ABSTRACT
The larger part of Ibn Sumayt ˙ ’s official career in Zanzibar falls within the period
of the British Protectorate, that is from 1890 until his death in 1925. The establishment of the British Protectorate in Zanzibar was followed by a series of administrative reforms. The building of a state apparatus started in earnest during the reign of Sayyid \Alı¯ b. H
˙ amu¯d and continued following the accession
of Sayyid Khalı¯fa b. H ˙ a¯rub (r. 1911-1960). Several new institutions came into
existence in this period, including an entirely restructured judicial system, a Wakf Commission, departments for agriculture, education, etc. As the bureaucracy expanded, the need for qualified personnel increased. Positions such as clerks and junior officers were often filled by young men of Indian origin educated in the Sir Euan Smith Madrasa – the first school in Zanzibar to offer secular education. However, the new order also needed scholars trained in Islamic law to serve as judges, advisors and representatives on various boards. Under Bu¯ Sa\ı¯dı¯ rule, the \ulama¯| as a group had exercised considerable influence over government affairs; they were, as B. G. Martin has pointed out, the ‘flywheels’ of the Sultanate.1 As the Bu¯ Sa\ı¯dı¯ state came under British control, the \ulama¯| retained a number of central positions, especially within the legal system but also in other positions where they essentially served as consultants in matters Islamic. However, the series of administrative changes meant a new position for the \ulama¯|. From being a class of ‘court scholars’ they were transformed into a corps of civil servants, whose work was paid, monitored and regulated.
