Uthman Dan Fodio's defense of sunnah against bid'ahs in the context of his work Ihyāu's-Sunnah and Ihmādu'l-Bid'a

This thesis was written based on the work of Uthman dan Fodio, who was born in present-day Niger, lived between 1754-1817, and was a scholar who led his society in political, religious and mystical terms. From an early age, Uthman dan Fodio gathered people around him in his lecture circles in the West African geography called Maghrib, and his teachings influenced large masses. At the same time, his uncompromising defense of Islam and Sunnah in the face of mistakes led him to struggle against the existing administrative structure; as a result of this struggle, he established the Sokoto Caliphate in 1227/1812. As a scholar, head of state, and spiritual leader in his region, many topics such as his life, his role in the expansion of the caliphate, and the influence of his teachings on the beliefs and lifestyles of his followers have found a place in studies. However, Ihyā'u's-Sunnah and Ihmādu'l-Bid'ah, which is considered his most important work, is not sufficiently known. This work includes his call to the Sunnah and his struggle against bid'ah as a scholar; it reflects his fundamental views. Thus, we have conducted this study. As understood from his work, Uthman dan Fodio opposed practices that distanced Muslims from the Sunnah; classified these practices and graded bid'ahs. In his work, he has mostly reflected a broad-gauged of bid'ah. In his determinations of Bid'ah, he has referenced the evidences on the subject rather than the conclusion he reached, demonstrated his command of the subject with his competent scholarly personality. The issue of Bid'ah has been part of the science of hadith due to the attempt to include what is not part of the religion into the religion, and therefore, the innovations that emerged in different periods and regions have prompted scholars to take action. The need to combat bid'ah and defend the Sunnah led to the emergence of bid'ah literature. Our study aims to reveal Uthman dan Fodio's view on the concept of bid'ah and how he evaluated the beliefs and lifestyles of the Muslim society in his time in this respect.