The impact of itinerant scholars on the propagation of islam in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

The advent of Islam in Ibadan, in about 1829, was made possible by the arrival of some Muslim scholars from the Northern part of the country. They were Igun Olorun, Ahmad Qifu and Uthman Baasunu who respectively became the first three Imams in the city. For the spread of the faith, these Mallams and their indigenous disciples adopted education and preaching methods. For education, they established Qur’anic schools in almost all quarters and villages where people were taught Arabic language to enable them perform the ritual worship. These schools were later upgraded to Madaris where standard Arabic education and culture are taught up till the present. As for preaching (da‘wah), open air services were organized where fundamentals of Islam viz.: Tawhid, Salat, Sawm, Zakat and Hajj were taught. Other ones include good neighborliness, duties of parents to children and vice versa as dictated by the Islamic law (Shari‘ah).