What role did Usman dan Fodio personally play during the jihad?

During the jihad (1804–1808), Usman dan Fodio did not personally participate in military expeditions. Instead, he served as the spiritual and political leader of the movement, focusing his efforts on the following roles:1

• Leadership and Organization: After performing the hijrah to Gudu, he was elected imam (leader) of the community and served as the amīr al-muʾminīn ("commander of the faithful"), providing the central authority for the newly established caliphate.12
• Strategic Oversight: He appointed military commanders, encouraged the army, and handled diplomatic matters related to the conflict.1
• Intellectual and Theoretical Guidance: He wrote extensively to provide a theoretical justification for the jihad, arguing that the rulers of Gobir had become unbelievers by attacking Muslims and supporting other unbelievers.1
• Administrative Planning: He worked to establish a nonexploitative system of government, outlining his vision for a central bureaucracy and the selection of pious, learned governors (emirs) to manage local administration.1

Following the success of the jihad, he eventually withdrew from active political management to focus on teaching and writing until his death in 1817.12