VEJOH - VERITAS JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES

Documentation of African history enjoyed the attention of local and foreign writers. While the works of some foreign writers laid foundation for nationalist historiography, some others served as the causes for the wake-up to writing African history in the African way and to challenge Eurocentric views on African past. As the historical works of Arab travelers and historians such as Al-Mas’udi, Ibn Haukal, Al-Bakri, Al-Idrisi, Yaqut, Al-Umari, Ibn Batuta, Ibn Khaldun to mention a few, served as the backbone for the early history of Africa in general and West Africa in particular, later indigenous Arabic authors such as Al-Iluriy played continuity role on development of nationalist historiography, with more focus on West Africa. Parts of Al-Iluriy’s contributions to historical documentation of political events, actors and institutions in West Africa in general and Nigeria in particular are accounted for in his historical work titled Al- Islam fi Naijiriya wa Shaykh Uthman bn Fudiyo (Islam in Nigeria and Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio, published 1950 and later 1971) amongst others. This paper aimed at reviewing them in comparison with other authors’ works. Analytical and comparative methodological approaches were adopted in the study. With critical observation and comparison of methodological approaches, it concluded that like some foreign and indigenous Arabic authors, the submissions of Al-Iluriy do not separate the hands of God from historical events, and while they agree with submissions of English authors on some issues, they disagree on others.

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