94 year old Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! What a great blessing! The Sheikh is indeed blessed; physically fit, mentally sound, socially admired, economically buoyant, politically influential and academically intellectual. May Allah continue showering His blessings on the Sheikh.
BIOGRAPHY OF SHEIKH DAHIRU USMAN BAUCHI
Sheikh Tahiru Usman Bauchi was born in Gombe located in the northern region of Nigeria. His parents were from Bauchi while his maternal linage had its roots from Gombe. Sheikh Tahiru was born in during Hijra 1346, equivalent to June 28, 1927 in the Gregorian calendar.
From a very young age, Sheikh Tahiru studied the Holy Qur’an extensively under the tutelage and supervision of his father Alhaji Usman.
His father taught him the Holy Qur’an to the point that he could flawlessly recite the entire Qur’an from memory. According to Sheikh Tahiru, it was from his father (who himself was reputed for reciting the Holy Qur’an off head) that I received the Tijaniyyah Tariqah. His father was Muqaddam (or Imam), who was granted authorization (ijazah) in the Tijaniyyah Tariqah.
ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE
After his complete study of the Holy Qur’an, upon his father’s suggestion, Sheikh Dahiru traveled (at various places) into the world to visit other Qur’anic to enhance and improve his memorization of the Holy Book.
Out of this experience emerged a man from proficient, gifted, skillful, and talented enough that even my teachers rate me as an expert of Al-Qur’anil Kareen.
Sheikh Dahiru was given the highest ever title of those individuals who are versed in the field known as Gangaran.
To this date, Sheikh Dahiru is renowned for his memorization of the Holy Qur’an and with the remarkable prose with which he recites the Holy Qur’an from memory.
His Islamic knowledge and intellectual prowess rose steadily to the point that wherever he goes people of adjacent and neighboring communities flocked to me to seek clarification on numerous aspects of Islamic knowledge, including the Ulama (Muslim scholars) were not learned enough to offer credible explanation on the numerous of issues raised at that time.
In addition to gaining strong knowledge of reading and understand Holy Qur’anic texts in the classical tradition, Sheikh Dahiru’s father instructed him to diversify his Islamic studies approach. He left Gombe to Bauchi to meet with other well known Ulama of the time.
While in Bauchi, he had the privilege of meeting and studying under some of great Islamic scholars who specialized in judicious studies on several aspects of Islamic knowledge and sciences, including Tassawuf (Islamic Sufism).
It was in Bauchi that he aligned with the famous propagator of Tijaniyyah, scholar, Imam, and greatteacher Sheikh Ibrahim Niass Kaulaha (Allah well pleased with him).
According to Sheikh Dahiru, apart from his father Alhaji Usman, Sheikh Ibrahim Niass had the greatest influence in him in terms of intellectual disposition on all aspects of Islamic knowledge. Sheikh Dahiru has studies all written Islamic text written by Sheikh l Ibrahim and other great Tijanni Tariqa scholars, including Jawahiril Ma’ani (considered by many as the main book of Tijaniyyah Tariqah).
FAMILY AND CHILDREN
Sheikh Dahiru married for the first time in 1948.
Sheikh Dahiru is blessed with children both males and females who, by the grace of Allah, are well versed in Qur’anic education, and who themselves could recite that magnificent scripture by memory.
It is a well known fact that all sixty-one (61) of Sheikh Dahiru’s
children and grand children have completed Qur’an and could flawlessly recite it from memory.
Indeed, Sheikh Dahiru’s contribution to Islamic knowledge in Nigeria and across the West African region is beyond comparison to any Ulama of his time and space, and the Sheikh views this as a great blessing showered on him from young age by his father, his great teachers, and by the Grace of Almighty Allah.
May Allah S W A increases is health and prolong his life also make us among the most beneficiaries of his knowledge Ameen...
Khalifa Ja'afar
Comments
Post a Comment