- [SW Country] ( Abdisalam Issa-Salwe) Book Review -
Abdi Sheikh-Abdi, Divine Madness: Mohammed Abdulle Hassan
(1856-1920) (London: Zed Books Ltd., 1992) :Posted on 29
June 2004
Book Review
Abdi Sheikh-Abdi, Divine Madness: Mohammed Abdulle Hassan
(1856-1920) (London: Zed Books Ltd., 1992)
by Abdisalam
Issa-Salwe
Thames Valley University, London, UK
Many books have been written
about Mohammed Abdulle Hassan, the man who led the Somali resistance
in the early twentieth century, yet he and the movement he led (the
Dervish) continue to be a subject of study a long time after the fall
of the movement. Known by his followers as Sayid (master), by the
colonial literature as Mad Mullah, Mohammed Abdulle Hassan remains a
controversial figure. Dr Abdi Sheikh-Abdi now adds his work on the subject which took
him more than ten years to complete.
This
book examines ───
in a social and historical perspective ─── the rise of Mohammed Abdulle Hassan and his movement.
It consists of an introduction and six chapters. As Euro-colonialists
were usually of another faith, the Somalis felt that the colonialists
were trying to Christianise their children. The resistance led by
Mohammed Abdulle Hassan was in response to this belief.
The
introduction attempts to examine the literary historical of Mohammed
Abdulle Hassan (known as Sayid Mohammed) who was one of the greatest
Somali poets of this century. Chapter 1 presents the people of the
country. Chapter 2 deals with the historical setting of the event
which led to the Somali resistance led by Mohammed Abdulle Hassan in
early part of this century. Chapter 3 covers the life of the man, his
background and the influence which reflected the struggle which he
spearheaded. Chapter 4 explores the armed resistance to colonialism.
Chapter 5 focuses on the ideology, characteristics and organisation of
the Somali Dervish movement. Chapter 6, which is also the conclusion,
examines the implications and the ideological influences which the
Dervish movement left on Somali nationalism which was to start shortly
after the annihilation of the movement.
By
forwarding a rich and in-depth analysis of literary materials,
historical and social evidence, the author challenges both the
interpretation and the early publications of Mohammed Abdulle Hassan's
personality and leadership. He maintains that Mohammed Abdulle Hassan
was not "an ambitious chieftain of a militant Muslim sect [Salihiya]
bent on wrestling power from the tradition-bound Muslim brotherhoods [Qadiriya,
Dandarawiya, etc.] of the Somaliland", but a true nationalist
whose aim "transcended both religious considerations and clan
based affiliations." Consequently, the ideology behind the
struggle was to arouse and stimulate the rise of modern Somali
nationalism two decades later in the Somali peninsula.
The
author's approach differs from the style of contemporary scholars as
he emphasises the social context of the Dervish movement rather than
literary, spiritual or other aspects. Through his research, Dr Sheikh-Abdi
gives attention to the oral tradition of the Somalis as it is an
important element in the historical research into a predominantly oral
society.
One
important contribution forwarded by Dr Sheikh-Abdi is the atrocity
committed by the British colonial forces against the followers of the
Dervish movement. Previous works were written mostly by colonial
officials who focused only on the fierce way Mohammed Abdulle Hassan
deal with those Somali clans who opposed him.
Before
the arrival of colonialism in the Somaliland, the Somali society led a
decentralised way of life. The colonial powers demanded a way of life
contrary to their traditional one. Subsequently, Somalis responded
violently in reaction to this interference. However because of the
lack of leadership, as the author maintains, this resistance was
futile. Only with the appearance of Mohammed Abdulle Hassan did the
Somalis became organized, under his leadership.
By
knowing that the colonialists could not be defeated only by force,
Mohammed Abdulle Hassan, use words as arms. As words, spoken or
written, have been the most powerful means of communication in all
mankind's society, he consummately and skilfully used the communicative
functions of Somali verse. He repeatedly sought to gain in verse what
he had not succeeded in acquiring with arms. He designed his verse to
enhance his cause, to encourage his followers or scorn and discredit
his enemies. However, by scorning his enemies, he sometimes used to
preach the pastoral ethos excessively as Said Samatar writes, like an
"epigram that borders on the obscene." It is here that Dr
Abdi-Sheikh explores the dual poetic exchange between Mohammed Abdulle
Hassan and his opponents, namely Ali Jama Habil and Ali Adan "Ali
Dhuh", as this throws light on the social dynamics of that
period.
It is
in the conclusion and the reason behind the disintegration of the
Dervish movement that Dr Sheikh-Abdi's work falters. The reason that
Mohammed Abdulle Hassan was such a controversial figure was that his
indiscriminate raiding, seizing and plundering of the property of the
Somali clans he suspected, were not favourable to his cause. This
behaviour poisoned his relations with the Somali clans and crippled
his movement as, consequently, it alienated him from the clans who
traditionally considered all crime against an individual as a crime
against the clan to which the person belonged. It also estranged him
from other religious orders such as Qadiriya and Dandarawiya. The
conflict stretched to such an extreme that the Dervish eventually
killed Sheikh Awees Biyooley (Sheikh Uways bin Mohammed al-Baraawa) in
Biyooley, the Qadiriya representative in the southern Somaliland
in 1909. The veteran Dervish Ismail Mire believed that what led
to the collapse of the movement was the indiscriminate killing of holy
men.
Despite
the lack of emphasis on the gravity of the collapse of the Dervish, we
cannot deny the invaluable contribution of Dr Sheikh-Abdi in the form
of this inestimable scholarly work.
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