Dauda Abubakar is a senior lecturer with the Department of Religion and Philosophy, University of Jos, Nigeria. He holds a PhD from the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany after obtaining an MA and BA in Religious Studies from the University of Jos. He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Comparative Religion, African Traditional Religion, Islam, and Introduction to Social Anthropology of Religion.

He has published many articles in local and international journals and contributed chapters in books as well as review books. Abubakar’s new book is: “They love us because we give them.” Zakāt: the distribution of wealth and the making of social relations in Jos Nigeria,published by Brill in 2020. Another upcoming book is titled: Stateless Citizens in Nigeria: Entanglement of Ethnicity, Politics and Religion, manuscript to be soon submitted to the University Press Plc, Nigeria.Abubakar has participated in many local and international research collaborations with scholars from within and from abroad on numerous topics and has presented research findings at many local and international conferences, workshops, seminars and symposiums.

His current research is titled: Echo of the Iranian Revolution in Northern Nigeria and the Rise of Shi’ism. Presently, Abubakar is supervising undergraduate and postgraduate (MA and PhD) at the University of Jos. His areas of specialization includes Muslim-Christian relations and anthropology of Islam with interest in West Africa.

PhD Research (2009 − 2014):

„They love us because we give them“. Zakat - The Distribution of Wealth and the Making of Social Relations in Jos, Nigeria

• First supervisor: Prof. Hansjörg Dilger
• Second supervisor: Prof. Cilja Harders
• Third supervisor: Prof. Roman Loimeier

2020. “They love us because we give them”. Zakāt – the Distribution of Wealth and the Making of Social Relations in Northern Nigeria. Leiden: Brill, Islam in Africa series, Vol. 23.

2018. "Gift-Exchange and Gift-Giving among the Hausa in Northern Nigeria: Its Social and Religious Impact", Jos Journal of Social Issues 11,1 (2018), p. 200-205.

2018. With Jones Ogochukwu Odili, "Interplay between Religion and Politics in Nigeria" Jos Journal of Social Issues 11,1 (2018), p. 206-215.

2017. "The Practice of Zakat in Nigeria: An Analysis of the Transformation of Some Individual Muslim's Economic Status in the City of Jos", Sati Fwatshak (ed.) The Transformation of Central Nigeria: Essays in Honor of Toyin Falola, Austin, Texas: Pan-African University Press, 2017, p. 87-97. ISBN: 979-1-943533-16-9.

2017. "The Practice of Zakat in Northern Nigeria and the Building of Social Relationships", Julia R. Lieberman and Michal Jan Rozbicki (eds.), Charity in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Traditions, London: Lexington Books, 2017, p. 195-210. ISBN: 978-1-4985-6085-6.

2016. "The Obligation of Zakat in the Qur'an and the Challenges of its Local Interpretation in Northern Nigeria", Al-Maher Journal for Qur'anic Studies 2016, p. 102-112.

2015. "The Islamic Zakāt within the Framework of Gift-Exchange Theory: Anthropological Analysis", Jos Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 8, Number 1, Jos: published by the Department of Sociology, University of Jos, Nigeria, (2015): pp. 693 – 707.

2015. "Institutions of Zakāt in the Sharī’a States of Northern Nigeria", Journal Foundation of African Theology, Vol. 4, no. 2, published by the Auspices of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians Northern Nigeria, (2015): pp. 110 – 133.

2014. "Faith without Practice: Religion in Nigerian Context." Chapter contribution in Kingsley, I. Owete, Monica Emmanuel, Umar HD Danfulani, Sati U. Fwatshak and Anthony Aguele (eds), Freedom, Self-Determination and Growth in Africa. Berlin: Mediateam IT, 2014, pp. 378 – 393.

2014. "Alliances between Religious Leaders and Politicians in Nigeria: A Challenge for Sustainable Development", Africa-Berlin Conference Proceeding: Towards Peace, Security and Sustainable Development in Africa. Uche M. Nwankwo, Charles I. Anaere, Jonathan M. Ayuba, Olayemi Akinwumi and Lai Olurode (eds), Media IT Educational Publishers, Berlin-Germany, 2014, pp. 213 – 232.