A Treatise on Polygamy and Concubinage in the Early Sokoto Caliphate

Muḥammad Bello’s al-Qawl al-Manʿūt

抄録

In the early nineteenth century, a strong state—commonly called the Sokoto Caliphate—was established by a Fulani Muslim intellectual, ʿUthmān b. Fūdī (d. 1817) and his jamāʿa (community), as a result of their large-scale jihad in Hausaland and its surrounding areas. Since Islamic law was enforced as one of its governing principles, ʿUthmān and the other members of the early Sokoto leadership wrote numerous Arabic works, in which they discussed various legal issues to justify their jihad and governance from the viewpoint of the divine law. Al-Qawl al-manʿūt fī al-nafaqa wa-l-qasm fī al-mabīt (the Described Statement about Maintenance and the Allotment of Overnight Stays) was one of such writings composed by ʿUthmān’s son, Muḥammad Bello (d. 1837). Muḥammad Bello became the second caliph of the Sokoto Caliphate after his father’s death in 1817. Like his father, he was a prolific scholar, and his writings covered various religious and intellectual themes. Among such themes, al-Qawl al-manʿūt—comprising four questions, their answers, and a conclusion—addressed legal issues relating to polygamy and concubinage. According to Islamic law, free male Muslims are permitted to have up to four wives simultaneously. Moreover, the possession of female slaves as concubines is authorized. Considering these principles, Muḥammad Bello discussed legal stipulations on the maintenance (nafaqa) of wives and overnight stays (mabīt) with them and the concubines. Referring to eight manuscripts and a published handwritten text, I edited this short legal treatise. Considering that it was written by one of the most influential political leaders of the early Sokoto Caliphate, this edited work can contribute to the examination of the legal, political, and social aspects in early nineteenth-century West Africa.