Religion

By Uzair Adam Imam

A Nigerian based Islamic organisation, Ulama Forum, has called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to rescind his Neo-Nazi ideology and embrace democracy as envisioned by India’s founding fathers.

The forum urged Modi and other stakeholders in the country to take concrete action to mitigate violence against Muslims to promote peaceful coexistence.

This was contained in a release jointly signed and issued Tuesday by the forum secretary, Engineer Basheer Adamu Aliyu, and its convener, Aminu Inuwa Muhammad.

The Daily Reality gathered that Muslims in several Indian states had been terrorised as mobs came out in processions, making hate speeches and attacking their properties during the Hindu festival of Ram Navmi.

The escalation of violence against the minority communities, particularly Muslims, has recently seen a steep increment, making it hard for the Ulama Forum to believe India is a democratic secular country.

The statement also called on the Indian Muslims to hold on to their faith and avail the rest of the Indian population of the benefits of Islamic justice.

The statement reads: “They should hold on to their faith and avail the rest of the Indian population with the benefits of Islamic justice, which restrains Muslims from overreacting against all provocations.”

“Indian Muslims should use every constitutional window available to them to seek redress on the excesses committed against them by Hindu extremists.”

“Indian press, especially those who believe in democracy and universal human values and who are immune to sectarian tendencies, should continue with the good works of fair and truthful reportage, which will promote justice and fairness to all,” the statement added.

Muslims at knifepoint in India

The statement also lamented that India has been witnessing sporadic violence targeted at its large number of Muslims promoted by the Neo-Nazi BJP Government for the past decade.

It stated that “The most recent of which is during a Hindu religious ceremony which was marked by thousands of youth marching into Muslim dominated areas, brandishing guns and swords, using public address system to prevent Muslims from concentrating in worship inside their mosques.”

“Whenever Muslims react in any way, a combined disproportionate force is used on them with Hindu citizens using guns and the India Police arresting mostly Muslims who are the victims of the violence.”

You cannot eliminate Islam

The statement taunted that it is unwise for any Indian to think of eliminating Muslims in the country, let alone Islam.

India has over 200 million Muslims, ranking the country as having the second-largest number of Muslims globally.

“It is, therefore, perplexing how anyone can think of eliminating such,” the statement concluded.

By Ibrahim El-Caleel

I can’t understand this obsession with the population at Umrah this year. Some people are taking it too far. Asking why should people be going for Umrah when poverty is biting harder.

The Haramain have been under restricted access since the global Covid-19 blues in 2020. Extremely few people accessed the Haramain throughout the year 2020; just a little above that accessed it in 2021.

In 2022, the Haramain have resumed operations in full swing. The world has moved on Covid, becoming more attentive to Putin’s war.

If the Haramain has remained under restricted access for two consecutive years, commonsense should tell you that a lot of people will troop in immediately everything is back to normal. You have a ‘merger’ sort of attendees from three years – 2020, 2021 and 2022. Also, it is something of joy and divine praises that finally, we can visit the sacred sites to their fullest capacities.

This is only a fair idea on why it is this full. It could have even been fuller than this had it been its affordable.

You come across writings that “recommend” or “advise” Umrah attendees on a ‘better use’ of their money, towards feeding than lesser pilgrimage. We do so with all dictatorial might as if going to the Ramadan Umrah is a misplacement of priority. Social media has helped show how some of us can be more dictatorial than Hitler himself.

Why do we feel this sense of always telling rich people what to do with their money, especially in religious matters? The entitlement is beyond me.

Umrah is not a mere tourism. It is an act of worship. Umrah in Ramadan is even a more serious act of worship, lucratively rewarding with the sincere intentions.

In a hadith, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said, “an Umrah made in Ramadan is equivalent (in reward) with performing Hajj with me (the Prophet)”. This hadith is authentic, and has been transmitted by both Imamul Bukhari and Imām Muslim. At least.

This is why apart from Dhul Hijjah, Ramadan is the next month you see Muslims traveling to the Haramain Al-Shareefain. It is with purpose. They have the money to go after a specific huge reward, that’s why. In most cases those of us who don’t have money don’t even pay attention to ahādith like these. I remember the late Shaikh Albaniy Zaria in his Saheehul Bukhari lessons in Kitabuz Zakah. The Shaikh saw a lot of people sleepy, dozing off. So he said, one of the reasons why some people sleep off during Zakah lessons is because they don’t even have the wealth which qualifies for Zakah. They are not rich. This is why they find it hard to pay attention to understand the topic. Rahimahullah.

Therefore, Umrah and Umrah in Ramadan are not tourisms please. Rich people have their reasons for embarking on them. Good, valid reasons. Do not be talking as if they are misplacing priorities. Saying they should use the wealth to feed the poor, instead of doing Umrah. Do you know whether they are already doing so? Or since when did you become the divine regulatory directorate where people must come and confess their acts of deeds so that you are aware?

I think it is important we get down from this moral horse. You have an iPhone, a Redmi Note, an expensive Versace shoe, a Toyota Corolla. You buy 10gb mobile data monthly. Have you ever considered down-tiering from these things to cheaper things so as to use the differentials to feed the poor? Why don’t you sell off your Toyota and buy a Lifan motorbike, and use the balance to feed the needy in this Ramadan? After all, all you need is a transporting automobile. It doesn’t have to be a car, talk less of being a Toyota!

If you haven’t been doing this, do not get obsessed with ‘advising’ people on how to rank their Nawafil acts of deeds based on your perceived scale and degree of importance. It ain’t your place. It ain’t my place either.

By Muhammad Dattijo Kabir

Islamiyya system has been proven to be an alternative to the Almajiri system. In the Islamiyya system, it is easier to commit the Qur’an to memory within the shortest period with decency. And it also allows the children to seek other knowledge that will aid them in confronting the present challenges. Almajiri system can only be insisted to be reformed when it is proven that that is the only way to learn the Qur’an. The system poses a lot of danger to the children, such as health challenges, inferiority and, of course, most of them become morally debased in the end.

Reforming this system alternatively means rewarding irresponsible parents for their irresponsibility, creating unsustainable programs which cannot see the light of the day. Instead, the government should ban and criminalise the system and absorb all the already enrolled Almajiri into formal schools. Then any other parent that wants his child to learn the Qur’an by traditional means must first provide shelter, food, and health facilities for the welfare of the child and must ensure that the child goes to school to at least get primary education.

No one is saying karatun allo should be banned. Karatun allo differs in content and operation from the Almajiri system. While the former entails learning Qur’an by the traditional design by all and sundry, the latter entails recruiting young persons to learn Qur’an by traditional means without provision for food, shelter and medical facility for children recruited. The said recruited army of children relies only on begging leftover food and tattered clothes for subsistence.

It requires no second thought to believe that this system of taking young children away from their parents at the ages they need their parents the most should be stopped and criminalised. No child under the age of 12 should be taken away from his parents’ house in whatever guise. There is nothing good in the Almajiri system as practised today. The system has served and outlived its usefulness. It became archaic and, to some extent, barbaric considering the conditions of the children involved in the system.

There are more decent systems which are alternatives to the already abused system. The system indirectly supports irresponsible parents to breed bundles of children they know they cannot cater for. The parents use the system to abdicate their parental responsibility of feeding, clothing, educating and sheltering their children.

Also, the half-baked Malllams use the system as a means of income. The activists are using it to get themselves employment from international NGOs. The nagging question is, can Qur’an be learned through a more decent system than this child molesting system? The answer is yes. Thousands of children have committed the entire Qur’an to memory through the modern Islamiyya system.

Let’s move on; the system is not viable in the present era. The era of dogma has passed. Let every child be supported by his father and take Quranic education before his parents while attending school. Any system that encourages parents to take their children to the street is barbaric and should not be encouraged.

Muhammad Dattijo Kabir. Muhammad is a lawyer, a human rights activist and a public affairs commentator. He lives in Kaduna and can be reached via jibrilmuhammad27@gmail.com.

By Aminu Mohammed

I have observed the raging debate over the Almajiri debacle in the last few days, especially the antagonism against a Kannywood actress Nafisa Abdullahi. The actress voiced out against parents who send their children to urban centres to memorise the Quran under the guise of an Almajiri system.

This issue resonates with me because I was once an “Almajiri”, though in a modernised form of learning. I was a product of Arabic and Islamic education. I am still grateful to my late father for seeing the wisdom in sending me to the College of Islamic Studies Afikpo, a boarding secondary school in Southeastern Nigeria funded by a Saudi Arabia-based International Islamic organisation Rabita Alamul Islam (the Muslim World League). Unlike some of my schoolmates who later studied Islamic studies at Islamic University Madina and Azhar University Cairo, Egypt, I decided to study International Studies at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, against my father’s wish, whose dream was for me to be an Islamic scholar.

I am still at a loss wondering why the actress is being pilloried for telling the truth. If you ask these intellectual lilliputians and Nafisa’s traducers whether they will be comfortable sending their children out to beg on the streets under the guise of Quranic education, they will never say yes.

Before you call me “Karen farautar yahudawa”, an agent of Jews, which our people are fond of calling those who seek societal change and are in tune with modern realities, let me clarify that I did not attend a conventional secondary school. I advocate an integrated education system involving the acquisition of both western and Islamic education. 

I will never advocate against memorising the Quran or acquiring Islamic knowledge because I was a beneficiary of that. At the boarding secondary school in Afikpo, Ebonyi state, we were taught Hadith, Fiqh, Balaga, Tafsir, Tajwid, Saqafa, Sirat, Ulumul Falsaf, Sarf and Nahw, among other subjects, by some Islamic scholars mainly from Pakistan, Egypt and India. I was able to speak Arabic with confidence on completing my secondary education. I even took some Arabic courses as an elective throughout my studies in Zaria. Even here in Germany, I still communicate with my neighbours from the Middle East in Arabic.

I am not worried that this article will generate antagonism in some quarters or be pilloried for triggering anger in some folks. But the truth of the matter is that we cannot continue on this trajectory. This system can no longer continue the way it is; otherwise, we may be heading towards the precipice. 

The word Almajiri is derived from the Arabic word “Almuhajirun”, meaning a person who migrates from his locality to other places in the quest for Islamic knowledge. During the colonial era and a few years after that, the schools were maintained by the state, communities, the parents, ‘Zakkah’, ‘Waqf’ and augmented by the teachers and students through farming.  “Bara”, begging as it is known today, was completely unheard of. 

Mallams and their pupils, in return, provide the community with Islamic education, reading and writing of the Qur’an, in addition, to the development of Ajami, i.e. writing and reading of the Hausa language using Arabic Alphabets.  Based on this system, which is founded upon the teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith, the then Northern Nigeria was broadly educated with a whole way of life, governance, customs, traditional craft, trade and even the mode of dressing.

However, the system was corrupted in the past few decades, with teachers sending the children to beg for food on the streets. Similarly, many irresponsible parents were unwilling to cater to their children. Thus, they send them away to cities to purportedly acquire quranic education.

The current Almajiri system is not only archaic but atavistic. We must tell ourselves the truth that society is drifting. What we are facing today regarding security challenges in the North will be child’s play if our people refuse to change their ways. There is no gainsaying that the future is bleak if what we can boast of is an armada of malnourished and unkempt children who are roaming the streets under the guise of Islamic education. Eventually, the children may not acquire any meaningful skills to become useful members of society. 

I am not a prophet of doom and derive no joy in pessimism. But, I do not see a bright future for a region struggling with a depleted human resource, coupled with millions of underage children clad in tattered clothes with bowls roaming the streets begging for food. I do not foresee any meaningful progress and development in such a society.

I still recall, in 2012, when former President Goodluck Jonathan visited Sokoto to inaugurate the Almajiri Integrated Model School in the Gagi area of the Sokoto metropolis. This boarding school was equipped with modern facilities. As a journalist working with THISDAY Newspaper then, I was there at the commissioning and even interviewed the school’s principal Malam Ubaidullah, a few months after the inauguration. I was excited that there would be a gradual process of taking Almajiris off the streets, as was promised by former Sokoto governor Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko. However, the euphoria was short-lived as governments in the region neglected the programme while the school buildings rotted away.

I wonder why our people antagonise those who want the system to be reformed or outrightly banned in the North. Are we comfortable seeing underage children roaming the streets under such dehumanising conditions? Have we pondered over the looming famine in the Sahel as forecasted by global development organisations, of which Northern Nigeria is part due to climate change worsened by overpopulation? Are we not witnessing the level of insecurity pervading the region because of societal neglect and marginalisation caused by a rapacious elite?. Do we sit down and pray and wait for a miracle to happen while expecting that our problems will go away?

Already we are battling with banditry in the Northwest due to societal neglect of a segment of the society that we use to mock because of their ignorance. And things will even get worse in future unless drastic action is taken to reform the system to enable children to memorise Quran in a friendly atmosphere devoid of hunger and deprivation. The current Almajiri system is a pathway to perdition.

Parents should stop sending children to cities if they are not ready to cater for them. These children should stay in their localities and learn under a school system presided by their Islamic teacher or Malam. The state governments must engage those Quranic teachers and pay them a stipend. I know this is doable because the government has the means to do that.

Unfortunately, much resource has been wasted on frivolities instead of channelling it towards revitalising the Almajiri system. We must wake up from our slumber and direct our energies toward finding a way to tackle problems in our society. Taking action is the key, and I believe that is the only way we can expect to have stability and peace in the polity.

Aminu Mohammed is at the school of Sustainability, Christian- Albrechts- Universität zu Kiel, Schleswig Holstein, Germany. He can be reached via gravity23n@gmail.com or stu219013@mail.uni-kiel.de.

By Ibrahim A. El-Caleel

Zainul Abideen was the nickname of Imām Aliyyu bnul Husain (Rahimahullah). He was son to Sayyidna Al-Husain (R.A), and a grandson to the 4th Rightly Guided Caliph, Aliyyu bn Abi Talib (Radiyallahu Anhu) and the daughter of the Prophet ﷺ, Sayyidah Fatimah (R.A). Therefore, he was a great-grandson of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Thus, Zainul Abideen is a member of the Ahlul Bayt (Household of the Prophetﷺ). Twelver Shi’ites count him as their 4th Imam, even though he neither believed in nor endorsed their Rafidhi creed and methods, just as indicated by Abu Nu’aim in his ‘Hilyatul Awliya’ (3/136).

The above is a quick biography of this exemplary personality whose history we all deserve to read. He has a rich biography, owing to his religious devotion and Islamic scholarship.

In this brief note, I intend to highlight his mode of giving charity, hoping that we use it as a template or we benchmark it versus how some of us give charity today.

Al-Imamul Dhahabi narrated in his book, ‘Siyaru A’alamin Nubala’ that, Zainul Abideen used to take bread during the dark part of the night, and he would drop it at the doors of the poor and needy while people were asleep.

Nobody knew who was doing this generous act. But after his death, the generous act stopped immediately. This was how it was discovered that Zainul Abideen was indeed the person who used to give out charity at night. He hid his face from people because his ultimate goal was to be rewarded by Allah. He was neither interested in the gratitude of the beneficiaries, nor the validation of the public, nor was he expecting anything in return from this material world.

Meanwhile, during his lifetime, he was known with a famous saying that:

إن الصدقة في سواد الليل تطفئ غضب الرب

“Verily, the charity given out in the darkness of the night extinguishes the anger of the Lord (with his servant)”.

For his rich biography, read Al-Imamul Dhahabi in ‘Siyaru A’alamin Nubala‘, 4/387

What Zainul Abideen was doing was in congruence with what Islam recommends about concealing charity. Allah says in Qur’an 2, Verse 271:

إِن تُبْدُواْ الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِيَ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاء فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لُّكُمْ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَاللّه
بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِير

“If you give charity openly, it is well. But if you hide it and give it to the poor, that is better for you. (Allah) will forgive you some of your sins. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.”

This explains that there is no problem with you making your charity publicly known, especially if you hope to encourage people to imitate you in righteousness. However, the verse is admonishing you that concealing the charity, hiding it from the public glare is better for you. This is because it helps protect you from riya (show-off) which can make you lose your reward in the sight of Allah. Whatever the case, beware that Allah is well-acquainted with what you are doing. He knows both your intentions and your actions.

Today, some people are fond of exposing their charities which takes them close to riya, if not already it is. After giving the charity in public, you will see them snapping and uploading pictures of the charity session they had on social media platforms. Only Allah knows which charity is submitted for His sake and which isn’t. However, you should be careful because Iblees (Satan) is crafty. He can easily spoil your acts of good deeds by leveraging certain loopholes. Your intention could be pure from the onset, but upon uploading the pictures on social media, Satan would put in whispers to you to corrupt your initial intention and now look forward to trend; to gather ‘likes’, ‘retweets’ and ‘shares’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This is where riya might set in and destroy a noble cause.

For Allah and His Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him) to recommend concealment of charity, then there is a deep wisdom in such. Perhaps this is why predecessors like Zainul Abideen, for example, resorted to completely hide their faces from their charity. They sought to protect themselves from the whispers of Satan who has sworn to lead the humankind astray.

If you are coordinating a charity program on-behalf of an organization, or a group of people, and there are trust concerns, then it is better you create a small medium through email or social media messengers to send them proof of execution of the project. They are the people whom you might owe a proof of execution of the project. Secondly, in the course of mobilizing for funds through adverts, you may want to hide the faces of the beneficiaries because it appears improper to use someone’s predicament to publicize your financial aid program.

May Allah protect our good deeds from the corruption of riya, ameen

May Allah accept our good deeds and forgive our shortcomings, ameen.

El-Caleel writes from Zaria, Kaduna State.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A young ustadh identified as Muhammad Sani Lawal passed away on the night of Saturday, April 23, 2022.

Abdull-azeez Ahmed Kadir, a Nigerian journalist and the General Manager of Liberty TV and Radio, reported the incident on his Facebook timeline. 

Kadir described the young man’s death as how many Muslims would want their end to be like, calling it the “Best Death”.

Kadir posted thus:

Muhammad Sani Lawal, a young Islamic scholar, died last night in Samaru Zaria in a manner many Muslims beseech Allah to take their lives. He died not just in the Holy Month of Ramadhan, not just in the last ten days that hosts the Night of Majesty, not just in prayers, but Ta’ajud, in sujud while also leading the prayer at night.”

Kadir prayed to Allah to rest the soul of the deceased. The post has garnered many positive reactions while the story goes viral on mostly northern Nigerian social media space.

– News Desk

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, yesterday announced that the closing date of the registration exercise for the 2023 general elections is 30^th June 2022.

Reacting to this announcement, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has appealed to the electoral body to ensure that Nigerian Muslims are not disallowed from partaking in the exercise by overzealous Muslim-haters among INEC’s ad hoc and full staff who are in the habit of disallowing hijab, cap and turban-wearing Muslims from registration.

This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday, 23^rd April 2022, by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

“The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, yesterday announced that the deadline of the registration exercise for the 2023 general elections is 30^th June 2022.

“While we commend INEC for successfully carrying out its duties in the past few years, we sound a wake-up call to the electoral body to prevent the disenfranchisement of millions of Muslims in the coming 2023 general election.

“It is very common for Muslim haters among INEC’s full and ad hoc staff to harass hijab-wearing female Muslims as well as cap and turban-wearing male Muslims at the registration centers in a bid to frustrate and prevent them from registering for the election. They are ordered to remove their hijab, cap or turban during capture. Such orders are illegal, unlawful, illegitimate and unconstitutional.

“Only those who are ready to compromise their faith by obeying the illegal instruction are allowed to register while others are turned back. As a result of this intimidation, millions of Muslims are disenfranchised. The effect is a huge deficit in the numerical strength of Muslim voters. This will not be tolerated in the ongoing exercise.

“INEC is fully aware that it is illegal to disallow citizens from registering for election on the basis of religion. It is also a precursor to the rigging of elections in favour of Christian candidates all over the country. This practice is evil and provocative. It can lead to crisis before, during and after elections.

“It is a major threat to a peaceful election, particularly in the 2023 exercise. Judging by the announcement of the leading Christian firebrand Pentecostal wing, namely, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) that it has formed political wings in all its parishes, it is clear that Nigerian Christians plan to hijack the 2023 exercise.

“While Muslims in the North are not likely to fall victims of the disenfranchisement, millions of Muslims in the South are definitely exposed to the danger because it is not a new phenomenon in the southern geo-political zones of the South West, South East and South-South. It occurred in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. MURIC documented these ugly events.

“We, therefore, urge INEC to give necessary instruction and training to all its staff. They should be warned against coercing Muslims on account of their manner of dressing. Apart from internal memoranda, INEC should issue public statements whose copies Muslims can use to defend their appearances in case of intimidation. In addition, INEC should discourage the opening of registration centers in places of worship.

“MURIC advises Muslims who face victimisation of any sort in registration centers to maintain their stand by insisting on being registered with their hijab, cap and turban. They should not obey illegal orders. Any refusal to register them should be reported to the Imam in the nearest mosque, Muslim leaders and officials of Islamic organisations.

“As a precaution, MURIC will document all cases of illegal prevention of Muslims from registration. Where possible, details of INEC officials involved in such unlawful prevention will be provided. We shall also institute lawsuits in courts of competent jurisdiction against perpetrators.

“All state commissioners of INEC in the three geo-political zones in Southern Nigeria are advised to ensure that no single Muslim is denied his or her Allah-given fundamental human right, including the right to partake in voting through the denial of voters’ cards. We will hold each commissioner responsible for any infraction that takes place in his or her state.

“While MURIC and the generality of Muslim voters in Nigeria seek a peaceful electoral exercise, we call on INEC not to ignore our advice in the interest of peace. Nigerian Muslims will not stomach any attempt to disenfranchise them during the 2023 general election. INEC should therefore take necessary steps to avoid the persecution of Muslim voters by its officials.”

By Sadiya Abubakar Isa, PhD

It appals me to see the Muslim North divided on a trivial yet substantial religious issue like ‘interfaith’. I have for long heard Muslim clerics discrediting the whole idea of interfaith since the establishment of its centre in Bayero University Kano – one of North’s prestigious universities, something which was otherwise not their business. Still, thanks to this institution, interfaith is now localized enough to get such stimulating clerical attention in Northern Nigeria.

Having had the opportunity to study Islamophobia exploringly, I would say interfaith is significantly relevant where the identity of Islam is greatly contested. By definition, interfaith, whether as a dialogue in research or academic discourse, revolves around the peaceful, complaisant, and constructive interaction between people of different faiths for mutual benefit. It involves striking balance, a tolerable understanding of such interrelationships and beneficial engagements through dialogues, academic events, and activities aimed at peaceful coexistence. To say all these aren’t relevant for a Muslim community is a dismal misunderstanding of the whole concept and reasoning of interfaith.

The world witnessed an unprecedented rise in Islamophobia shortly after 9/11; statistics show that Islamophobia reached its peak in 2016. If you reside in the Western world in the decade after 9/11, you will understand the intricacy of the threat Islamophobia puts Muslims into. Especially for Muslim women who are more obviously identified than their male counterparts. Muslim women were subjected to hate speech, discrimination, and abuse, thanks to the incessant misrepresentation of Islam and Muslims in the Western media. Since the Muslims are a minority in such Western countries, their religious identity was at stake. As such, the results were provocative political discourses, foreign policies and the whole activities of the Islamophobia industry vigorously tarnished the image of Islam beyond doubt.

Islam was always portrayed as an intolerant and backward religion that advocates terrorism. Muslim men are seen as utter misogynists, violent, barbaric, and bloodthirsty fanatics, while Muslim women are said to be oppressed, voiceless, helpless, and subordinate in dire need of immediate liberation. Now, this has been the case centuries before 9/11, but the Orientalism surged after 9/11 because there was an agenda to create fear of Muslims and control the world using that purported fear—New World Order?

Consequently, 9/11, subjugation of women in Afghanistan, terrorist activities by ISIS, Boko Haram etc., were leveraged as justifications for those claims. The average Westerner believes every accusation about Islam and has little or no interest in discerning the images. One may ask, so what if they believed?

The consequences are bigotry against Muslims, vandalism of religious places, hate speeches, discrimination, loss of jobs (or other vital opportunities), rejection in the community they ought to belong to, and the worst is loss of lives. We have seen so many Islamophobic attacks on the Muslims, the New Zealand mosque shootings, for example. This misconception renders the Muslim communities in the West vulnerable. It puts them in constant fear of perceived danger and, consequently, loss of faith. Yes, look at it from the perspective of younger generations struggling to fit in.

Among many other factors, I acknowledge the efforts of Yaqeen Institute by Sheikh Omar Suleiman, a Palestinian American scholar. He has taken the lead in fighting Islamophobia through interfaith dialogues, among other methods. Why shouldn’t the Muslims engage in interfaith dialogue when it has been an avenue for discussing the Muslims’ predicaments? It has given Muslims a platform to talk about their real lives and share their religious practices contrary to the media’s narrative.

Interfaith dialogue has helped quell the flame of hate. It has given Muslims the room to openly operate as an inclusive religion – with lots of global moves to ascertain cultural harmony. It has opened laypeople’s minds about Islam which they would otherwise have remained unaware of. It has opened the door for discussion of religious differences politely and positively, which pushed many non-Muslims toward studying Islam.

Do you know the result of this increased curiosity about Islam? Acceptance of Islam, the Christian West has seen rapid growth in conversion to Islam. So, where is that extreme hate of Islam/Muslims today? Alhamdulillah, there is a significant improvement in the situation, thanks to interfaith dialogue, among other efforts taken by anti-Islamophobes.

So is interfaith precarious to Muslims in Nigeria? Why all the debates?

Would Nigerians understand the need for an interfaith dialogue without foreknowledge of Islamophobia, global diplomacy and religious inclusiveness? It’s a fact that Muslims aren’t a minority in Nigeria, but ethno-religious crises are still ravaging, in the North especially; crises in Jos and Kaduna would have been addressed amicably if the interfaith dialogue was well embraced. It is utterly disconcerting to say that, in this age, people are having religious disputes.

Similarly, Boko haram has been synonymous with Islam in Nigeria in that it is always referred to as an ‘Islamic terrorist group’. Don’t we need to dispel the myth of Islam advocating terror in Nigeria? Are Muslims too big to have a peaceful inter-religious conversation in Nigeria? Are we blind to the fact that Islam is under attack in Nigeria? When professor Farooq Kperogi wrote on Islamophobia in Yorubaland, I was bemused because I never expected that of all the tribes in Nigeria, Yorubas would discriminate against their tribespeople based on religion. The rapidity at which Islamophobia is manifesting in Nigeria is quite alarming. Nigerian Christain’s support for Donald Trump in the last election spells out their desperation for Muslims’ continued exclusion.

Religious harmony is still farfetched in most regions of Nigeria. We are just pretending to be harmonious and tolerant. Little wonder how minuscule events easily trigger provocation. We need to talk about our differences positively and engage in healthy interactions to progress as a nation. Colonialists already bond us together, so unity in diversity becomes a necessity. Or do we wait until our children begin to ask us questions before we get to talk about our differences nicely? If not for anything, interfaith in Nigeria will allow non-Muslims to learn about your faith – Islam. Isn’t that a form of da’awa?

My research acknowledges how interfaith dialogue in the US, Europe and other parts of the world contributed to the curbing of Islamophobia by promoting peaceful coexistence. So to use religion to relegate the whole idea is quite imprudent. To quote Shafiq, Muhammad, and Mohammed Abu-Nimer, the authors of Interfaith Dialogue: A Guide for Muslims, “although a relatively modern term, interfaith dialogue has, in fact, had a long and enduring history for Muslims, underscored by a spirit of genuine inquiry and respectful exchange. The primary role of interfaith dialogue is to remove misunderstanding and accept difference….”

Some Ulamas in Nigeria have taken a critical stance on this matter. I listened to one yesterday opening that interfaith is an extension of secularism. While I appreciate his disposition, I beg to disagree that ‘we don’t need interfaith’ due to his stated reasons. It should be at the participant’s discretion to know the aim of every dialogue before engaging in one. My focal point is that whoever participates in interfaith dialogue should be cognizant of their religious jurisdiction and wary of their intentions. I kindly advise our Ulama to focus on ways to religiously liberate the Northerners from the abject poverty that has infested this region instead of the debates surrounding the appropriateness of interfaith – which is long overdue.

Dr Sadiya Abubakar Isa is interested in research related to Islamophobia. She can be contacted via sadeeyaa@yahoo.com.

By Ibrahim A. El-Caleel

Muslims across the world love to complete the recitation of the Qur’an in Ramadan due to different reasons.

Firstly, it was within the blessed month that the Qur’ān was sent down all at one time from Al-Lauhul Mahfūz (the Preserved tablet) to Al-Baitul Izzah (House of Might) in the heaven of this world.

Secondly, actions in this month are rewarded in manifolds. Good deeds and bad deeds alike. Ramadan has a single night whose eminence is better than a thousand months- 83 years+. Imagine submitting an act of good deed in this night and getting it accepted. The reward will be awesome.

Reciting the Qur’an is an easy way of accumulating good rewards. It is rewarded per alphabet. Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said it is a 10-fold reward per alphabet each recited. An Uthmāni script of the Qur’an contains 604 pages, with each page having 15 lines. The estimated number of characters/alphabets in the Qur’ān is 330,000. Therefore, if you calculate the anticipated number of rewards for reciting the whole Qur’ān, you’ll see that it is massive. The reward becomes exponentially colossal if you factor in the multiplier effect of Ramadan.

This is why scholars of Islam from all walks of disciplines retire to the Qur’ān once it is Ramadan. They momentarily suspend studies in Hadīth, Fiqh, I’tiqād, History to settle for the Qur’ān so as to maximize the benefits in Ramadan. Mujāhid bn Jabr, a tabi’i expert in Tafseer used to complete the Qur’ān in every night in Ramadan. Imamul Shafi’i would complete the Qur’an 60 times in Ramadan!

Every conscious Muslim is looking forward to completing the recitation of the Qur’ān in Ramadan. It is a “bonanza period” for you to double your good deeds and earn some handsome rewards in your Book of Record. This is why everyone works on a plan to complete the Qur’ān. I have seen different plans that divide the Qur’an into number of pages, or rubu’, hizb or juz which should be covered on daily basis to complete the Noble Book before Ramadan elapses. Some go as detailed as breaking it down to recitals after each of the five obligatory prayers on daily basis.

AlhamdulilLahi. All these are implementable plans if one has the discipline to sustain them.

However, I have never tried following them because I do not have the organized sustenance culture in reading. And in the near past, either in 2016 or 17, there was a Ramadan where I was unable to complete the Qur’ān. Though there was nothing sinful about that, I wasn’t happy. I could make only around 45hizbs, falling short of 15. And since then I settled for my own personal plan.

My personal plan afterwards was a resolution not to join Taraweeh prayers in congregation unless I have completed the Qur’ān. Therefore, in the early days of Ramadan, typically before 10th, I do my taraweeh alone at home. I would silence-mode my phone to avoid any distraction. I would then pray my taraweeh typically covering 6 hizbs daily, in either two or four raka’ahs depending on my selection. It typically lasts two hours, or with an additional 30 minutes. Of course, the standing isnt easy but nothing rewarding has ever been easy. So, I bear it. Immediately after completing this taraweeh, I fall asleep. Saving me from the addition of late night punching of my phone.

This plan has been working for me, AlhamdulilLah. I am not sharing it for a holier-than-thou extravaganza, subhanallah. May Allah protect our deeds from show-off, Amin. But I am sharing it because it might be a method someone would want to adopt, especially for workers who run an 8am to 5pm work. They might not have chance to read the Qur’an during work hours in the day. And they may be thinking of what other plan can they adopt since they want to complete this Noble Book.

You don’t have to be a Qur’an memorizer to adopt this method. All you need is this copy of the Mushaf that is usually divided by hizbs selections numbering 1-10 (6 hizbs each) or numbering 1-6 (10 hizbs each). They are portable for use in prayers. And if you want to use the Qur’an app in your phone, no problem. You might just consider putting your phone in ‘Airplane Mode’ to ward off distractions.

It is halāl (permissible) to pray while holding the Qur’ān according to the most correct scholarly opinion. This applies to everyone- whether they are Qur’ān memorizers or not. In fact, Imamul Nawawiy considers it wajib if one hasn’t memorized Suratul Fātiha, then he must hold a Qur’ān and pray because not having Suratul Fatiha in your human brain isn’t an excuse for you not to pray. Therefore, whether you have the Qur’an at heart or not, you can still recite from the mushaf while in prayers.

If Islamic scholars are suspending other fields of knowledge to complete the Qur’ān in Ramadan, you can suspend social media to do same. If you want to use your annual leave, casual leave or compassionate leave from work, then so be it. It worths doing all these.

May Allah grant us the ability to maximize our time in Ramadan, Amin.

El-Caleel writes from Zaria, Kaduna State

By Ismail Hashim Abubakar

A few days ago, while at our university campus here in Rabat, I heard shouts outside the premises resembling a public demonstration – something quite unusual and often carried out orderly in Morocco, without the slightest chance of being hijacked by hoodlums. I could not understand what people were saying because they spoke in Darija, the local, broken Arabic dialect spoken colloquially in Morocco. I tend to pick some sentences in normal circumstances, especially when spoken to me directly.

So, I asked my Moroccan friend what was going on, and he answered that people were chanting pro-Palestinian songs and shouting anti-Israeli slogans. I found that interesting given the special place of Jews in Morocco, who, according to Aomar Boum, the author of Memories of Absence:  How Muslims Remember Jews in Morocco (and translated into Arabic as “Yahud al-Maghrib wa Hadith al-Dhakirah” by Khalid Saghir) used to number more than 200, 000 before the creation of Israel and up tp around 1950s, but in post-independence Morocco, their number slashed to less than 5000, as they engaged in gradual exodus to their newfound state. But I noticed that the small protest was officially unwelcome when suddenly security guards of the university closed its gates and prevented the intrusion of protesters, who were mostly, if not entirely,  students of the university. I would only come to know the exact cause of the protest a few minutes later when, together with my Moroccan friend, we were encouraged and directed by some officials of the university to follow a way that led us to one beautified public lecture hall to participate in a conference, about which we were neither aware nor essentially prepared to attend.

I went straight to the front row in the hall and found a seat where I could watch and listen with much attention, while my friend preferred to sit at the back.  It quickly dawned on me that the conference themed “al-Diyanat al-Samawiyah Hamilat Risalat al-Salam” (Heavenly Religions Carrying the Message of Peace) was, besides, a few delegates from a Moroccan council of Islamic knowledge, hosting the Archbishop of Rabat, Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero and a Jewish Rabbi, Rabbin Mardekhai Chriqui, coming all the way from Jerusalem.

I started enjoying the proceeding when the MC made her introduction in Arabic and coalesced it with the famous verse of Surat al-Hujurat upholding the spirit of humanity and emphasizing racial and ethnic diversity as a distinct human property. And I did not bother much when she switched to French, which I assumed was the translation of what she said in Arabic, though I do not understand. When I looked at my phone, as the audience awaited the Jewish speaker to take over the stage, I just clicked on my WhatsApp and saw my friend’s message, telling me that he had gone out and we might meet in the mosque. I would have also gone out, but I was lured to stay to listen to the heavily bearded Israeli Rabbi, perhaps because that was my first time to see a real, self-identifying Jew physically and, in fact, a religious authority for that matter. When the man took over the podium, he spoke briefly in Darija, which I luckily understood as he minced his words slowly as if lamenting that he had to do that before switching to French. In the Darija, the Rabbi just excused that although he spent about 40 years in Morocco, he was not good at Arabic, so he informed his audience that he would prefer to switch to French, which he then did without any ado. At this juncture, I also decided to exit, without knowing if his speech would be interpreted in Arabic or not, and without bothering if too many speakers would speak in Arabic later. (A link to the conference is https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fY6eoZ6RObA&t=703s).

The most relevant part of this story is that there are indeed initiatives of interfaith dialogue worldwide, and this seems to have come to define interreligious relations among members of heavenly religions. But it is also a fact, as this anecdote demonstrates, that some actors in the interfaith program may be unwelcome, detested or rejected. This is precisely what reminds me to offer my humble thoughts on the current brouhaha about the interfaith issue, which has just become a topic of discussion, at least in northern Nigeria.

Perhaps a few people will disagree that the matter was dragged to the public domain by the removal of Shaykh Nuru Khalid, the chief Imam of the Friday mosque at Apo Legislators’ Quarters, less than two weeks ago. That happened over a sermon he delivered on the collapsing security situation in Nigeria. The Imam would have been hailed as a hero and a  champion that deserved accolades by the entire northern Muslims, but for his flirtation with the controversial phenomenon of interfaith. After all, distinguished scholars who have become a sort of religious canons in Nigeria like the late Shaykh Ja’far Mahmud Adam, the late Shaykh Muhammad Auwal Albani Zaria and the few ones alive like Shaykh Bello Yabo, Shaykh Murtala Asada Sokoto, Shaykh Idris Abdulaziz Bauchi and a few others are known to be showing impatience toward any untoward development that affects (affected) the poor Nigerian masses. These scholars have uttered bitter homilies and persistent tirades against governments over neglect of their primary responsibilities, particularly protecting lives and properties. Their prominence and public acceptance are partly glued to their decision to maintain a frugal life, remote from the corridors of power, hence capable of speaking truth to power, no matter whose ox is gored.

Naturally, by siding with the masses, Imam Nuru Khalid, who was psychologically martyred when fired from his job, should have been catapulted to such a prestigious clerical position. But in his case, this was impeded by his affiliation to interfaith organizations, often seen with Christian groups who, it seems, trust him as one of the symbols of moderation and tolerance, which may not be entirely untrue. The attention of the Muslim public was recently attracted by his unpopular view when in the aftermath of Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara’s blasphemy saga and the ensuing arguments, Nuru Khalid voiced views that did not go well with the majority of enthusiasts, particularly on the shortlived misunderstanding between Prof Ibrahim Maqary and Dr Abdallah Gadon Kaya, two rising scholars in northern Nigeria.

At that time, Nuru Khalid was exposed as an advocate of interfaith, which in Hausa people wrongly render as wahdatul adyan (unification of religions), thanks to the widely circulated clips of Shaykh Albani, which popularized this view and mentioned Nuru Khalid as one of its agents. Hence, when Nuru Khalid was removed from his imam position, many commentators in the North merely clung to his affiliation to the interfaith group to further endorse, celebrate or justify his removal. But the mosque did not cite that as a cause for his sack or regard it as a fundamental problem of the Imam. However, Nuru Khalid’s sudden transformation as a hero in the milieu of Nigerian Christians, some of who might not have known him before, his public revelation about some international groups proposing to finance a mosque project for him and his more open hobnobbing with Christians have further thrown him into disrepute among Muslims, who still sense that this interfaith phenomenon is nothing but attempts to eclipse the teachings of Islam and collapse all religions into one new faith.

Another figure, also seen as a vital organ in the interfaith dialogue program, coincidentally also bearing the name Shaykh Nuru Lemu. Although sounding calm and soft-spoken unlike his namesake, Nura Lemu has taken it up to himself to clear what he thought are misconceptions being circulated about the interfaith dialogue initiative. In an audio clip shared via social media, Nuru Lemu claimed that interfaith is never a new invention nor devoid of a rudimentary religious basis, tracing it to the time of Prophet Muhammad when he designed a pact of peaceful coexistence with Jews as citizens of Madinah, and when he entered into a truce with Quraysh polytheists in the famous treaty that would be known as Hudabiyyah. Nuru could have cited the pre-Islamic treaty known as Hilf al-Fudul, which the Prophet participated in, and pledged to partake in a similar one if a need for that would arise. In fact, Nuru would have cited numerous Quranic verses upholding peaceful coexistence and dialogue between Muslims and members of other faiths, as can be discerned in chapters like Surat Ali-Imran, Surat al-Ma’idah, Surat al-Mumtahanah, etc. Since the second biggest religion after Islam in Nigeria is Christianity, it is interesting to make a case with the verse that says: 

“You shall certainly find the Jews and those who associate partners with Allah the most vehement of the people in enmity against those who believe, and you shall certainly find those who say, `We are Christians,’ the nearest in friendship towards those who believe. That is so because there are savants and monks amongst them and because they are not haughty ” [Surat al-Ma’idah verse 82].

Nuru Lemu, who is one of the heads of a mega religious and educational centre in Niger State, a neighbour to Abuja, where his sacked namesake is based, added that the dialogue would also concentrate on intra-Muslim relations. Thus, it will work out ways to dent and lessen the growing discords and animosities among Muslims occasioned by ideological rivalry and sectarian division. 

From this viewpoint, it is not hard to convince Muslims that the interfaith issue is a healthy, innocuous mission that Muslims would warmly welcome as a process of living up to the expectation of their scripture and broader Islamic vision.

However, it must be clarified that interfaith dialogue may have a  unique interpretation for Christians different from what Muslims may be ready to accept. Muslims do not appear prepared to assimilate the neo-liberal interpretation of Islam in such a way that they would compromise established Islamic values and fundamental teachings. Muslims may fail to implement specific injunctions of Islam based on human weakness, but they will hardly portray them as outmoded, irrelevant and unsuitable for the modern situation.

Christians, for instance, as evinced by the obsession of Mathew Kukah in his anti-Islam columns and public discourses, may conjure that interfaith dialogue would henceforth guarantee them an institutional legitimacy of marrying a Muslim woman, or it may make Muslims feel reluctant in missionary work while they (Christians) continue to win converts either directly by luring pockets of northern animists or through the new atheism phenomenon that trend mainly in the virtual world and cyberspace. Christians may conjecture that Muslim females, especially in Yorubaland, where the controversy keeps erupting, will relinquish their fundamental right of wearing hijab. In fact, many Christians would wrongly assume that interfaith dialogue, when successfully embraced, will encourage Muslims to keep mute on tragic instances befalling their fellows, such as the series of ethno-religious crises that broke out in places like Jos, Tafawa Balewa, Southern Kaduna, Lagos Sagamu, etc. 

In retrospect, to what extent are Nigerian Christians ready to accept Prophet Muhammad as God’s apostle just as Muslims uphold Jesus as Prophet as a fundamental condition of being a Muslim, without which one will be outside the fold of Islam? Or at least, are Nigerian Christians ready to reserve some respect for Prophet Muhammad so that they will shun all utterances and actions that may be considered blasphemous, which, needless to say, fuels religious crisis and further strains relations between Muslims and Christians? 

Nigerian Muslims would be very willing to uphold peace initiatives. Still, they will be very unlikely to accept any interfaith interpretation that warrants silence and reprisals in situations where their fellows are innocently attacked and persecuted anywhere on Nigerian soil. Muslims will invoke the same scripture which warns them not to ally with their enemies –  whoever they might be, which enjoins them not to give in to treachery, which cautions them on prospects of being bamboozled and hoodwinked by their enemies and which reminds them to be prepared for self-defence. Therefore, the interfaith initiative appears to be a neutral concept that can be applied positively or negatively and can be abused or misinterpreted disproportionately.  But, clearly, its application goes hand in hand with contexts and real-life experiences.

Ismail wrote from Rabat and can be reached via ismailiiit18@gmail.com.