Salisu Bala - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Salisu Bala

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2011

This paper analyses the major areas of discord among the Nigerian Muslims from 1804 to 1979. It f... more This paper analyses the major areas of discord among the Nigerian Muslims from 1804 to 1979. It further defines and distinguishes between what Sufi orders are and what sects stands for according to the primary sources of Islamic law. The Intra-Muslim conflict in Nigeria within the scope of this paper can be divided into three parts. The first is the period of consolidation and intellectual awareness, between 1804 to the later part of the nineteenth century. It shows how the three Jihad leaders, namely Sheikh Usman bin Fodio [d.1817], his son Muhammad Bello [d.1837], and his brother Abdullahi, displayed their wealth of knowledge and experiences in the true understanding of Islam. The second could be referred to as the period of struggle for supremacy. This was the time when the two dominant Sufi orders in Nigeria (Qadiriyya and Tijaniyya) struggled to restore their position as well as to acquire more Muslim members into their groups. The third period commenced in the late '70s with the emergence of a group popularly known as Izalatul-Bid'a wa-iqamatus Sunnah [Movement for the removal of innovation and establishment of the tradition]. The period witnessed a major change from intellectual disagreement in the past to incessant hostility.

Islamic Africa, 2011

The three repositories covered by this paper, the Arewa House Arabic Manuscript repository, the N... more The three repositories covered by this paper, the Arewa House Arabic Manuscript repository, the National Jos Museum Arabic Manuscript Collection, and the Gidan Dan Hausa Arabic Manuscripts Collection in Kano, maintain great collections of ancient Arabic manuscripts on diverse subjects. The repositories are in jeopardy due to poor storage systems, lack of capacity building on the part of the staff, and above all laxity on the part of policy makers. The question of procuring and preserving Nigerian Arabic manuscripts for proper utilization by researchers has been a major source of concern to both Nigerian and foreign scholars in the last fi fty years or so. Although a lot of progress has been made in this regard since the pioneering days of Professors Abdullahi Smith, K. O. Dike, Murray Last, and others, the three Arabic manuscript repositories covered by this study continue to function in bad conditions, ranging from a lack of paper conservation supplies, poor storage systems, and a complete absence of digitization equipment for proper archiving. However, there is now a defi nite consensus among researchers and other stakeholders in this fi eld on the urgency of the matter and, happily, a decisive change of attitude towards the fate of the Arabic / Ajami Manuscripts in most of the repositories of northern Nigeria. A spate of conferences and workshops were organized in quick succession in the last two years and an impressive number of research publications were presented for serious discussions on virtually all aspects of the problems facing the Arabic manuscripts repositories.

Comparative Islamic Studies, 2008

Muslims in Nigeria have for several decades been faced with the problem of intra-religious confli... more Muslims in Nigeria have for several decades been faced with the problem of intra-religious conflict which eventually led to incessant hostility and disaffection among the followers of the same faith(S.P.I.Agi,1998.p.57) The conflicts have punctuated Nigerian affairs before and after independence. The problem has led to degeneration of the mutual relationships shared between followers of the same faith, albeit with different sectarian beliefs. Government, at federal, state and local level, has created measures to try to bring about a lasting solution to this problem. Despite this effort, the input of academia in this area has been less concerted, not going beyond presentations in workshops, conferences and seminars. The task of embarking on an in-depth research on Sufism and its relationship with sectarian beliefs among the Muslim groups in Nigeria has not been given much attention. The aim of this paper therefore, is to examine critically the relationship between Sufi orders and oth...

History in Africa, 2012

: This paper discusses the Arabic manuscripts deposited in Arewa House, one of the oldest public ... more : This paper discusses the Arabic manuscripts deposited in Arewa House, one of the oldest public repositories in Nigeria and now holding 1,600 Arabic manuscripts.