Acknowledgements
The immense support of some charismatic individuals and institutions have brought this book to fruition. My doctoral supervisor, Professor Dr Hansjörg Dilger, played a significant role by providing me with useful comments and insisting that I place the book with a reputable publishing house. I also appreciate the contributions of Professor Dr Roman Loimeier. I am indebted to the Graduate School of Muslim Cultures and Societies at Freie Universität in Berlin, which provided me with the funding I needed to study for my doctoral degree, for which I am indeed very grateful. I also want to acknowledge the encouragement of Professor Dr Gudrun Krämer, the director of the graduate school, for her unforgettable kindness, and the managing director, Dr Bettina Gräf for being a kind friend. I must also acknowledge the secretary of the graduate school, Frau Jutta Schmidbauer, for her gentleness and efficiency. I wish to express my special appreciation to my colleagues Rune Reyhe, Sarah Albrecht, Usman Shah and Syafiq Hasyim for their support. I must also acknowledge Frau Zoe Goldstein who, despite a busy schedule, found time to proofread my work and provide me with many useful comments. Special appreciation goes to Selina Cohen for the copy-editing that led to the publication of the book. Overall, I would like to express my gratitude to Franca de Kort for her patience and tireless years of mediating between editors, proof-readers and myself. I would like also to acknowledge all my informants, to whom I am most indebted, for providing me with useful information during my stay in Jos, especially Alhaji Jamilu Adam, Alhaji Ahmad Dawisu, Alhaji Sabiu, Alhaji Mukhtari Nayaya, and Shaykh Abdurrahman Lawal.
I must acknowledge the love, support, and encouragement of my family throughout the period of my stay in Berlin. They include Rabi Dabo (Maimuna), Abūbakar, Zarau, Sulaiman, Zainab (Zee Small), Fatima and Fatima, Suraiya, Nana, as well as the younger ones, Maryam and Halima Jawahir. Special thanks to my wife Rahina Muazu for her comments and criticisms. My appreciation goes to Alhaji Saʾidu Yūsuf for his continued support and friendship. I would like to acknowledge Murtala Ibrahim, and Professor Umar H.D. Danfulani for his many years of support. Others are Professor Musa B. Gaiya and Professor Sati Fwatshak of the Department of History and International Studies at the University of Jos, as well as all my colleagues in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Jos, Nigeria, especially Dr Yūsuf Abdullahi Yūsuf.