
AD-DAALIYYA OF SHAYKH ABDULLAHI DAN FUDUYE`
This is a praise song (madih) or poem (qaseeda) with its ending in the letter “daal” [الدال] in praise of the Prophet, upon him be blessings and peace, by the most erudite of the Bilad’s-Sudan, Shaykh Abdullahi ibn Fuduye`: the Mai Bodinga, Sarkin Gwandu, the Professor Maximus, Chief General of the Military, Secretary of State, Chief Scribe, the Mujtahid Mutlaq in Linguistics, the Master Exegesis, Independent jurist, Formulator of the judiciary, and chief muqaddam and mureed to his brother, his Shaykh, the Light of the Age, the Reviver of the religion, the Sword of truth, Amir al-Mu’mineen SHEHU Uthman Dan Fodio, may Allah engulf both of them in His mercy.
The source of this poem is from four manuscripts from the archive of Mamma Haidara of Timbuktu numbered: SAV_BMH_20593 (manuscript a); SAV_BMH_30396 (manuscript b); SAV_BMH_19617 (manuscript c); and SAV_BMH_18651 (manuscript d); respectively.
The poem was annotated and published in Arabic, Hausa and English by the Sultan of Sokoto, the Honorable Muhammad Saad; in Volume 1 of Shaykh Abdullahi’s collection, pages 245 to 250 [261-266] in the Arabic collection and pages 304 to 311 [324-329] in the English collection. The Arabic is poorly annotated from a single manuscript from the Center of Islamic Studies of the Usuman Danfodiyo University; and it was defectively translated by Abubakar Buba Luwa and was edited by Prof. A.B Yahya. In my examination of this particular manuscript, I discovered many errors; and thus felt the need to re-translate the work in comparison with the ad-Daaliyya of the Shehu. This is because there is a symbiotic relationship between the two ad-Daaliyya’s. By using the four above cited manuscripts from Timbuktu, I was able to come up with a thoroughly annotated copy devoid of the errors of that published in Sokoto.
Shaykh Abdullahi composed two responses to the ad-Daaliyya of his brother, Shehu Uthman. The first ad-Daaliyya of Shaykh Abdullah was composed as a takhmis (تخميس) of the Shehu’s ad-Daaliyya. This poem was composed in 1198 (1784) at the age of twenty. A takhmis is an amplification of an original poem by adding three additional hemistichs preceding the original bayt, as will be seen below.
Shaykh Abdullahi composed this takhmis about twelve years after Shehu Uthman composed his ad-Daaliyya; and the theme of the takhmis seems to reflect the social conditions that the Jamaat led by the Shehu were facing at that time. At the time the rulership of the Gobir Hausa kingdom was under the reign of Bawa Dan Babari; who while venerating Shehu Uthman, he feared him and the rapid growth of the Muslim Jamaat throughout the central Bilad as-Sudan. There was an underlying hostility towards the growing Muslim minorities in Gobir, reflected in the lack of a social contract between the pagan government and the Jamaat.
Shaykh Abdullahi said in the beginning of his Tazyin al-Waraqat: “The first poem that I had written, as far as I could remember, had been in making a takhmis of our teacher, the Amir ‘l-Mu’mineen and my brother, Uthman ibn Muhammad, on the praises of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The beginning of his poem was:
هَلْ لِي مَسِيرٌ نَحْوَ طَيْبَةَ مُسْرِعًا لِأَزُورَ قَبْرَ الْهَاشِمِـــي مُحَمَّدِ
‘Is there for me a way to travel swiftly towards Tayba,
To visit the tomb of the Hashimi Muhammad?’
As far as I know, this was the first poem that I wrote in Arabic; and the first thing I said in my takhmis was:
بِسْمِ الْإِلَهِ بَدَأْتُ قَوْلِي شَافِعًا بِمَدِيحِ خَيْرِ الْعَالَمِينَ وَصَادِعًا
مُسْتَفْهَمًا نَيْلَ الْوُصُولِ وَذَا دَعَا هَلْ لِي مَسِيرٌ نَحْوَ طَيْبَةَ مُسْرِعًا
لِأَزُورَ قَبْرَ الْهَاشِمِـــي مُحَمَّدِ
“In the Name of GOD, I begin what I say, interceding
And clarifying with praise of the most excellent of all the worlds
Comprehending that achievement of spiritual arrival is in what he said:
‘Is there for me a way to travel swiftly towards Tayba,
To visit the tomb of the Hashimi Muhammad?’
To the end where I said:
قَدْ تَمَّ مَا قَدْ رَمْتُ مِنْ تَخْمِيسِهَا يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ بِجُودِ رَبِّي جِئْتُهَا
وَبِحَوْلِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ نَظَمْتُهَا وَبِعَوْنِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمــِينَ خَتَمْتُهَا
وَجَعَلْتُ عِدَّتَهَا كَسِـــنِّ مُحَمِّدِ
It is complete what I composed from the takhmis of it
On Thursday, by means of the generosity of my Lord, I came with it
By the power of the Lord of the worlds, I versified it
By the assistance of the Lord of the worlds I have completed it
And I have made the number of its verses like the years of Muhammad.
فِي “كَجٍ” شَوَالٍ لِمَنْ قَدْ فَهَمَا فِي عَامٍ “شَقٍ” بَعْدَ “ضَحٍ” فَاَعْلَمَا
صَلَّى الْإِلَهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَسَلَمَا فِي عَــامِ قَشٍّ بَعْدَ فَحٍّ فَأَفْهَمَا
مِن هِجْرَةِ الْهَادِ النَّبِــيِّ مُحَمِّدِ
On the “twenty-third” of Shawwal, for the one who understands
In the year “1100” after “98”, therefore realize
Allah send blessings upon the Prophet, and give him peace
In the year 1000 and 100 after 88, so understand!
From the hijra of the Guided Prophet Muhammad.
I lost this poem that I had made into a takhmis, some five years ago. I do not know what happened to it; and I cannot remember if anyone had written it down, or transmitted it. For this reason, it has gone missing. Yet, the basis of recollecting the time of the poem and date of the one composed by Shehu Uthman ibn Fuduye Muhammad; so that I could recall that the ten-year period between the two poems. This is close to the years between me and the Shehu; for there are about twelve years between us; and Allah knows best. Whoever knows the hijra date of my poem would know that the beginning of the Shehu’s affair in calling people to the religion of Allah was when the hijra date was 1188 A.H.”
The second ad-Daaliyya of Shaykh Abdullahi, which is the one before you, was composed on Friday, 6th Jumad al-Akhir 1202 A.H. (March 14, 1788); about four years after his first ad-Daaliyya.
The key difference of Shaykh Abdullahi’s second ad-Daaliyya and that of the Shehu; is that he only cited the names of the Prophet, ‘Muhammad’ and ‘Ahmad’, may Allah bless him and grant him peace four times; while in the Shehu’s ad-Daaliyya the names of the Prophet are evoked forty times. Another distinction between the two ad-Daaliyya’s is that while the Shehu’s poem is imbued with the miracles of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace and this intense yearning to be in his presence; Shaykh Abdullah’s poem is filled with verses of victory and valor of the Companions of the Prophet, upon him be peace; and martial imagery.
The reason that Shaykh Abdullahi expressed a more pronounced martial theme in this second ad-Daaliyya as opposed to the more spiritual theme of that of the Shehu is because, in 1202 A.H. (1788), the Jamaat led by Shehu Uthman ibn Fuduye` had established a social contract with the pagan Gobir government consisting of five concessions for the Jamaat: [1] to allow the Shehu to invite the people of Gobir to Islam; [2] not to prevent anyone from answering his invitation; [3] to respect every Muslim wearing a turban (the mark of the scholars); [4] to free all political prisoners; and [5] not to burden the subjects with unjust taxes.
This gave the right of the Jamaat of Shehu Uthman ibn Fuduye, to officially command the good and forbid evil (amr bi’l-ma
ruuf wa nahyi `an al-munkar) and initiate the process of tajdid and social transformation with government support. This ability to initiate social reform is reflected in the second ad-Daaliyya of Shaykh Abdullahi, which addressed collective social needs, rather than individual spiritual needs.
The fact that Shaykh Abdullahi ibn Fuduye` was an absolute mujtahid in the Arabic linguistic sciences, his ad-Daaliyya in praise of the Prophet, has to be of the highest standard in the science of madih. It is this assertion that induced me to study this poem; as a means to understanding the basic principles of Arabic poetic verse. I believe, this beautiful poem in praise of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, can be used as a grid or standard in understanding the science of poetic articulation in Arabic language.
Because, Shaykh Abdullahi was the chief disciple of his brother, the reformer SHEHU Uthman ibn Fuduye`; and his ‘right hand’ in the implementation of the Sakwato social transformation and reform; it is safe to say that this poem rhyming in the letter “daal” [الدال] was an answer to the Shehu’s famous ad-Daaliyya poem, which marked the beginning of the tajdid of the Shehu in the central Bilad ‘as-Sudan.
The Shehu began his famous ad-Daaliyya in 1772 with an intense yearning to be in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, in Medina; when he said:
هَلْ لِي مَسِيرٌ نَحْوَ طَيْبَةَ مُسْرِعًا لِأَزُورَ قَبْرَ الْهَاشِمِـــي مُحَمَّدِ
“Is there for me a way to travel swiftly towards Tayba,
To visit the tomb of the Hashimi Muhammad?”
لَمَّا فَشَا رَيَّاهُ فِي أَكْنَــــافِهَـا وَتَكَمَّشَ الْحُجّــَاجُ نَحْوَ مُحَمَّدِ
That which has spread its fragrance under his protection
Has caused the pilgrims to convulse in the direction of Muhammad.
غُوْدِرْتُ مُنْهِلِ الدُّمُـــوعِ مُؤَبِلاً شَوْقًا إِلَـــى هَذَا النَّبِيِّ مُحَمَّدِ
I went away bathed in tears, tears falling like a downpour,
Yearning towards that Prophet Muhammad”
Shaykh Abdullahi ibn Fuduyesaid about the factors which gave birth to the ad-Daaliyya of the Shehu in praise of the Prophet: “Then we rose up with the Shehu helping him in his mission for the cause of the deen. He traveled for that purpose to the east and the west, inviting people to the religion of Allah by his preaching and his ajami poetic songs, destroying the customs contrary to the shari
a. Some of the people from the surrounding lands came to him and entered his jamaat in his place called Degel and which had become famous because of him…until we journeyed with him to the country of Kebbi. There he invited them to correct their Iman, Islam and Ihsan and to leave the customs which had thus far abased them as a people. As a result, many people made repentance at his hands and journeyed to him when he returned to his homeland in Degel. Large groups listened to his sermons and Allah opened their hearts to accept him for the first time. Then he traveled throughout the country until his jama
at increased and spread.”
It was in answer to these blessings that Shaykh Abdullahi ibn Fuduye` in 1202 (1788), at the young age of twenty-four, started his ad-Daaliyya; and it was his second response to ad-Daaliyya of his brother, the Shehu; when he said:
حَمْدًا وَشُكْرًا لِلْإلَّهِ اَلْوَاحِدِ اَلْبَاعِثِ اَلْإِرْسَالِ تُهْدِيَ مَنْ هَدِي
Praise and gratitude be to Allah the One
The Sender of messengers that guide those who are guided
جَاءُواْ بِكُلِّ الْخَيْرِ دُوْنَكَ فَاتَّبِعْ آثَارَهُمْ وَعَ قَوْلَ دَاعِ مُرْشَدِ
They came with every good, so then here you are, follow
In their traces and remember the word of the Caller the guiding counselor
فَاثَنِ الْعِنَانُ إِلَى ثَناءِ السَّيِّدِ رَبُّ السَّنَاءِ الْهَاشِمِي الْأَمْجَدِ
Then let the reins incline to commendation of the spiritual master
The owner of splendid radiance, the most honorable Hashimite.”
And like the ad-Daaliyya of the Shehu, which ends in sixty-three poetic verses; each verse equal to a year of the sixty-three years of our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; Shaykh Abdullahi also ends his ad-Daaliyya saying:
قَدْ تَمَّ نَظَمَ قَصِيْدَتِي فِي مَدْحِهِ أَبْيَاتُهَا “جَصٌ” كَسِنِّ مُحَمَّدِ
The poetry of my song in praise of him has ended
And its verses are “63” like the years of Muhammad
بَعْدَ الضُّحَى سَلْجَ الْجُمَادِى الْآخِر يَوْمَ الْعَرُوْبَةِ عَامَ “شُرْبٍ” فَأَعْدَّدِ
After the late morning at the end of Jumad Akhir
On the day of Friday, in the year “1202”; therefore enumerate.”
And literally answering the call of his brother, the Shehu; when he began his ad-Daaliyya: ‘Is there for me a way to travel swiftly towards Tayba, to visit the tomb of the Hashimi Muhammad?’; Shaykh Abdullahi ends his ad-Daaliya with a supplication answering him:
يَا رَبُّ يَا رَحْمَانُ يَسِرْ سِيْرَنَا لِمَكَانِ هَذَا الْهَاشِمِي الْأَمْجَدِ
“O Lord, O Universally Compassionate, make it easy, our journey
To the place of that most magnanimous and noble of Hashimites.”
It is not surprising that Shaykh Abdullahi, composed this poem in praise of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in order to affirm the spiritual methodology (manhaj) of his spiritual guide, Shehu Uthman ibn Fuduye` in the Path of Self and Divine Realization. The manhaj of the Shehu was constructed on the actualization of the annihilation into the outer self-form and the inner character traits of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The litany of the Shehu and those who follow the Fodiawa spiritual Path; is the constant praising of our master Muhammad, and repetitive sending of blessings and peace upon him, until Allah grants the aspirant with clear visions of the Messenger of Allah, in sleep and the waking state.
The ad-Daaliyya of Shaykh Abdullahi ibn Fuduye, is a perfect example of the sufic methodology which revolves around esteem and admiration of the person of Muhammad, upon him be peace. It is from this perspective, that all madaa’ih (praise songs of the Prophet) are a continuation of the Quranic verse: “Indeed Allah and His Angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon and him and give him abundant peace.” Further, all praise songs of the Prophet, are a description of the perfect guide and that Muhammadan Light, which is the genuine guide which takes humanity out of the darkness into the light of direct Gnosis of GOD. Allah ta
ala says:
﴿لَقَدْ جَاءكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ كَثِيراً مِّمَّا كُنتُمْ تُخْفُونَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ قَدْ جَاءكُم مِّنَ اللّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ * يَهْدِي بِهِ اللّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلاَمِ وَيُخْرِجُهُم مِّنِ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾
“Indeed, there has come to you a Messenger who clarifies much of what you used to conceal from the Scripture; and much of the earlier injunctions have been overlooked. Indeed, there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah with which Allah guides him who will follow His pleasure into the ways of safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His will and guides them to the right path.” [5:15-16] Allah ta`ala also says:
﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَا أُوْلِي الْأَلْبَابِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَدْ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكُمْ ذِكْرًا * رَّسُولًا يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ مُبَيِّنَاتٍ لِّيُخْرِجَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ﴾
“Therefore, be careful of your duty to Allah, O possessors of understanding of those who believe! Allah has indeed revealed to you a reminder as a Messenger who recites to you the clear communications of Allah so that he may bring forth those who believe and do good deeds from utter darkness into the Light.” [65:10-11]
These verses establishes the central theme of the manhaj of the 16Fodiawa sages; and that is that reviving and following the Living Sunna of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, annihilation in and behaving in accordance with the sublime character of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and constant praising and sending abundant blessings and peace upon Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: constitute the essence of the Tareeqa as-Suufiyya.
This is the theme that is conveyed in the ad-Daaliyya of the most erudite scholar of the Bilad as-Sudan, the Amir ‘l-Jaysh, the Amir of Gwandu, who was nicknamed the ‘Professor’ and ‘Mai Bodinga’; Shaykh Abdullah ibn Fuduye` Muhammad ibn Uthman, may Allah engulf him in His mercy, Amen.
Shaykh Muhammad Shareef bin Farid
16 Rajab, 1446/1-16-2025
Bamako Mali
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