Selected Writings of Sheikh Uthman bin Fodiyo

The man is known as Sheikh Uthman Bin Fodiyo was born in Marata, in the land of Gobir, presently in Sokoto State in 1754 A.D. He was a child born into a family respected for their piety, religiosity, and total submission to the will of Allah. His father, Muhammadu Fodiyo (Fodiyo is used among the Fulani‟s to refer to a highly respected knowledgeable scholar) and his mother were his first teachers.

By the time he reached the age of twenty, the man that is revered as Shehu among the Hausa, had virtually studied, in addition to learning the Qur'an by heart at a tender age, almost every book on Islamic Jurisprudence, Islamic Sciences, Islamic History etc. available in Hausaland. At the age of twenty, he wrote his first book In Praise of the Prophet (saw). He was to write over one hundred and fifteen books on almost every subject or issue that had relevance,importance and meaning in the life of the Islamic community.