Izala Society or ''Jama'atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah'' (Society of Removal of Innovation and Re-establishment of the Sunnah), also called JIBWIS, is a

Salafi movement The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...

originally established in Northern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

to fight what it sees as the ''

bid'ah In Islam, bid'ah ( ar, بدعة; en, innovation) refers to innovation in religious matters. Linguistically, the term means "innovation, novelty, heretical doctrine, heresy". In classical Arabic literature ('' adab''), it has been used as a fo ...

'' (innovation) practiced by the

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

brotherhoods. It is one of the largest Sunni societies in Nigeria,

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesCameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

Organization

Jibwis was established in 1978 in Jos,

by Sheikh Ismaila Idris (1930-2000) "in reaction to the Sufi brotherhoods", specifically the

Qadiriyya The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ta ...

and Tijjaniyya who practice Sufism. According to Ramzi Amara,

Today JIBWIS is one of the largest Salafi societies not only in Northern Nigeria, but also in the South and even in the neighboring countries (Chad, Niger, and Cameroon). It is very active in Da‘wa (propagation of the faith) and especially in education. The Izala has many institutions all over the country and is influential at the local, state, and even federal levels.

The group has been called a

salafist The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...

organisation "that embraces a legalist and scripture centered upon understanding of Islam". David Commins has described it as the fruit of missionary work by the

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

n funded and led by the World Muslim League. "Essential texts" for members of the JIBWIS are "

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ; "The Book of Monotheism") , influences = , influenced = , children = , module = , title = Imam, Shaykh , movement = Muwahhidun (Wahhabi) , native_name = محمد بن ...

's treatise of God's unity and commentaries by his grandsons". Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was the founder of the

Wahhabi Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...

mission, the official Islamic interpretation of Saudi Arabia. He saw Sufism as rife with idolatry ('' shirk''). The Izala Society has been considered the most nonviolent and most educated Islamist group, due to their disposition to work, contribution and sharing knowledge to humanity through Qur’an and Sunnah.

Prominent members

* Sheikh Abubakar Gumi (1924-1992) * Sheikh Kabir Gombe * Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir * Sheikh Isah Ali Pantami * Dr Ahmad Abubakar Gumi * Sheikh Yakubu Musa Katsina * Alaramma Ahmad Sulaiman * Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa * Sheikh Bello Yabo

References

External links

Official website
(not in English) {{Authority control Islamic organizations based in Nigeria

Salafi groups 1978 establishments in Nigeria Islamic organizations established in 1978

Organization

Prominent members

See also

References

External links