Muhammed Bello

Muhammed Bello
Sultan of Sokoto
Reign	1815-1837
Died	1837
Place of death	Sokoto?
Predecessor	Usuman dan Fodio
Successor	Abu Bakr Atiku, a brother
Father	Usuman dan Fodio

Muhammed Bello (reigned 1815–1837) (Arabic: محمد بلو‎) was the son and aide of Usman dan Fodio. He became the second Sultan of Sokoto following his father's 1815 retirement from the throne. Bello faced early challenges from dissident leaders such as 'Abd al-Salam, and rivalries between the key families of his father's jihad. Bello soon consolidated his rule by granting land and power to these leading Fulani families. He is also the brain behind the city of Sokoto. After the success of the Fulani jihad, Muhammed Bello wanted to build a new city to mirror the Islamic faith and to present a stable instead of pastoral image of Fulani's. In 1809, the building of Sokoto started, mosques were strategically placed in different corners of the city for easy accessibility and some houses where constructed with Islamic architectural patterns. He also facilitated and encouraged the building of new towns, especially in the western region of the caliphate.

One of Bello's daughters married future Toucouleur jihadist El Hadj Umar Tall.

Principles on leadership

“The contract with Muslim leaders (a’ima) is only annulled when the objectives of leadership has been rendered null and void, like apostasy, recognized madness, or when the leader has been made a war captive or imprisoned and there is no hope of him being freed, likewise by a sickness which causes the leader to forget knowledge, by blindness, deafness or muteness, or when he removes himself due to his inability to establish the welfare of the Muslims…”.^[1]

Scholarship

Muhammed Bello is probably the foremost Hausaland writer on Islamic in the entire pre-colonial period.”.^[2] Many of his writings have been collected [1].^{[dead link]}

Notes

• Davidson, Basil. Africa in History. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.

References

1. ^ "A Continuity of the 19th Century Jihaad Movements of Western Sudan". "Muhammad Shareef". http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/bahiaslaverevolts.html. 
2. ^ title="_Islam Medicine and Practitioners in Northern Nigeria_|}}

• Richard W. Hull, African Cities and Towns before the European Conquest

Preceded by Usman dan Fodio

2nd Sokoto Caliph 1815–1837

Succeeded by Abu Bakr Atiku

Persondata
Name	Muhammed Bello
Alternative names
Short description	Sultan of Sokoto
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1837
Place of death	Sokoto?