The Chronicle of the Succession’

An Important Document for the Umarian State

Bibliographic Data

ID8976208
AuthorsDavid Robinson (0000-0002-0729-5011, Michigan State University, corresponding author)
Year1990
Volume31
Issue2
Pages245-262
Publication date1990-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of African History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-8537 • E-ISSN: 1469-5138
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0021853700025020
OpenAlexW2074360127
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited11

The Arabic text which is translated here describes a ceremony in which al-ḥājj Umar Tal, founder of a jihād and state in the Western Sudan in the mid-nineteenth century, sought to transmit his temporal and spiritual authority to his oldest son, Ahmad al-Kabīr. The ceremony occurred in 1860, just as the Umarian armies were about to embark upon a campaign against the ‘pagan’ Bambara kingdom of Segu. While the transfer of power to Aḥmad is very clearly stated in the text, the ceremony did not resolve the issue nor the conflict among the sons of Umar, which continued until the French conquest at the end of the century. The explanation for the continuing conflict lies partly in the loose structure of the original Umarian jihād against ‘paganism’ and partly in divisions among the faithful over the jihād against alleged ‘apostasy’ which Umar undertook at the end of his life against the Muslim Fulbe of Masina. The text also shows the close links between the Umarian movement and the Tijaniyya order and the ways in which important political statements can be couched in Sufi language

Ancient history · Apostasy · Arabic · Archaeology · Art · Ceremony · CONQUEST · Islam · Literature · Order (exchange · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · State (computer science · African history and culture analysis · Classics · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nigeria · Religious studies

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