By Professor Abdullahi Danladi
Being a paper presented at the 36th Anniversary of the Departure of Imam Ruhullah Khomeini (QS), Organized by The Cultural Consulate Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Nigeria in collaboiration with Almustafa College of Education, kano, At Mumbayya House, Bayero University, Kano. 1st June, 2025
Abstract
This paper explores the profound ideological and spiritual influence of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini’s thoughts on the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, founded by Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky in the late 1970s. It traces the historical development of Islam in Hausa land from the 11th century through the reformist jihad of Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio in the 19th century, and the subsequent disruption of Islamic governance and scholarship during British colonization. The emergence of the Islamic Movement is positioned as a continuation of earlier Islamic reform movements, with a renewed drive for the re-establishment of Islamic values, justice, and governance. The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and Imam Khomeini’s philosophy, particularly his doctrine of Wilayat al-Faqih, emphasis on resistance to oppression, and promotion of social justice served as a critical source of inspiration and strategic direction for the Islamic Movement.
The paper further analyzes how Imam Khomeini’s legacy contributed to the Islamic Movement’s ideological foundation, political activism, educational initiatives, and eventual adoption of Shia Islam by many followers. It also highlights the repression faced by the Movement, drawing parallels between their struggle and the persecution experienced by early Shia communities. Ultimately, the paper underscores the enduring impact of Khomeini’s revolutionary thought on Islamic revivalism in Nigeria, and how it continues to shape religious identity, resistance, and political engagement in a pluralistic society.
Keywords: Danfodio, Imam Khomeini, Zakzaky, Revolution, Islamic Movement
Introduction
Islam in Hausa Land (Present Day Northern Nigeria and Niger Republic)
Islam entered Hausa land as early as the 11th century, primarily through trans-Saharan trade and the activities of Berber and Tuareg merchants from North Africa. The earliest contacts were commercial, but over time, Islamic culture, literacy, and education began to spread. Islam was initially confined to the ruling elite and merchant classes in urban centers like Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Gobir, and Daura.
As the beautiful religion of Islam spread in the Hausa land, centers of learning gradually gained establishment, such that by the 14th century, Kano had become an important center of Islamic learning. It attracted scholars from across the region, including Mali and Bornu.
Katsina was Perhaps the most notable early center. It hosted scholars such as Muhammad al-Maghili, a North African scholar who visited in the 15th century and advised local rulers on Islamic governance. By the 17th century, Katsina had established a renowned Islamic university-like structure known as Gidan Korau, where Arabic, jurisprudence, theology, and poetry were taught.
Zaria (Zazzau) was another prominent center of learning. Under Queen Amina and later rulers, Zaria supported Islamic learning and patronized scholars, though Islam coexisted with traditional religion.
The Jihad of Usman Danfodio
Before the emergence of Sheikh Usman Danfodio, there was Syncretism where Islam was often blended with traditional African religious practices. Many rulers identified as Muslims but continued practices considered un-Islamic by reformists. Islam had a long presence, however, its spread was largely elitist, and rural populations remained non-Muslim or only nominally Muslim. Scholars often lacked independence and were dependent on court patronage, making them vulnerable to political manipulation. Religious laxity and the persistence of pagan practices within Muslim communities laid the groundwork for the later Islamic reform movement led by Usman dan Fodio.
The Jihad of Usman Danfodio was a major Islamic reform movement that took place in the early 19th century in what is now northern Nigeria and parts of West Africa. It led to the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate, one of the most influential Islamic empires in Africa.
Usman Danfodio (1754–1817) was an Islamic scholar, preacher, and teacher. He was born in Gobir, a Hausa state, and became well-versed in Islamic theology, law, and mysticism. Concerned by the moral decay, oppression, and un-Islamic practices among the Hausa rulers, he began preaching Islamic reform, calling for a return to the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Some of the major factors that inspired the Jihad include:
i) Religious: The rulers were accused of mixing Islam with pagan practices and neglecting Islamic law (Shari’ah).
ii) Social: There was widespread oppression, heavy taxation, and inequality, especially affecting the Fulani and poor Hausa masses.
iii) Political: Usman Danfodio’s growing popularity was seen as a threat by the ruling elites, particularly in Gobir.
In 1804, after persecution by the Gobir king Yunfa, Danfodio declared a jihad (holy war). He gathered a large following of Fulani pastoralists, Hausa peasants, scholars, and students. The jihad spread rapidly across the Hausa states, including Kano, Katsina, Zaria, and beyond. By 1808, the jihad had overthrown many Hausa rulers and established the Sokoto Caliphate.
By the end of the Jihad period, Sokoto Caliphate became the largest and most powerful Islamic state in West Africa during the 19th century. The jihad had lasting impacts on Islamic education, governance, and social justice in the region. Sheikh Usman Danfodio retired from active political life in 1815 and died in 1817, leaving behind a legacy of scholarship and reform.
The Colonization of Nigeria after the Sokoto Caliphate
After the establishment and consolidation of the Sokoto Caliphate in the early 19th century, the region experienced about a century of Islamic rule characterized by Islamic scholarship, trade, and emirate governance. However, by the late 19th century, European powers (particularly Britain) began to expand their influence into the area as part of the wider Scramble for Africa.
British Penetration and Colonization was characterized by:
i) Economic Interests: British involvement in Nigeria began with trade along the coast, particularly in palm oil, which replaced the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
ii) Missionary and Commercial Expansion: British Christian missionaries and traders gradually moved inland, accompanied by calls for political control to protect commercial interests.
Conquest of the Sokoto Caliphate
The British, through the Royal Niger Company, signed treaties with local leaders and gained territorial influence. In 1903, British forces under Lord Frederick Lugard launched a military campaign against the Sokoto Caliphate. After fierce resistance and martyrdom of thousands of adherent believers in the cause of the Jihad, Sokoto and key emirates like Kano and Katsina were defeated, and the caliphate’s authority was formally ended. Although the caliphate was dissolved politically, the British retained the emirate system under a policy of Indirect Rule, allowing emirs to govern under colonial supervision.
The formation of colonial Nigeria eventually happened in 1914. This followed the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates with Lagos Colony to form modern Nigeria by the British. The north, formerly under the Sokoto Caliphate, remained predominantly Muslim and was governed with minimal interference in religious and cultural matters. The colonial rulers introduced Western education, Christianity (mainly in the south), and a centralized administration.
The Birth of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria
The quest to return to the Islamic order as ordained by Allah and as laid by Sheikh Usman Danfodio in the region during his life time led to the formation of the Islamic Movement.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria was founded in the late 1970s by Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky. He was born in to religious family were he learnt the basics of Islamic knowledge form his family and other Islamic scholars in his environment. Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky started his formal education at the former School for Arabic and Islamic studies, Kano. At the end of his studies at the school, he wrote both his Grade II Teacher’s Certificate and London A-level GCE about the same. He then proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria around mid-70s.
At the university then, there were conflicting ideologies in circulation. The communists rejecting the existence of Allah saw Marxism as a way out of the Nigerian problems. There was another group that felt contended with the status quo. Sheikh Zakzaky differed with them and started his propagation of return to the Islamic system in all its ramifications. So it can be seen that his call to the return to Islam started around 1977 as student. It was around this period Shiekh Zakzaky first heard of Imam Khomeini. As at then, the activities were conducted under the platform of the Muslim Students Society (MSS). Amongst the challenges faced by the Islamic Movement then was some seeing the impossibility of putting Islam as a way of life in this modern world. The might of America and the global arrogance and domination were seen to be impossible challenges towards returning to Islamic way of life.
Sheikh Zakzaky being the Vice Chairman (International Affairs) of the MSS was opportune to be invited to the first anniversary of the success of the Islamic Revolution of Iran under the leadership of Imam Ayatullah Ruhullah Khomeini. The success of Imam’s revolution gave renewed hope and more resolve to Sheikh Zakzaky and the Islamic Movement that it is possible to achieve the vision of returning to the true teachings of Islam as ordained by Allah and practiced by earlier generations of Muslims. With this it can be seen that the formation, hope and inspiration of the Islamic Movement predate the eventual actualization of the success of the Islamic revolution in Iran.
However, it must be stated that Imam Khomeini gave renewed hope for the Islamic Movement and he remains a role model. His ideologies and approach towards annihilation of tyranny by being upright and having total and unconditional trust in Allah in all ramifications are the light guiding the Islamic Movement.
The Impact of the Revolution of Imam Khomeini
Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, left a lasting ideological legacy that extended beyond Iran. His thoughts significantly influenced Islamic movements around the world, including in Nigeria. His revolutionary ideas on Islamic governance, resistance to oppression, and the role of clerics in politics have played a crucial role in shaping the trajectory of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, particularly under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky.
The impact of Imam Khomeini’s revolution can be seen in the following:
1. Ideological Inspiration Imam Khomeini’s political philosophy, especially the doctrine of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), became a source of inspiration for Nigerian Muslims seeking a holistic application of Islam in social and political life. His emphasis on social justice, anti-imperialism, and resistance to tyranny resonated strongly with yarning of Muslims in Nigeria. The Iranian Revolution demonstrated the potential for an Islamic resurgence that could challenge the arrogant secular governance and Western influence.
2. Political Engagement and Mobilization by Khomeini’s influence is evident in the Islamic Movement’s organized political and religious activities: The movement has been commemorating the International Annual Quds Day for about forty years as declared by the late Imam to show solidarity with the plight of the Palestinians and the oppressed people of the world.
The Movement reinstates its challenge to secularism and promotes an anti-Western and anti-Zionist worldview, echoing Khomeini’s way of life. Similarly the importance of practicing the Islamic laws in all aspects of life as being manifested in Iran today is something that the Islamic Movement learns from the revolution of Imam. Nigeria being composed of people of different religious believes has a lot to learn from the Islamic Republic of Iran which has similar composition of people.
3. Holding onto the Ahlul Bayt School of thoughts. One of the major influences of Imam Khomeini’s thoughts on the Islamic movement is the shift of many from the traditional Sunni views and school of thoughts to the teachings and ideologies of Shia. This was systematically done through intellectual discuss and lectures by Sheikh Zakzaky. Many conflicting views and understandings were discussed cautiously to take members along through the journey to the teachings of Ahlul Bayt.
With the gradual spread of the Shia understandings, there was the need to educate the public, especially the young children of the Movement and the society at large, this lead to building educational schools. The schools are named Fudiyya to keep the spirit of the Jihad of Sheikh Usman Danfodio and his assistants. Similarly religious centers often named Husainiyya, and social structures were seen spreading across the cities and towns were the Movement is established.
4. Repression and the Martyrdom Narrative like Khomeini’s movement under the Shah, the Islamic Moment in Nigeria has faced severe repression by the Nigerian state. A lot of persecution has been reported by local authorities over the period of the existence of the Movement. Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky has spent about 15 years in different prisons in different parts of Nigeria. Similarly, some of his followers have been and are still in prisons for no reason other than calling for the return to the teachings of Islam and shunning the unjust and corrupt system running Nigeria.
The persecution does not stop at imprisonment. The trigger happy Nigerian authorities are always eager to go on killing spree on the members of the Islamic Movement. This has led to the martyrdom and maiming quite a number of Islamic activists. In the year 2003 about six persons were gunned down by the Nigerian Police in Kano for no reason other than marking the International Quds day of that year. Similarly, in the year 2009 a number were killed by Nigerian Police in Zaria for the same offence of marking the Quds day of that year. In 2014, 34 people were equally killed (three of whom are the biological sons of Sheikh Zakzaky) for marking the Quds day. Then followed the unfortunate 2015 Zaria Massacre, where over a thousand members were killed and additional three of Sheikh Zakzaky’s children died.
This event reinforced the Shia martyrdom narrative, linking the movement’s sacrifices to the historical persecution of Shia figures such as Imam Husain. Continuous arrests, detentions, and attempted bans on the Movement activities have further entrenched the Movement’s ideological resolve. The way and manner Imam Khomeini endured the killings of his disciples during the Islamic Revolution by the Mohammed Reza Pahlavi regime is a memo for the Islamic Movement.
Conclusion
Imam Khomeini’s thoughts on Islamic governance, resistance, and clerical leadership have had a profound impact on the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. While they have inspired a new wave of religious consciousness and activism, they have also brought about significant socio-political challenges and tensions especially among those that benefit from the present day system of governance. The legacy of Khomeini not only in Nigeria but the whole world continues to shape the discourse on Islam, justice, and governance in a pluralistic and contested religious landscape.
Some Selected References:
1. Trimingham, J. Spencer. A History of Islam in West Africa. Oxford University Press, 1962. A foundational text on the spread and development of Islam in the region.
2. Last, Murray. The Sokoto Caliphate. Longman, 1967. Detailed study of Usman Dan Fodio’s reform and the structure of the caliphate.
3. Falola, Toyin. Colonialism and Violence in Nigeria. Indiana University Press, 2009. Examines colonial disruptions and the legacy of violence in postcolonial Nigeria.
4. Khomeini, Ruhollah. Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist (Wilayat al-Faqih). Translated by Hamid Algar. Alhoda UK, 2002. A direct source of Imam Khomeini’s ideology and vision of Islamic governance.
5. Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). Islam in Nigeria: Proceedings of the National Seminar on Islam and the Challenges of Development in Nigeria. NSCIA Publications, 2000.
1. Loimeier, Roman. “The Islamic Reform Movement in Northern Nigeria in the 1990s.” Islamic Africa, vol. 1, no. 1, 2010, pp. 1–27. Insightful analysis of reformist movements including the IMN.
2. Thurston, Alexander. “Nigeria’s Imam Khomeini? Shia Islam and Revolution in Northern Nigeria.” The Journal of Religious History, vol. 39, no. 3, 2015, pp. 389–407. Discusses Zakzaky’s ideological links to Khomeini and the Shia revival in Nigeria.
3. Mustapha, Abdul Raufu. “Contemporary Islamic Movements in Nigeria: A Study of Izala and Shi’ism.” Africa Today, vol. 54, no. 4, 2008, pp. 61–82. Compares the IMN with other Islamic movements.
1. Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC). Zaria Massacre: A Fact-Finding Report. IHRC, 2016. https://www.ihrc.org.uk
2. The Middle East Institute (MEI). “Shia Islam in Nigeria: A Movement Under Pressure.” 2020. https://www.mei.edu
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Usman dan Fodio.”https://www.britannica.com/biography/Usman-dan-Fodio
4. Al-Islam.org. Biography of Imam Khomeini. https://www.al-islam.org
Professor Abdullahi Danladi
Resource Forum
Islamic Movement
Nigeria
+ (234) 8039208479