THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

23HIS ROYAL EMINENCE AMIRUL MU’MININ SHEIKHAS SULTAN MUHAMMADU SA’ADU ABUBAKAR IIISultan of SokotoAmirul Mu’minin Sheikh as Sultan MuhammaduSa’adu Abubakar III is the 20th Sultan of Sokoto. AsSultan of Sokoto, he is considered the spiritual leader ofNigeria’s 74.6 million Muslims, who account for roughly50 percent of the nation’s population. Although theposition of Sultan of Sokoto has become largely ceremonial,the holder is still a central figure for NigerianMuslims.Lineage Back to Sheikh Usman Dan FodioThe Sultan of Sokoto is the spiritual leader of Nigeria’senormous Muslim community. He gains this positionby lineage. Abubakar is the 20th heir to the two-century-oldthrone founded by his ancestor, Sheikh UsmanCountry: NigeriaDate of Birth: 24 August 1956Source of Influence: Lineage,Development, AdministrativeInfluence: Central figure forapproximately 75.5 millionNigerian MuslimsSchool of Thought: TraditionalSunni, Maliki; linked tothe Qadiriyyah Sufi order bylineageRank: 2010:23 · 2009:16 Dan Fodio. Dan Fodio (1754-1817 CE) was a scholar, leader of the Maliki school of Islam andthe Qadiri branch of Sufism, and an Islamic reformer of the nineteenth century. Dan Fodiobelieved that Islam should have a more central role in the life of the people of West Africaand led an uprising to institute the changes he sought. His figure and his writings are a veryimportant chapter in the history of Islam in West Africa, and Abubakar, by lineage, holds akey place in West African Islam, and particularly for the Fulani and Hausa people who followDan Fodio.An Illustrious FamilyThe position currently does carry with it some weight—though largely ceremonial since Britishcolonial rule diminished its political significance. Much of this clout is derived from therespect that was earned by Siddiq Abu Bakar Dan Usman—17th Sultan and father of Abubakar—whoheld the Sultanate for over fifty years. The rule of Abubakar’s father from 1938 to1988 earned the position significant social capital and popularity with ordinary Muslims.Administrative PowerAbubakar holds important administrative influence in Nigerian religious life. He is the titularruler of Sokoto in northern Nigeria and is also the head of the Nigerian National SupremeCouncil for Islamic Affairs. Leadership of this council means that the Sultan of Sokoto remainsthe only figure that can legitimately claim to speak on behalf of all Nigerian Muslims.This role has become increasingly influential over the years with a rise in inter-religious tensionsbetween Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north and Christian-majority south. The late SultanSiddiq Abu Bakar dan Usman was widely respected for trying to ease tensions betweenNigeria’s Muslim and Christian communities, which tend to occasionally spill over into sectarianviolence. Abubakar also possesses military experience in conflict areas.72