International African Institute

Divine Madness: Mohammed Abdulle Hassan, 1856-1920 by Abdi Sheikh-Abdi

Review by: Abdisalam Issa-Salwe
Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 64, No. 4 (1994), pp. 580-581
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African Institute
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1161381 .
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580 BOOK REVIEWS

bases his claim that Malik Sy did not follow in the tradition of Nasir al-Din, a
Mauritanian Muslim leader who waged a jihad a few decades prior to Maliks' efforts
in Bundu, on the contention that Malik Sy 'was not involved in Nasir al-Din's move-
ment; in fact, he was busy traveling during the period of the struggle' (p. 48). Perhaps
so. The larger point is that, in the absence of contemporaneous materials, less empha-
sis could have been placed on such literal readings of the traditions and more concern
could have been directed toward interpreting their symbolic and latent meanings. In
the end, Gomez's arguments about early Sissibe pragmatism are plausible assertions.
The rest of the work concerns the political history of Bundu between Malik Sy and
Bokar Saada. Specialists might quibble about aspects of this reconstruction. Overall,
Gomez has done well to bring Bundu out of the shadows cast by the Fulbe states in
Futa Toro and Futa Jallon. His work is a political history which develops the trials
and tribulations of a Muslim elite surrounded by non-Muslim neighbours. In this
regard, Gomez's arguments about Bundu's pragmatism ring true.
JOHN H. HANSON
Indiana University

Divine Madness: MohammedAbdulle Hassan, 1856-1920. London:

ABDI SHEIKH-ABDI,
Zed Books, 1992, 240 pp., ?13 95, ISBN 0 86232 444 0 paperback, ?32-95, ISBN 0
86232 443 2 hard covers.

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 long after the fall of the movement.
Known by his followers as Sayid (master), by the colonial literature as the 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. The introduction attempts to examine the literary historical significance
of Mohammed Abdulle Hassan (known as Sayid Mohammed), 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 events which gave rise to the Somali resis-
tance 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 strug-
gle 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, the conclusion, examines the implications and the
ideological influences which the Dervish movement left on Somali nationalism,
which was to emerge shortly after the annihilation of the movement.
By providing a rich and in-depth analysis of literary, historical and social evidence,
the author challenges the earlier interpretations of Mohammed Abdulle Hassan's per-
sonality and leadership. He maintains that Mohammed Abdulle Hassan was not 'an
ambitious chieftain of a militant Muslim sect [Salihiya] bent on wresting power from
the tradition-bound Muslim brotherhoods [Qadiriya, Dandarawiya, etc.] of the
Somaliland' but a true nationalist whose aim 'transcended both religious considera-
tions 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

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 BOOK REVIEWS 581

or other aspects. Through his research Dr Sheikh-Abdi pays 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 by Dr Sheikh-Abdi is his revelation of the atrocity
committed by the British forces against the followers of the Dervish movement. Pre-
vious works were written mostly by colonial officials who focused only on the fierce
way Mohammed Abdulle Hassan dealt with those Somali clans who opposed him.
Before the arrival of colonialism in Somaliland, Somali society led a decentralised
way of life. The colonial powers demanded a way of life contrary to the traditional
one. Subsequently, Somalis responded violently. However, because of the lack of
leadership, as the author maintains, this resistance was futile. Only with the appear-
ance of Mohammed Abdulle Hassan did the Somalis become organised, under his
leadership.
Knowing that the colonisers could not be defeated by force alone, Mohammed
Abdulle Hassan, used words as arms. As words, spoken or written, have always
been the most powerful means of communication, he skilfully used the communica-
tive 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 to scorn and discredit his enemies. However, in scorn-
ing 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 the period.
It is in the conclusion and the examination of the reasons for the disintegration of
the Dervish movement that Dr Sheikh-Abdi's work falters. The reason why
Mohammed Abdulle Hassan was such a controversial figure was 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, who traditionally considered any crime against an individual as a crime
against the clan to which the individual belonged. It also estranged him from other
religious orders such as Qadiriya and Dandarawiya. The conflict spread to such an
extent 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.
ABDISALAM ISSA-SALWE
London

and c. KERVEN, Range Ecology at Disequilibrium:new models

R. H. BEHNKE, JR, I. SCOONES
of natural variabilityandpastoral adaptation in African savannas. London: Overseas
Development Institute for the Overseas Development Institute, the International
Institute for Environment and Development and the Commonwealth Secretariat,
1993, 259 pp., ?19-95, ISBN 0 85003 195 8.

Since the early decades of this century, successive administrations have tended to see
pastoralists and their livestock as overgrazing and bringing about the progressive
degradation of arid and semi-arid rangelands in Africa. Decades of livestock and
range development interventions have sought to tackle these problems by changing

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