USMAN DAN FODIO

born December 1754, Maratta, Gobir, Hausaland [now in Nigeria] died 1817, Sokoto, Fulani empire Usman also spelled Uthman, or Usuman, Arabic 'uthman Ibn Fudi Fulani mystic, philosopher, and revolutionary reformer who, in a jihad (holy war) between 1804 and 1808, created a new Muslim state, the Fulani empire, in what is now northern Nigeria. Additional reading The best modern work is Murray Last, The Sokoto Caliphate (1967), which contains a useful bibliography of the main writings of Usman and Abdullahi dan Fodio, Muhammad Bello, and others. Ismail A.B. Balogun, The Life and Works of Uthman dan Fodio (1975), is a study of Usman as an Islamic reformer with focus on his works.