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Educating Muslim Women: The West African Legacy of Nana Asma u 1793-1864
Nana Asma'u was a devout, learned Muslim who was able to observe, record, interpret, and influence the major public events that happened around her. Daughters are still named after her, her poems still move people profoundly, and the memory of her remains a vital source of inspiration and hope. Her example as an educator is still the system she set up in the first quarter of the nineteenth century, for the education of rural women, has not only survived in its homeland—through the traumas of the colonization of West Africa and the establishment of the modern state of Nigeria—but is also being revived and adapted elsewhere, notably among Muslim women in the United States. This book, richly illustrated with maps and photographs, recounts Asma'u's upbringing and critical junctures in her life from several sources, mostly her own firsthand experiences presented in her writings, the accounts of contemporaries who witnessed her endeavors, and the memoirs of European travelers. For the account of her legacy the authors have depended on extensive field studies in Nigeria, and documents pertaining to the efforts of women in Nigeria and the United States, to develop a collective voice and establish their rights as women and Muslims in today's societies. Beverley Mack is an associate professor of African studies at the University of Kansas. She is co-editor (with Catherine Coles) of Hausa Women in the Twentieth Century and co-author (with Jean Boyd) of The Collected Works of Nana Asma'u, 1793–1864 and One Woman's Nana Asma'u Scholar and Scribe . 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
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 14, 2022
“Asma’u had been an inspiration to the women of the Yan Taru and she was by far the most prolific woman writer and influential lady to emerge in the western Sudan in the nineteenth century.” 🧕🏼
Educating Muslim Women is an informative and comprehensive work that largely details the spiritual, societal, and cultural impact Nana Asma’u had on the women of the Sokoto Caliphate (1804-1902). As a Muslim woman, I am grateful to learn more about this oft excluded, yet incredibly salient piece of Islamic history. 📜
As the daughter of Usman dan Fodio, the leader and ‘Shehu’ (teacher) of the Sokoto Caliphate, Nana Asma’u was a descendant of a family firmly rooted in Islamic scholarship. A hafizah, scholar, poet, social reformer and above all a devout, God-conscious Muslimah who sincerely cared about the wellbeing and empowerment of the people around her, Nana Asma’u was a figure whose unwavering principles enabled her to challenge gendered societal norms and transform the lives of the women.
What I found particularly admirable was Asma’u’s humbleness in light of her scholarly ancestry and familial/marital privilege. Though she was the daughter of the caliph, wife of the wazir and actively involved in many aspects of the caliphate, her desire to extend her own religious education to others was evidenced in the formation of the Yan Taru (the ‘associates’).
Educating Muslim Woman is a spectacular and eye-opening read which challenges common erroneous perceptions about the presence and role of women in society.
If Asma’u’s father Usman dan Fodio had not been such a public advocate for the empowerment of women, Nana Asma’u would not have had the opportunity to bring her people closer to God and His Messenger ﷺ.
Educating Muslim Women is an informative and comprehensive work that largely details the spiritual, societal, and cultural impact Nana Asma’u had on the women of the Sokoto Caliphate (1804-1902). As a Muslim woman, I am grateful to learn more about this oft excluded, yet incredibly salient piece of Islamic history. 📜
As the daughter of Usman dan Fodio, the leader and ‘Shehu’ (teacher) of the Sokoto Caliphate, Nana Asma’u was a descendant of a family firmly rooted in Islamic scholarship. A hafizah, scholar, poet, social reformer and above all a devout, God-conscious Muslimah who sincerely cared about the wellbeing and empowerment of the people around her, Nana Asma’u was a figure whose unwavering principles enabled her to challenge gendered societal norms and transform the lives of the women.
What I found particularly admirable was Asma’u’s humbleness in light of her scholarly ancestry and familial/marital privilege. Though she was the daughter of the caliph, wife of the wazir and actively involved in many aspects of the caliphate, her desire to extend her own religious education to others was evidenced in the formation of the Yan Taru (the ‘associates’).
Educating Muslim Woman is a spectacular and eye-opening read which challenges common erroneous perceptions about the presence and role of women in society.
If Asma’u’s father Usman dan Fodio had not been such a public advocate for the empowerment of women, Nana Asma’u would not have had the opportunity to bring her people closer to God and His Messenger ﷺ.
February 12, 2021
"Educating Muslim Women: the West African Legacy of Nana Asma'u" by Jean Boyd and Beverly Mack is a detailed biography of Nana Asma'u, the daughter of the formidable Sufi scholar and leader, the Shehu Usman dan Fodio.
The book provides an excellent background on the history of Islam in West Africa, the role of the dan Fodio family, the establishment of the Sokoto khilaafah, and how life changed dramatically due to colonialism.
I am so grateful that this book exists - one of my personal frustrations has been about how little we know about Islamic female scholarship in eras past the Sahabah and Tabi'een, and especially in areas of the Muslim world that are often ignored... such as Africa.
Learning about Nana Asma'u was incredibly eye-opening; discovering that she was not merely some privileged noblewoman with an education, but played an active role in her community. She was politically involved with her father's khilaafah and later, with her brothers and other rulers; she established an entire system of Islamic education specifically for women and girls, pushing back against a culture of shirk and jaahiliyyah.
It is deeply astounding (and frankly, depressing) that most of us have never known about Nana Asma'u and her legacy; that her story, which is such a powerful inspiration, has been so hidden for so long.
Muslim men and women alike have much to learn from Nana Asma'u. In some parts of the African-American Muslim community, she has remained a source of motivation; in Nigeria, her history has spurred contemporary movements for women's education and empowerment. More than ever, we need to learn about the #ForgottenHeroines of our Ummah!
The book provides an excellent background on the history of Islam in West Africa, the role of the dan Fodio family, the establishment of the Sokoto khilaafah, and how life changed dramatically due to colonialism.
I am so grateful that this book exists - one of my personal frustrations has been about how little we know about Islamic female scholarship in eras past the Sahabah and Tabi'een, and especially in areas of the Muslim world that are often ignored... such as Africa.
Learning about Nana Asma'u was incredibly eye-opening; discovering that she was not merely some privileged noblewoman with an education, but played an active role in her community. She was politically involved with her father's khilaafah and later, with her brothers and other rulers; she established an entire system of Islamic education specifically for women and girls, pushing back against a culture of shirk and jaahiliyyah.
It is deeply astounding (and frankly, depressing) that most of us have never known about Nana Asma'u and her legacy; that her story, which is such a powerful inspiration, has been so hidden for so long.
Muslim men and women alike have much to learn from Nana Asma'u. In some parts of the African-American Muslim community, she has remained a source of motivation; in Nigeria, her history has spurred contemporary movements for women's education and empowerment. More than ever, we need to learn about the #ForgottenHeroines of our Ummah!
October 12, 2025
Nana Asma'u was born to a family with strong religious education background; her father was a teacher of the religion, and from her mother, her ancestors had carried the tradition of teaching one generation of daughters after another.
Like Syekhah Rahmah el Yunusiyyah from Indonesia, Asma'u's like was no less challenging. Her community faced persecution by the non-Muslims in her country, hence they had to flee and lived as refugees throughout the land in West Africa. The men came back to fight against the oppressors, and finally won the wars. The Sokoto caliphate was established by Asma'u's father, and they finally got to live in a permanent place, some kf the structures still stand to this day.
Here, Asma'u began educating the ladies around her, passing the Islamic knowledge that she obtained from her parents and her other teachers. She sometimes travelled far to teach other girls, and sometimes they come all the way from hundreds of miles away to learn from her. She had good support from her parents, brother, and later husband.
Apart from the war, she lost a lot of people in her life - her father, brother, sister-in-law, some of her young children, and her husband. Yet she did not give up and continued to educate her people until she passed away at an old age of 71.
This book not only tells us about Nana Asma'u, it also tells us a story about the beginning of the Sokoto caliphate, the culture of teaching and learning Islamic knowledge in these communities, and after Asma'u's passing, how the land fell to the British and how it drastically changed the landscape of religious studies in their region.
Although I do find that the story was a bit all over the place, Nana's character was not totally uncovered that her story didn't entirely feel uplifting, and there's not much information about the authors, I still feel that this book is worth reading. At least we could get to know another culture, and discover what other people around the world were doing during that period of time.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews