Sheikh Murtaḍa Abūbakr Gatta

Sheikh Murtaḍa (/Mu R tæ dɔ/) bn Abībakr bn Muḥammad bn Ḥassan bn Isḥāq bn Ismāīʿl Gatta (/Gæ:ta/), born in 1941, also known as ibnul mua’lim (the tutor's son) of Okee-koto (/OkEekoto/) in Ibadan is a historian, an Islamic jurist of the [Māliki]] school and author. 
==Early life==
He was born in Ibadan to a religious household, known for centuries of Islamic scholarship, literacy, and leadership. His grandfather, also known as Muḥammad of Bida (d. 1846) was one of the foundational Muslim scholars of the Ibadan city-state. His father, Sheikh Abūbakr Gatta Agbọtọmọkekere (d. 1954) was a former mufti of the Maliki school of thought in the Kingdom of Ibadan . Murtada's brother, As-sheikh A’bdul-Ġaniyy bn Abībakr Gatta Agbọtọmọkekere became the 17th Grand Imam of Ibadan on 15 May 2015, after serving as the city's chief-Mufasir.
On the paternal side, his ancestral lineage can be traced to Bida (in present-day Niger State) from where his great-grandfather, Muhammad of Bida emigrated to Ibadan empire in 1836. On the maternal side, he hailed from the Moganna compound in Ibadan and is related to Oba Gbadamosi Akanbi Adebimpe (1893–1977) who was the Olubadan (king) of Ibadan land from 28 February 1976 to 17 July 1977.
He began his Quran|Quranic reading and recitation under the tutelage of As-Sheikh Muhammad Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́. He proceeded to study under the tutelage of Sheikh A’bdullāh of Ijebu land. Both tutors were students of his father. He went for further study under the leadership of Sheikh (K)ẖarāshi bn Muhammad Thāni (d. 1965) who significantly influenced him. Sheikh Murtaḍa graduated from (K)ẖarāshi Arabic School in 1961.
==Career==
He worked as a teacher at Kharashi High school. He continued to teach using the monitorial system of education. He used his private space and courtyard as a place where students could learn Islamic and Arabic studies from different parts of Nigeria. He is versed in Islamic jurisprudence of the Māliki school of jurisprudence, sociology, and other subjects. Sheikh Taofīk of Fọkọ described him: “Sheikh Murtada Abūbakr Gatta (also known as the Son of the teacher of Okee-koto) is one of the adept and eminent scholars that have preserved sound Islamic knowledge in the field of historical knowledge”. In a recent poem by an unknown author, he was described as “the nurturer of many of our giant men - مربّى كثيرٍ من كبار رجالنا.”
He collated the scholarly works of his uncle, Abdul Salām bn Muhammad bn Hassan Gatta (d. 1921) – who was one of the foremost Māliki scholars in West Africa. He re-published old manuscripts in Egypt to preserve them as a testament to the legacies of West African Islamic scholars in the larger Islamic world. These manuscripts include:
I.	Ṭarīqul Jannah (the path to Jannah) - طريق الجنة
II. تحفة المحدثين والغافلين
III.	Siraajul Wāiżīn - سراج الواعظين
IV.	Tuhfatul Wā-iżīn - تحفة الواعظين
He extensively published his own works on aspects of Fiqh|jurisprudence, behavioural science, sociology, history, and African studies, all in Arabic language. In a critique of Muḥammad Musṭafā, Sheikh Murtaḍa Abūbakr Gatta argued that “Nigerian scholars have written useful intellectual works in Arabic language as early as the 10th century of the Hijrah” to debunk the assertion of Muḥammad Musṭafā which suggested otherwise.
==His publications==
* Mirāatu nādhirīn (on the history of Ibadan) -
* Diyāʾ bn Muḥammad (an expanded volume on Ibadan history)
* Sirājul Mašāyiẖ (on behavioural science and sociology)
* Aysarul Janāiz (on the jurisprudence of funeral in Islam)
* Nuzḥatul Ahbāb
Category:21st-century non-fiction writers
Category:Muslim scholars of Islam