A HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE DOCTRINE OF DIGANCI AND DIGAWA RELIGIOUS GROUP IN NIGERIA

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BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

In the history of Islam, doctrinal disagreements that resulted in the formation of sects were unavoidable, as the Prophet Mohammed is said to have predicted (S.A.W). 1Also, the notion of regeneration (Tajdeed) is based on another Prophetic tradition (PBUH). 2 The tradition holds that at the beginning of each century, a renewer (Mujaddid) of Islam would be dispatched to reestablish authentic Islamic practices and thereby rejuvenate a community that has a tendency to stray from the straight path over time. In essence, Islam has had a heritage of revivalism and reform since its inception. With this advancement, it became the right of the people to exercise Ijtihad in order to interpret the source of Islam. This, and, of course, other prevalent circumstances such as rampant materialism, which insures the worship of wealth's 'gods,' the impact of neo-Platonism, and the philosophies of other climes like as Persia, Syria, and India. 3 cleared the way for the formation of many Islamic movements, organizations, sects, and sub-sects. Almost all groups promise to cleanse religion of the contaminations in rites and customs that have accumulated since the Prophet and Sahaba's time. It should be emphasized that the majority of these religious groups were associated with the names of its founders or had been associated with them in some way. Some examples are the Qadiriyya formed by Abdal-Qadir Al-Jilani, the Tijjaniyya founded by Ahmad Al-Tijani, the Rufa'iyya founded by Ahmad Al-Rifa'i, the Khalwatiyya founded by Umar Al-Khalwati, and others. 4 In the same line, the Digawa religious group, who claim to be modern Sufis, were named after the movement's founder, Malam Diga, as we will discover later.

The name 'Sufi' is derived from Tasawwuf, which is likely derived from the term Suf, which simply refers to woolen attires worn by Sufis as a symbol of piety and renunciation of the world at the beginning of the 9th century.5

Thus, the earliest Sufis were essentially mystics, or persons who practiced a devout style of Islam and felt that a direct personal contact with God was possible. To that end, the mystics school of thought contends that knowledge of ultimate reality can be attained through divine enlightenment and intuition, which are both illuminations of the self and the development of a specific faculty capable of perceiving spiritual and metaphysical realities in the same way that our eyes see material objects. 6 Sufism, in essence, is a technique of approaching Reality that makes use of intuitive and emotional spiritual qualities that are inert and latent unless called into action via training under leadership. This instruction, known as 'treading the path' (suluk at-tariq), tries to disperse the veil that separates the self from the actual, allowing the ego to be converted or absorbed into undifferentiated Unity. 7 As a result, the major purpose of the Sufi was to purge the souls of self-love and replace it with love of God. That is, if the road of redemption is to be attained, the egoistic part of human nature must be destroyed. The Sufi method historically devised six stages to achieve this: repentance, abstinence from earthly pleasures, detachment or isolation from the world, poverty, patience, and self surrender to God. 8 When the ego disappears and divine-love enters the soul, the six-path program is accomplished. To ensure their connection to God, the Digawa religious sect closely adheres to these steps. Reading between the lines, Sufism means morality, the code of the heart, soul cleansing, and a sense of God's presence. 9 Against this backdrop, the Digawa aim to be free of the world and its passions while being in the world. In most cases, they construct distinct communities and participate solely in religious services, as was the case with the Sufis. The perfect guy is one who has no desire to own worldly goods since he would soon be possessed by them. In essence, Digawa live a noble, clean, and holy life modeled by the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)10, and the Sufis are well-known for this.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The Digawa's expression of Sufi qualities causes them to embrace highly unique behaviors and lifestyles, which most people who are unaware of them appear to regard as a 'new' phenomena or strange. Such individuals regard the Digawa's way of life and customs in general as an anomaly since they contradict modern thinking. It is likely that this feature, together with the Digawa population's small size, has prompted historians and scholars of history and Islamic studies to overlook this mystic group, in contrast to the Qadiriyya, Tijjaniyya, and Izalah sects, among others. There hasn't been much research done on the Digawa as a magical group. The only two projects published on them were at the undergraduate level, therefore the treatment is brief.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDENT

As stated earlier the Digawa community under study is lacking in any published historical source, as a result of which not much is known about them. Thus, the aim and objectives of this case study are:

1. To document the historical origin.
2.  To study the religious, social and political institutions of the Digawa.
3. To study the religious affiliation of the Digawa in the light of the Sufi order which they follow.

4. To contribute to the literature on the study of religion with reference to Sufism in Northern Nigeria.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will enable scholars, students, and the general public to have a clear knowledge and understanding of the Digawa people as a religious sect. The study will also help government security and its apparatus in particular, now that it keeps an eye on the activities of religious organizations and what they aspire for following its previous experiences of Maitatsine, Kalahkato, and now BokoHaram. The research will surely be a reference document.

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS 

This research is a study of Digawa community of Danzomo Town in Sule Tankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa State covering the period from the year 1970 to 2010. It was in 1970 that what was to become a future challenge to the Digawa started to gather momentum i. e. the emergence of the Izalah sect in 1978. Following this, the Digawa rose strongly to defend their social frontiers from the activities of the newly emerged Izalah movement in the area. The isolative and reluctant nature of the Digawa to accept people constituted a strong constraint to the study especially in the area of data collection. That was so, due to the fact that many people do not know much about them, and an attempt to have a close association with these people met a negative response.

1.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodology is the specific procedures or techniques used to identify, select, process, and analyze information about a topic. To realize the objectives of this study, the paper adopts a methodology that is both descriptive and analytical. This approach relies on official records and a considerable volume of related literature. For the purpose of this study, the researchers adopted historical and descriptive methods.

1.7 SOURCES OF DATA

This research was conducted through the use of various data collection techniques. In the first place, oral interviews were conducted. These were in form of individual or group discussions. A mini-tape recorder was used in recording responses, but in a situation where an interviewee objected to that, the researcher wrote down the responses. A list of the people interviewed is in the bibliography. Also, the researcher made use of observation i.e. personal visits to the various Digawa settlements within and outside the area of the research. By so doing, the researcher found himself in a good position to aptly understand, describe, and interpret the issues. Secondly, documented materials that discussed relevant issues in the research were utilized. Such documented materials include: Books, Journals, Articles, Projects, Dissertations, Thesis, Seminar and Conference papers. To obtain the secondary materials, the researcher visited some research centers namely- the Arewa House in Kaduna, the National Archives in Kaduna, Waziri Janaidu History and culture Bureau in Sokoto, Kano State History and Culture Bureau, Kano and Sokoto States Libraries, the Bayero University and Usmanu Danfodiyo University Libraries. These materials were useful in the course of the literature review. The Internet sources were also not left out.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Sect: According to Merrian Wester’s dictionary, a sect is a religious group that adhered to a distinctive doctrine. The Encyclopedia Britannica, further defined sect as a nonmainstream religious group i. e. a religious group with beliefs and practices at variance with those of the more established main group.11 So, on the understanding that the Digawa are close-knit group i. e. a small close-knit group with strong held views that are sometimes regarded as extreme by the majority of Muslims, we regarded them to be a sect.

Diganci: According to Bargery, Diganci means certain customs and religious observances different from those in general practice amongst Nigerian Muslims.12 On this understanding, Diganci is taken to be a variety of Sufism on its own right simply because the Digawa do not beat the Bandir , dance and/or sing the name of Allah and Saint Abd al-Qadir Jilani. Likewise, the Digawa do not do the Dhikr, Wazifah and above all do not regard Salat al –fatih. What they really do is the recitation of the holy Qur’an (ratib) in the morning before going out for their daily activities and in the evening between the Maghrib and Isha’i prayers. Thus, Diganci neither falls within the realm of Qadiriyyah nor Tijjaniyyah. The followers of the order are called Digawa vis-à-vis their settlements. Also, in some areas these people are called ‘Yan-tuba, Fuffuki and Aljannah wala-shakka in the Biu area of Borno State.

Sufism: Sufism is yet another concept used in the research, which need to be expatiated. In many studies that were directed at understanding the phenomena of Sufism, authors tried to trace the origin of the word –Tasawwuf particularly its derivation. Although, there are various opinions concerning the origin of the word Tasawwuf but, I tend to be in support of scholars who argue that the concept was derived from Suf (wool).15For example, al-Yafi quoted by Mubarak has reported that most of the apparels of the past Sufi leaders are made of wool as it keeps one obscure and it is nearer to modesty and abstention from worldly pleasure. Moreover, it is the common wear of the Prophets (peace and blessing of Allah be upon them).16 Considering the importance attached to the woolen garment by the Prophets and other pious men because of its roughness, one may say that in the past woolen garments were used to display asceticism where he mortifies his bodily appetites. In other word, wearing woolen garment was a sort of physical self-punishment and self-denial. Tasawwuf does not only connote symbolic attires of the Sufis, but its practice as well. So, on the practical side of it, Tasawwuf means the avoidance of forbidden things, the performance of the religious duties and the renunciation of the world. Detachment from everything or renunciation of the world is the first requisite of a mystic. A Sufi needs Allah and Allah alone and therefore cares not a bit for the world and its belongings.17 So, those who take the Sufis as models both symbolically and character wise are by implication Sufis. To this end, it is along this perspective that we looked at the Digawa in this research.

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