I have never seen the devil. In fact, my assumption is mortals do not get a chance to have a one-on-one chat with him. However, sometimes, I wish I could see him – even if it is only to call in a conversation. See, he’s misguided from the old and young, men and women, rich and poor, from all strata of life and social circles. Hence I wish it were possible to call him to order – you can imagine us sitting him down and telling him point-blank something like: “hey dude, you’ve caused enough havoc in this world, so leave us be, or some similar stuff”. But that is just on a lighter mode.
On a serious note, sometimes, we are quick to heap every blame for our wrongdoings on the devil. However, there are those of us who are headstrong, those who, if given a chance, could beat the devil at his turf when it comes to misleading people. We all witnessed a similar scenario this weekend when a united group of Kano Islamic Scholars took on M. Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara in a debate organised by the Kano State Government to put to bed some spurious claims Abduljabbar made against the Person of the Prophet (SAW) while making reference to some Hadith.
For the non-Muslims who could be reading this, I would like to explain that Islamic Jurisprudence is premised on four sources, and it is from there, the Shari’a (Islamic law) takes its root. They are:1- The Qur’an, which is the Holy Book revealed to Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W); 2- Hadith, which are the sayings and deeds of the Holy Prophet, and that which met his silent approval; 3 – The Ijma’, which is the consensus of opinions of Islamic scholars on issues; 4 – The Qiyas, which encapsulates all that which sits right on the conscience.
From goings-on, what Abduljabbar is (was?) challenging borders on the authenticity of some Hadith. However, in the process, he ends up violating every right-thinking Muslim by making some unsavoury and disrespectful statements regarding the person of the Prophet and his companions. I have never taken out time to really listen to him outside the “gaba-gadi” rant he was famous for. So when the audio clips were played during the debate, like most Muslims, I was hurt and disgusted by his utterances, the sheer abundance with which he makes the claims, with mirth and confidence is belittling. Those utterances were abusive to all Muslims with a conscience.
On this note, we must commend Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR, Khadimul Islam, the Governor of Kano State, who made the debate possible, and through it, made the Muslim Ummah a united family. Those young gentlemen and scholars who participated in the discussion, despite specific ideological differences, united in protecting the sanctity of the religion and the honour of the Prophet. May Allah reward you for your service to Islam. Every right-thinking Muslim, globally, should be proud of what you have done.
As for the Government of Kano State, I’d say this is a significant breakthrough. Our Governor, the Khadimul Islam, stood in for us using wisdom and skill; the debate was organised down to every detail, security was more than adequate, especially for the participants, etc. But the most significant victory for the Governor is that the people appreciate this act of service to religion and humanity.
To M. Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, who is in fact the son of the late leader of the Kadiriyya movement, I hope this is a turning point for him. I hope this puts a stop to his skewed, misleading, contentious sermons. May Allah forgive him and us. May all our ailments heal. May our society be more prosperous. May Allah enrich our leaders with foresight.
Masha Allahu la quwwata illa billah.
Hajiya Binta Spikin is a Senior Special Assistant on Research and Documentation, Kano State. She can be contacted via bintaspikin@gmail.com.
