Indiana University Press Sovereignty and Sainthood: 'Umar Tall, Islamic Epistemology, and Political Imagination in West Africa, 1800–1864

Through his transmission of new Islamic ritual practices and ideas on sainthood and sovereignty, the Sufi scholar Umar Fūtī Tall built an expansive community of followers in precolonial West Africa and ultimately established an independent polity that was likely larger than the state of California. While Umar Tall has drawn significant scholarly attention, historians have largely focused on his political and military activities and, in doing so, have failed to account for how he performed a new articulation of authority that combined his personas as a scholar, saint, and sovereign. Sovereignty and Sainthood addresses this gap, challenging modern secular narratives on the relationship between religion and politics as well as teleological approaches to Umar Tall that understand him only as a traditional king or a state builder. Amir Syed carefully engages with a wide range of Arabic source material, including Umar Tall's own writings, to uncover the theological basis of his political practices and links them to Muslim understandings of divine sovereignty. By tracing and investigating the multiple layers of Umar Tall's authority while contextualizing how his influence shifted over time, Syed demonstrates how his role as a ruler was consistent with his role as a scholar, both roles being otherworldly oriented. Providing an unprecedented look at the life of a spiritual and military leader, Sovereignty and Sainthood provides a new lens for understanding the relationship between Islam and politics in West Africa.