THE MYSTERIOUS SHAYKH MUHAMMAD JAMIU BULALA AL-OFFAWIY
He was a colossus that came to be known as the Magnate(Ghaosu) of his time after the passing away of Sheikh Ibrahim bn Abdullah Niyas of Senegal.He was the one that succeeded the throne of Al Ghawth-al-azam as related in one of his poems:
"Out Of Divine love,I Ascended the throne of Ghaosiyyah(the great succour on earth),the position earlier occupied by my predecessor Ibrahim and thus becoming the general overseer and leader of all the saints of the world".
The magnate of this time,Sheikh Muhammad Jamiu Bulala(R.T.A) was born to the family of sayyid Abdul-Hakeem Akanmu Iji of Lagbedu Royal family,Ogbomoso in the former old Oyo empire in Oyo State of Nigeria.His mother's name is sayyidat Humuani Oyebimpe Abebi Okin who was a princess from the King of Adegboye Atoloyetele Royal family Offa,Kwara State of Nigeria in 1919.
Many stories were connected to his birth,among such stories was that,he was seen laughing seriously on the very day he was born,which is a strange occurence among new born babies.In addition to this,it was also said that two navels were seen on his stomach when he was born,but as people shouted,surprisingly,one of the navels disappeared immediately but reappeared at a later time.Those where some of the signs seen on sheikh Muh'd Jamiu Bulala which portrayed him as an exceptional,extra-ordinary and supernatural servant of God right from his cradle.....
When sheikh bulala was later asked about the signs seen on the day he was delivered to the world,He said,I laughed on the very day I was born welcoming myself to the people of Offa and the whole universe for the great blessing God showered on them through my arrival to their midst.
Secondly,the two navels was a result of a sign that emanated during one of the wars fought against the idolators of Meccah in the lifetime of Rasulullahi Muhammad s.a.w..He said,I was a reincarnation of one of the past waliyi(saint)on earth because souls of saints do not die but transmigrate into another pious body to be reborn for the continuation of the assignment Allah has ascribed on them.
Qur'an 56 vese 60-61,buttresses this insinuation,"WE HAVE DECREED DEATH TO YOU ALL,AND WE ARE NOT OUTSTRIPPED,TO TRANSFIGURE YOU AND CREATE YOU INTO ANOTHER FORMS THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW"(Q56,V60-61).
The above assertions are not peculiar to Sheikh Bulala alone,we have heard a similar story of prophet Isa<jesus>who spoke to people in his cradle which attest to his status as a prophet of God.This is contained in the Holy Qur'an that says:
"I AM INDEED A SERVANT OF GOD,HE HAS GIVEN ME REVELATION AND MADE ME A PROPHET,AND HE HAS MADE ME BLESSED WHERESOEVER I MAY BE,AND HATH ENJOINED ON ME PRAYER AND CHARITY AS LONG AS I LIVE".(Qur'an 19,Vs 30-33).
Sheikh Bulala lived in Ogbomoso briefly before his parents permitted him to live with his mother's relation sayyidi Muhammad-l-Awwal Adegoke of Ojude's compound in Offa.
The giant Sheikh,Muh'd Jamiu Bulala started his Qur'anic knowledge under the tutelage of Sheikh Ismaila Jeje of Arogun's compound in Offa at a tender age;he strived for knowledge as said by Rasululahi (S.A.W) that,search for knowledge from the craddle to the tomb,even as far as China.
After the completion of the Holy Qur'an from Sheikh Ismaila Jeje in Offa,Sheikh Bulala set forth to the City of Ilorin in Kwara State in Nigeria to seek the Divine knowledge and guidance.Among his Sheikhs were Sheikh Abdul Rahman Alabidun,Sheikh Akanlabi,Sheikh Oke Aluko,but prominent among them was Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Adangba,under these great Sheikhs,he learned the sciences of exegesis of Qur'an,the science of the traditions of Rasululahi,theology,jurisprudence,grammar,rhetorics,logics,semantics,Qur'anic recitation and philology.He encountered a more spiritually oriented instructor in the saintly person of Sheikh Bashir Adangba.
Sheikh Muhammad Jamiu Bulala lived an ascetic life and spent a collection of thirty-eight(38)years in khalwa searching for the knowledge of the Divine Being.After coming out from this prayer retreat,Sheikh usually chant on Lahilaha ilallahu and utter some incomprehensible statements such as claiming that,he was Sheikh Abdul Qadir,he was Ali bn Abi Talib the fourth orthodox caliph of Islam and that,he was with prophet Musa,(peace be upon him) who crossed the red sea,when they were been pursued by Pharaoh.
It was also reported that,he used to tell people that he knew his arrival date in Offa,he knew how long he would stay,he knew where he emanated from and where he would be going after leaving Offa and he knew his demise date.This is the concept of reincarnation of the pious servants of God according to the Sufists.
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