Book Review and Summary: The Migration of the Sultan of Maiwurno and the Establishment of Villages in the Sudan (Part I)
Brief Summary and Analysis by Shaykh Muhammad Shareef bin Farid
This important documentation work, authored by Sardouna Mustapha Bolah Mohammed Tahir Maiwurno and published in October 2026, serves as a noble contribution to preserving and recording the remaining oral and written history of one of the greatest migrations in modern African history. The first part of the book details the migration of Amir al-Mu’minin Sultan Muhammad Bello Maiwurno from the Islamic Caliphate of Sokoto following its fall to British colonialism in 1903, tracing its long path that spanned over thirty years until its ultimate settlement in the Nile Valley of Sudan.
The book is divided into thirteen chapters, carefully structured to cover the historical backgrounds of the Sokoto Caliphate and the Tijaniyya State, followed by the blessed biography of Sultan Muhammad Bello Maiwurno, and culminating in comprehensive field documentation of dozens of villages and towns founded or populated by the migration’s followers across various Sudanese states (Sennar, White Nile, Al Jazirah, Gedaref, Kassala, etc.), in addition to the extension of their impact to neighboring countries and parts of the Islamic world. The author relies on rare documents and records from the Sultanate’s palace and the National Records Office, alongside direct oral accounts from village elders and notables.
Review and Critical Analysis
Historical and Methodological Grounding: The book brilliantly links the roots of Sheikh Usman dan Fodio’s jihadist movement with the outcomes of the Great Migration toward the east, meticulously documenting the names of luminaries, emirs, judges, scholars, and provincial rulers (Goro) who accompanied the blessed caravan.
Administrative and Urban Eminence: The analysis highlights how Sultan Muhammad Bello Maiwurno successfully transferred the administrative and social fabric of the Sokoto Caliphate to Sudanese soil, establishing a unique pattern for planning villages and neighborhoods that mirrored the Prophet’s Hijra (founding mosques first, followed by leadership quarters, and allocating agricultural plots, land grants (hakeer), and pastures).
Social Diversity and Coexistence: The book clearly illustrates how the followers of the migration—comprising Fulani, Hausa, Bornu, Zarma, and others—formed a genuine addition to the social, economic, and cultural fabric of Sudan, despite immense hardships including wild beasts, famines, and colonial challenges.
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