One Woman's Jihad: Nana Asma'u, Scholar and Scribe [Paperback]

Beverly B. Mack (Author), Jean Boyd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0253213983 | ISBN-13: 978-0253213983

"... a most welcome addition to the body of scholarship on the Sokoto Jihad and Caliphate." —Religious Studies Review

The fascinating life and times of Nana Asma'u (1793 - 1864), a West African woman who was a Muslim scholar and poet. As the daughter of the spiritual and political leader of the Sokoto community, Asma'u was a role model and teacher for other Muslim women as well as a scholar of Islam and a key advisor to her father as he waged a jihad to bring Islam to the population of what is now northwestern Nigeria.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... this woman's intellectual contribution to a revolution, and her position at the heart of the military and organisational effort, deserves to be better known." -- Graham Furniss

About the Author

Beverly B. Mack is Assistant Professor of African and African-American Studies at the University of Kansas. She is co-editor (with Jean Boyd) of The Collected Works of Nana Asma'u, 1793-1864.

Jean Boyd is former Principal Research Fellow of the Sokoto History Bureau and Research Associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. She is the author of The Caliph's Sister and Sultan Siddiq Abubakar III.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (May 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253213983
• ISBN-13: 978-0253213983
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book in Islamic scholarship, August 9, 2005

By 

Gogol (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Woman's Jihad: Nana Asma'u, Scholar and Scribe (Paperback)

This is a realy important book and it is a shame that it is so overlooked. Nana Asma'u was the daughter of Sheikh Usuman dan Fodio, scholar and warrior and sister of the Caliph Muhammad Bello. This book not only describes the Islamic community that thrived in West Africa under Muhammad Bello but also the importance given to education especially the education of women.

In this Nana Asma'u played an especially important role she not only being sister to the Caliph but an important Islamic scholar in her own right. This book details the methodolay used by the Muslim community of West Africa in education and how Islam was spread by educated Muslim women such as Nana Asmau.

This book is a valuable read and one I would recomend to anyone who had an interest in either Islam/Sufism or African history.

5.0 out of 5 stars An AWAIR Pick!!!, May 18, 2011

By 

AWAIR Reviews (Berkeley, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Woman's Jihad: Nana Asma'u, Scholar and Scribe (Paperback)

Here is the historical, spiritual, and literary portrait of a remarkable 19th-century African Muslim woman. The daughter of the spiritual and political leader of the Sokoto community (Usman Dan Fodio), Nana Asma'u (1793-1864) was a poet, teacher, and role model for Muslim women. She was a scholar of Islam and a key adviser to her father as he struggled to bring Islam to the population of what is now northwestern Nigeria. Her poetry is familiar to Hausa Muslims today, attesting to the power and continued relevance of her convictions and achievements.

Teachers/Librarians: 9th-adult, Social Studies/Humanities