(Department of Islamic Studies, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2021-09-10) Abdulkareem, Lawal; Yahaya, Sulaiman
During the period of Sheikh ‘Uthman bin Foduye, Riddah (apostasy) among
the Muslims of Hausa land was a very common phenomenon. Most of the Hausa rulers and
their supporters, before the Jihad, were unbelievers through apostasy. Even though they
claimed to be Muslims, yet they engaged in what had been agreed upon by the Muslim
scholars to be acts of disbelief, Sheikh ‘Uthman condemned and fought against different
types of Riddah such as worshipping of stones and tress, syncretism and allying with
unbelievers. These and other sacrilegious acts shall be examined by this paper with a view
to extracting the lessons derived from the measures taken by the Sheikh to the contemporary
Muslim community.