Modernist Identities

Sufis and Wahhabis in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Since the 1970’s, northern Nigeria has been torn by many conflicts between organizational and ideological currents influenced both by the Wahhabiyah and the Sufi tariqas. Some of these conflicts were bitter and even violent, leading to a considerable change in the affiliations of Muslims, who, until that period, were considered to be adherents of the Sufi tariqas (mainly the Qadiriyya and the Tijaniyya). This article will review the development of the relations between Wahhabists and Sufis, taking into consideration the international and internal circumstances of the last three decades. The article will argue that current scholarly literature takes an overly dichotomous view of the matter, ascribing radicalization and politization to elements associated with the Wahhabiyah, as opposed to moderation, and even defeatism, to elements associated with Sufism. The author suggests to view the relations between the different organizational and ideological currents in northern Nigerian Islam as dynamic relations, and to discuss not only clashes, but also recent attempts of Sufis and Wahhabis to create dialogue between them.