F

odio

 (1754–1817). The Shehu with-

drew from and launched 

Jihad

 against the sultan-

ate of Gobir in 1804, in direct imitation of the 

prophet  m

Uhammad

’s jihad against the Arabs of 

m

ecca

. Spreading throughout Hausaland, dan 

Fodio’s jihad gained widespread support among 

Fulani tribesmen and led to the establishment of 

the largest independent African state during the 

19th century. The city of Sokoto in northwest-

ern Nigeria was designated capitol of the Fulani 

state, which united a region that had been divided 

among city-states for hundreds of years. Dan 

Fodio established a systematic government, with 

ultimate 

aUthority

 in the hands of a 

caliph

, and 

local authority divided between emirs, who were 

responsible for governing specific regions (or 

emirates). The first caliph was Dan Fodio’s son 

and military commander, Muhammad Bello, who 

succeeded his father in 1817. An electoral college 

made up of prominent officials chose later caliphs 

from among the Shehu’s descendants.

Government in the 

caliphate

 of Sokoto was 

based upon a classical Muslim model, a hierarchi-

cal system of authority, with ministries and titles 

derived from Islamic history. Islamic law (

sharia

) 

was held to be the law of the land, interpreted 

according to the m

aliki

 l

egal

 s

chool

. Supported 

by an active commercial network and thriving 

agricultural production, the caliphate was fairly 

prosperous for much of the century. Boasting a 

number of accomplished scholars, the Sokoto 

administration placed an emphasis upon educa-

tion, which even extended to women at times (for 

instance, the Shehu’s daughter, Nana Asm’u, was 

a famous scholar who promoted 

edUcation

 for 

Women

). Despite its decentralized government, 

the state held together largely due to its prosper-

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