Salih al-Fulani

Salih ibn Muhammad al-Fulani (1166-1218 AH / 1752-1803 CE) was a West African Islamic scholar of Fulani origin who became a leading intellectual figure in Medina. Born in the Futa Toro region (modern Senegal), he traveled eastward in pursuit of knowledge, eventually reaching Medina, where he settled and spent the productive years of his scholarly life.

Al-Fulani studied under major scholars of Medina and became deeply grounded in the hadith sciences and Islamic jurisprudence. He was influenced by the school of thought that emphasized direct engagement with the Quran and Sunnah and was sympathetic to ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) over strict taqlid (blind following of a legal school).

His most important work is Iqaz Himam Uli al-Absar lil-Iqtida' bi-Sayyid al-Muhajirin wal-Ansar (Awakening the Minds of the Discerning to Following the Leader of the Emigrants and the Helpers), a work on the importance of following the Sunnah and the legitimate scope of ijtihad. This work is an important document of the 18th-century scholarly discussion on the relationship between taqlid and ijtihad, and it was influential on later Islamic reform movements.

Al-Fulani also wrote on hadith sciences and Islamic jurisprudence. He established a scholarly reputation in Medina and trained students from across the Muslim world. He represents the tradition of West African scholars who, through their pilgrimages and extended study in the Hijaz, became major figures in the broader Islamic scholarly world. He passed away in Medina in 1218 AH.