A Historical Study of the Doctrine of Diganci And Digawa Religious Group of Danzomo in Gumel Emirate, 1979-2010.
ABSTRACT
This study is about the Digawa Muslims of Danzomo town in Sule Tankarkar Local Government of Jigawa State, Nigeria.
The Digawa Muslims are also found in other areas of the State such as ‘Yandamo, Jikai, Umarni, Babbansara, Digawar-Tudu, Saidawa, Dorai, Galma, Buduma and Zai. Data for this study were collected through primary and secondary sources.
Primary data was collected using random oral interviews both individual and groups.
The Digawa are not ethnic group, but a religious group that follow Sufi teaching of shunning away from all that is evil and the glitters of the world. The concept of Al-uzlah (isolation) enables them to keep away from all that is evil.
This warrant their establishment of Zawaya (Digawa enclosures). So, their attitude of withdrawing from other peoples’ religious, social, and political activities made most people to be ignorant about them. In essence, this study is an attempt to provide a concise history of these people.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page….. i
Dedication……. ii
Certification… iii
Acknowledgements…. iv
Table of Contents… vi
Abstract….. viii
CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction……… 1
1.1 Statement of the Problem 4
1.2 Aim and Objectives… 4
1.3 Scope and limitations…….. 5
1.4 Justification…… 5
1.5 Significance of the Study………. 6
1.6 Sources of Data…… 6
1.7 Conceptual Framework…… 7
1.8 Literature Review…… 11
CHAPTERTWO: GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE AREA
2.0 Introduction…. 18
2.1 Geographical Location…… 18
2.2 The History of Gumel…….. 19
2.3 The People of Gumel Emirate…. 23
2.4 Historical Origin of the Digawa…….. 25
CHAPTER THREE: RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES, EDUCATION AND SCHOOL SYSTEM AMONG THE DIGAWA
3.0 Introduction…32
3.1 The Doctrines of the Digawa…. 33
3.2 Sufi Tendencies among the Digawa…… 37
3.3 The Method that Digawa use in educating the young…… 45
3.4 Curriculum contents.…… 49
3.5 The Books that Digawa normally uses… 51
3.6 The Digawa’s Preaching system……52
CHAPTER FOUR: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE DIGAWA PEOPLE
4.0 Introduction………………………………………………. 55
4.1 Hierarchy and political structure of the Digawa people … 55
4.2 The institution of marriage, the issues of purdah and the naming ceremony in the Digawa community 57
4.3 Funeral in the Digawa community……………………… 61
4.4 Other festivities in the Digawa community……………… 62
CHAPTER FIVE: THE ONSLAUGHT OF IZALAH SECT AND THE DIGAWA RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS GROUPS AND THE GOVERNMENT
5.0 Introduction…… 64
5.1 The onslaught of Izala sect in Gumel Emirate. 64
5.2 Izalah as a challenge to the Digawa .… 66
5.3 The Digawa’s response to the challenges posed by the Izalah group… 70
5.4 The relations of the Digawa with other Religious Groups 73
5.5 The reaction of the Digawa towards Western education… 75
5.6 Digawa’s attitude towards the Government and its Policies 77
CHAPTER SIX: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Bibliography ……………………………………………………… 82
Appendix…………………………………………………………. 91
INTRODUCTION
In the history of Islam, doctrinal divisions, which led to the emergence of sects are inevitable phenomena as are believed to have been prophesized by the Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W).
Also, the concept of renewal (Tajdeed) is based on another tradition of the Prophet (PBUH).
The tradition implies that a renewer (Mujaddid) of Islam would be sent at the beginning of each century to restore true Islamic practices, and thus regenerate a community that tends, over time, to deviate from the straight path.
In essence, from its earliest days, Islam possessed a tradition of revivalism and reform. With this development, it became people’s right to practice Ijtihad to interpret the source of Islam.
This and of course, other prevailing circumstances like rampant materialism, which ensures the worships of the ‘gods’ of wealth, the influence of neo-Platonism and the philosophies of other climes as Persia, Syria, and India3 paved the way for the emergence of different Islamic movements, groups, sects and sub-sects.
Almost all the movements claim to purge religion of the contaminations in rituals and traditions, which had been accumulating since the time of the Prophet and Sahaba. It should be noted that most of these
A hadith stated that the Jews and Christians have been divided in to seventy-one sects and the Muslims shall split in to seventy-three sects.
In the same vein, the Digawa religious group who claim to be the contemporary Sufis were attached to the name of the founder of the movement i. e. Malam Diga as we are going to see later.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
NAk/Kanprof/HIS3 ‘History of Gumel’. NAK/Kanprof/419 Danzomo, Sarkin Fulani Re-Assessment of1930-1937.
NAK/Kanprof/3GP/1917, ‘Gumel Emirate, Sarkin Bai District Assessment Report’
NAK/Kanprof/ 1912, ‘Gumel Emirate Assessment Report by Miller SterlinAssessment Report’. SNP/7094/53 “Northern Division Annual Report 1949”.
NAK/SNP7/KANPROF/6824/1912, Gumel Emirate Assessment Report by Mr. H.I. Miller Stirling, Assistant Resident, 1912.
NAK/SPN/389P/1917, Kano Province: Gumel Eirate-Sarkin Fulani District Assessment Report, by H.H. Middleton. PFF/242n.d., “Provisional Forest File”, A document of Kano State Forestry Division-available in the Research Unit of History and Culture Bureau, Kano. xci C .
Join Our Newsletter!
Don’t miss this opportunity
Enter Your Details
Be the first to comment