Islam

By Muhammad Abdurrahman

On July 23, 2021, Dr Abdallah Uthman Gadon-Kaya delivered a Friday sermon in one of the mosques he leads prayers in Kano State. That sermon did not go down well with Prof. Ibrahim Maqari. Thus, he appeared in a video threatening Dr Abdallah to withdraw parts of the statement, or they would meet in court. On July 26, Dr Abdallah received a letter from Prof. Maqari’s lawyers, giving him a 7-day ultimatum to withdraw those “remarks” or face legal action.

Many media organisations, including online newspapers, reported the recent development. But no media reported Dr Abdallah’s side of the story. So the Daily Reality (TDR) spoke with one of his lawyers, Ibrahim Umar Abere.

Barrister Abere told TDR that “We initially received a letter from Prof. Maqari stating that his lawyers were charging Dr Abdallah for defamation. And he was given seven days to withdraw his utterances against Prof. Maqari. If not, he must appear before the court to stand a trial.

“In the letter he sent, his lawyer said that he knew Dr Abdallah had not mentioned Prof. Maqari’s name, but it was clear to them that the things said were directly referring to Prof. Maqari. [This means they were the ones who said that to their client]. We wanted to reply to them instantly. All of a sudden, the Department of State Service (DSS) from Abuja intervened, asking the two parties to sheath their sword and that both parties should report to the DSS office in Kano for reconciliation.”

“We went to the DSS office. I was there; Dr Abdallah was there, and Prof. Maqari, represented by his lawyer, was there. They said that Dr Abdallah must go and withdraw his utterances publicly on his pulpit. We said this is impossible because what happened was that Prof. Maqari spoke, and Dr Abdallah also spoke in their sermons about the things happening. Though some clerics already asked Dr Abdallah to withdraw those remarks that some people felt were harsh. He did so and apologised to all and sundry.

“The DSS stated that they were aware Dr Abdallah had apologised to anybody who misunderstood his sermon or felt any pain. We were satisfied with that. For this, there’s no reason for Abdallah to go and apologise for the second time.

By Allah, this was what happened. The DSS personnel also reminded us that both Abdallah and Maqari have followers; therefore, unless handled cautiously, the issue might become a grave conflict. That was why we did not respond to their letter. Because we take what authority said seriously, that was how our sitting ended,” said Abere.

On August 24, a copy of a summons showing that Prof. Maqari sued Dr Abdallah in an Upper Sharia Court at Rijiyar Lemo, Kano State, trended on social media.

In reaction to that, Abere told TDR that “We have seen that. It means they disagreed with the reconciliation made by the DSS a few weeks ago. That was why they went to court. On hearing that, we had to call the DSS and told them that these people took the case to court despite the fact the dispute had been resolved. For this reason, we had replied to their letter for them to know our stand. We told them that we were also charging Maqari with defamation and other things.

“In our reply on July 30 to Prof. Maqari’s lawyers, Dr Abdallah unreservedly denied all the allegations forwarded by Prof. Maqari. We also gave the lawyers a 7-day ultimatum to withdraw some defamatory remarks in their demand letter. They call Dr Abdallah derogatory names such as liar, lawless, mischievous, reckless, heartless, penchant for hate speech, high-handed and threat to public peace. Otherwise, he [Prof. Maqari] too will face a legal battle,” he lamented.

Surprisingly, Prof. Maqari appeared in yet another video on Saturday, August 28 2021, telling the public that some prominent personalities in the country had intervened on the matter. Therefore he left the case in their hands. This means there would be no court case against Dr Abdallah.

“We have thoroughly prepared to appear before the court on September 6, 2021. All our defences and counter-charges or claims are ready. Then we suddenly saw Prof. Maqari again on social media in another video saying that some people talked to him and now the case is with them.

Does that mean he had withdrawn his charges against Dr Abdallah? If that is the case, that is now how it is done. For Prof. Maqari to withdraw his charges against Dr Abdallah, it should be in a written form. Until now, we have not received any official letter. We just heard about it on social media. People should not seriously regard what has been said on social media or in a video,” concluded barrister Abere.

By Lawi Auwal Yusuf

The Tsangaya system in northern Nigeria started more than a century ago. It is a traditional and informal system of Islamic education where male children are taken to a far place from home to memorise the Qur’an and study other religious books. This will help them to concentrate more on their studies than in the comfort of their homes. They can be seen in every part of the region, and they mostly come from rural areas and are predominantly taken to the cities, while some come from neighbouring countries.

It has taken a parallel dimension in the last decades as there has been a massive influx of these young children into the urban areas.

This rural-urban migration is exacerbated by rising poverty in the countryside, dilapidated infrastructures, unemployment, rising cost of living and a corresponding decline in the standard of living. Moreover, monetisation of the rural economy, desertification, effects of climate change and lack of social amenities worsen the situation.

Similarly, this mass movement has its repercussions on the metropolitan areas such as overcrowding, squalor housing and homelessness, poverty, the spread of diseases, starvation, poor sanitation, joblessness, criminal activities and fanaticism.

The pitiful and awful plight of these vulnerable children, including minors of about five, is very sorrowful, disheartening, and sympathetic. These oppressed kids below the legal age of responsibility and accountability roam in nooks and crannies of cities hungrily begging for food wearing tattered, shabby and ragged clothes without shoes in the scorching heat. They wander from house to house, in marketplaces, on the streets, motor parks/stations, mosques, traffic intersections and social gatherings in search of livelihood. They scavenge through refuse and garbage, looking for food and other valuable materials. These miserable children sleep on the roadsides, under bridges, marketplaces, uncompleted buildings and other unfortunate places under intense bites of mosquitoes and other insects.

Moreover, they defecate in the open as there are no toilets to use. They equally lack access to safe drinking water, prophylaxes, vaccines and immunisations that can help to prevent them against dangerous diseases.

Some of them are not much acquainted with their parents, siblings and other extended family members. They know little about their hometowns. They depart home when they are too young and are rarely visited or go home to reunite with their families, while others never return. Some years ago, I overheard one of them narrating his ordeal that there were only two rooms in their mud house. One was for the parents and the other for the children. The father wanted to marry a second wife while there was no vacant room to accommodate the bride. So he enrolled them in Tsangaya school and arranged the children’s room for her. This is why tribal and political bigots revile and vilify the Northerners on this savage and barbaric behaviour.

These filthy children are left to fend for themselves as no one cares about them. Everyone abandons them. They do not get the psychological support, love and affection of their parents and the bond of kinship ties. They live their entire unwholesome lives away from home. In addition, they also fall victim to child labour, exploitation and abuse. Hence, the teachers and other older co-students ruthlessly maltreat the younger ones and confiscate the food and money they get.

They have equal rights to benefit from the state resources and the public treasury like every citizen. They have equal rights with the children of the so-called prominent personalities, the President, governors, ministers, lawmakers and traditional rulers whose kids are taken to Europe and America to study. They also have the rights to normal life, adequate healthcare, decent shelter, and qualitative education with the requisite skills to make them marketable in the labour market and equal opportunities. Unfortunately, they have been deprived of these constitutional rights and are treated in their fatherland as sub-humans.

In their teenage, they spend much of their time on the course of their subsistence than their studies. Therefore, only a few of them receive the desired education. The unfortunate ones grow up without adequate knowledge, socialisation, professional training, and skills that necessitate them to wander the street and do menial jobs. Appallingly, some end up in theft, mugging, thuggery, drug dealing/addiction, sexual and other street offences.

It is very irritating that these vibrant, vigorous and exuberant youths are not made very productive to our nation. It vexes me to see them idle, redundant and wandering freely without a specific purpose or destination. Had they been adequately trained and made more productive to the society, they would have become professionals in different fields and therefore facilitate its development. It would have been more advanced than it is now. Sadly, all the intelligence, talent and youthful exuberance are being squandered negligently and not made helpful for their benefit and the whole society.  This is why Nigeria still lags behind its peers.

This mindlessness of the Nigerian authorities resulted in the December 1980 fracas in Kano. Maitatsine took advantage of this and brainwashed thousands of his students into extremism and fundamentalism. The conflict, which lasted for almost three weeks, put the city at an impasse and led to the loss of nearly 5,000 lives, including Maitatsine himself and enormous property worth millions were destroyed. The survived students initiated another tumultuous disturbance in the subsequent years, whereas in Bulumkuttu, Maiduguri and Kaduna in October 1982, over 3,000 lives were lost. Other riots broke out in Yola in 1984, where over 1,000 people were killed, and more than 60,000 people were displaced. And it also took place in Gombe in 1985.  

Furthermore, Boko Haram is more destructive, disastrous, and catastrophic that analysts see as an offshoot of the Maitatsine sect re-emerged with similar ideologies, putting the country in a war for more than a decade. Maiduguri has the largest concentration of these students, where you can find a Tsangaya school with thousands of students. Since the beginning of their offensive attacks in 2009, tens of thousands of lives were lost, and more than 2.3 million people were displaced, and roughly 250,000 fled to the neighbouring countries. The Global Terrorism Index declared it the world’s deadliest terror organisation in 2010. They have engaged in mass kidnappings of innocent civilians, including schoolgirls in Dapchi and Chibok and aggravated famines and food insecurity.  

The government should reinvigorate the Nigerian educational system to meet international standards. Similarly, there is a need to introduce an integrated educational system that will completely uproot the dichotomy between Islamic and Western education that will correspond with our religion and culture. A system that will give room for the memorisation of the Qur’an, Islamic subjects alongside the other conventional subjects to be acceptable to all. This was what Muslim countries like Sudan, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and many others have done. A similar provision should be put in place for Christians to be fair and just to all. In addition, primary education should be entirely free, compulsory and accessible to all.  

The governments at all levels should make genuine efforts to eradicate poverty in the villages, combat desert encroachment and revamp agriculture which will help tremendously improve the income of the rural dwellers. And also provide adequate and effective infrastructures and social amenities to make their lives better and easier.

Apart from all these, the government should urgently evacuate and return them all to their homes and enact a statute that will be strictly and rigorously enforced outlawing this incessant desertion. The legislation should also oblige the parents to be responsible for their children’s custody, supervision, and safekeeping.

There is a difference between a man and a father. The latter is a title of birth and guard. So, it is natural to take up the mandate; it is unnatural not to.

Lawi Auwal Yusuf writes from Kano, Nigeria. He can be reached via laymaikanawa@gmail.com.

On a day like this, three decades ago, Taraba State was created from the defunct Gongola State. Unarguably, one of the most promising states at the time of creation.  Being the third-largest state in Nigeria in terms of landmass, most of it being overly fertile. There is hardly a crop that grows in Nigeria that does not grow well in Taraba. In fact, many thrive best here.

While I cannot call myself an Agriculturist, I certainly know one or two things about farming being someone who is very proud of this profession and has had experiences that will forever remain green in my mind because of Agriculture. I am extremely passionate about Agriculture. I know the potentials that we have in Taraba. Unfortunately, states with far fewer potentials than Taraba have harnessed theirs and not Taraba for one reason or the other. 

Taraba state has tourist potentials that are unmatched in this country. It is aptly described as “Nature’s gift to the Nation”. As a result, we have some of the most beautiful places anyone can contemplate or dream of visiting in Nigeria. Travelling from: Sardauna to Zing, Ibi to Karim Lamido, Ussa to Yorro, Kurmi to Gassol. In fact, across the length and breadth of Taraba, all one sees is one of the most breathtaking scenery you can find in Nigeria.

The lush green countryside, amazing mountains, wonderful waterfalls, and sonorous birds give sounds that you may not be wrong to call music. Since my elementary music teacher taught me that music is the arrangement of sounds that are pleasant to the ears. On a serious note,  you have to fall in love with nature once in Taraba State; of course, I have done that. One has to. Taraba is that special: you can’t escape it.

Sadly, this has not translated to much development. I weep whenever I visit towns, villages, and hamlets in Taraba. I weep not only for the abundant natural resources being exploited but that should and would have been utilised for the benefit of all and the growing distrust and polarised nature of my dear state. Here are people who have refused to unite to defeat their common enemies: poverty, violence, unemployment, underdevelopment, drug abuse, kidnapping, etc. This shouldn’t be our reality.

Whoever fans the embers of disunity is not a good human being, to begin with, let alone being a good and responsible Taraban whether one is: a traditionalist, a Muslim, or a Christian. For God’s sake, we have all suffered for our failure to rise above prejudice, hate and do the needful for our dear state. We disappointedly all continue to play blame-games, while everything is ruined before our very eyes. Tarabans have to think and rethink whatever approach we have been using over the years have left a lot to be desired.

The truth is that we are all in this together. I know this for a fact because I get to mingle with Tarabans from all walks of life. My friend Jerry in Jalingo is no less a victim than my friend Ado in Yelwa, Sardauna local government. The old man I met in Dakka, Bali, local government struggling even at old age to feed his family is not different from the ones I meet in my hometown or any place I visit in Taraba.

The public primary schools in Jalingo, the state capital, don’t look much different from the ones in Borno Kurukuru, in Bali local government; the ones in Pantisawa In Yorro LGA and the ones in Kufai, Gassol local government, or anywhere in Taraba state. The difference is that some of our teachers do extraordinary things to nurture children that can become responsible citizens against all odds. So today, I pay tribute to our teachers and all those who defy all odds to develop our state. Thank you so much for your sacrifice and service to our dear State. 

The plain truth is that we are all victims in one or the other. Whether we agree or not, whatever faith we profess or the party we support. A selected few benefit in any state that constituted authorities have failed to live up to their responsibilities, and most of the time, even those that benefit the pleasure are ephemeral. 

We still have the opportunity to stem the tide and chart a new course for the only State we have and one that some of us love unconditionally. To change things for the better. But, we cannot do it alone. We must do it together: Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists. Until we unite, leaders or rulers will continue to exploit us and set us against one another. It is high time we commenced the building of a Taraba where merit matters and all Tarabans matter. A Taraba where things work and all that work hard within the ambit of the law can prosper without hindrance. A Taraba where the glass ceiling will be completely shattered. 

Happy 30th anniversary to my dear State, Taraba. You will be great despite all the apparent obstacles to stop that from coming to fruition no matter what happens. We will keep on trying until we get it right.

We today live in a state far more divided than ever. But I find solace that we still have good men and women from all parts of the state and of all religious beliefs who are sincerely ready to see a complete revamping of our dear State. These Tarabans give me hope. For just like me, most of them do not have a bean and have no political goals to pursue rather a whole state, and indeed, nation to build. 

I see hope boldly written on the face of my friend Jerry, a barber whose dream is to one day be a big employer of labour despite his financial constraints today. I  find strength in the words of my friend Abdulhamid who supports his family with the little that he has while working relentlessly with little dependence on the government.  

I know God willing things can and will change when Caleb, an ex-drug addict who has turned over a new leaf, advocates for peace and works towards our unity. Likewise, I believe we can change for the better when Zakiru freely works to better society and seeks success against all odds. Yes, Zakiru with even some hilarious jokes to it. 

I have no reason to believe things will continue the manner they are today, forever because of the realities of the moment. I know we can change. Although, the time is entirely dependent on how ready we are for that to happen as Tarabans. 

Today, I urge us all to mull over our challenges as a state. I plead with you all to reflect sincerely and see how we can all join hands to build the state that should be the envy of every state in the country because of our resources, which I know, once we get it right, Taraba will be the perfect example of how to move Nigeria forward being a state that can correctly be described as a mini Nigeria, with all that is inherent therein Nigeria. We must not fail our dear state as Tarabans; we have to stop failing this beautiful State now. 

Happy 30th anniversary Taraba State. God bless Taraba State, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani wrote from Turaki B, Jalingo, Taraba State.

By Mubarak Ibrahim Lawan

It is commonsensically understandable when Kano Hizba could not stage a daring raid on Fatima Ganduje’s wedding or that of powerful people. Their excuse is acceptable to good Muslims and every reasonable person. However, some dimwitted Islamophobic detractors of Islam, who hate or fear Muslims, Islamic politics or culture, will always scorn the Hizba.

From Malam Ibrahim Shekarau’s governance in Kano to date, Hizba has always been the first target of those Islamophobia-suffering people. When they were strong, Hizba succeeded in reducing prostitution, alcohol drinking, excesses of Kannywood actors and actresses and helped maintain order in Kano. It also provided means of livelihood to thousands then, just as KAROTA delivers now. And, since the second coming of Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the powers given to the Hizba during Malam Shekarau was drastically reduced. Politics is all to blame; we all know.

So why do those detractors of Islam choose to ignore this simple fact? Why do they ignore the capitalistic, autocratic Nigerian factor of “the rich/powerful is always right”? Why do they criticise when Hizba works, as when they burn crates of beer, and when the board fails? In that case, what do these detractors want? Similarly, why do we judge people and institutions by some few wrongs or some unavoidably uncontrollable wrongs and limitations? If Allah forgives the Hizba for being forced to overlook, then why can’t you?

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Allah has forgiven my nation for mistakes and forgetfulness, and WHAT THEY ARE FORCED TO DO.”

Similarly, “Allah burdens no soul beyond its capacity”. To its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits. “Our Lord, do not condemn us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not burden us as You have burdened those before us. Our Lord, do not impose on us more than we have the strength to bear; and pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Master, so help us against the disbelieving people.”

Lastly, they arrested a prostitute, Sadiya Haruna, because they can arrest transgressors like her and alhamdulillah they did. Whoever has complaints should please take a lawyer for Sadiya. Finally, I pray may these Muslim detractors of Islam come to their senses before it is too late.

Mubarak Ibrahim Lawan writes from Kano.

By Adnan Mukhtar Tudunwada

In an ironic twist one of the most charismatic Ministers in Buhari’s administration, Dr Isa Ali Pantami has been receiving massive accolades for his outstanding performances from sincere citizens, as well as blind criticisms from blackmailing traducers for ulterior motives.

A few months ago, the traducers mounted aggressive media campaigns against him over a claim of alleged support of ideologies of insurgents over a decade ago. Even though, the Minister had defended himself and explained further that he was one of the Islamic scholars that have consistently attacked the ideologies of Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, videos and audios of Boko Haram leaders threatening the life of Dr Pantami emerged but that too could not persuade the critics from their reckless insinuations and criticism. In fact, some of the videos included those where Pantami challenged slain Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, in a hot debate and another was the threat by terrorist leader, Abubakar Shekau to eliminate the Minister.

It is, therefore, not surprising that when Pantami is about to clock his second year in office, the sponsored critics thought they could distract him and teeming Nigerians by reinventing another campaign of calumny.

Though their intention is mischief, they could not stop the Minister from reeling out concrete achievements of his Ministry and its agencies in the last two years when they collectively generated a total of N1.05 trillion.

Dr Pantami disclosed the huge revenue during the 12th batch of virtual commissioning of eight projects by his Ministry and agencies.

He said that “The Ministry and its parastatals have generated over N1 trillion for the Federal Government in less than two years, this translates to an average of about N44 billion every month, or over N1.4 billion every day.

“The IT Projects Clearance Programme also saved over N5billion for the Federal Government.”

“I also urge them to redouble their efforts in ensuring that we keep up the good work of developing Nigeria’s digital economy,” he said.

The Minister also revealed that a total of 1,667 ICT projects have been completed while 455 others are ongoing across the country. In line with the general approach for locating projects, they are situated in all the six geopolitical zones of the country and the Federal Capital Territory.

Some of the projects he commissioned virtually included Emergency Communications Centre (ECC), Makurdi, Benue State (North Central); Virtual Examination Centre, College of Education, Argungu, Kebbi State (North West); E-Accessibility Centre, Alderstown Schools for the Deaf, Warri, Delta State (South-South).

Others are the E-Health/Data Sharing Project, Leko Abdulrahman Hospital, Daura, Katsina state (North West); Digital Economy Centre & E-Learning Facilities, Ogba Grammar School, Lagos state (South West); Digital Economy Centre & E-Learning Facilities, St Paul Secondary School, Eke, Enugu state (South East); Digital Economy Centre & E-Learning Facilities, Federal Character Commission, Abuja (North Central); and E-Accessibility Centre, Bauchi state; Orphans and Vulnerable Children School, Bauchi state (North East) among others.

These were apart from others that were commissioned last year.

My advice to Pantami on the antics of his traducers and blackmailers is to just ignore them.

As an IT guru and scholar of repute, he should realise that their antics expose their dispositions as sectional and religious irredentists and their hatred for his faith and the section of the country he comes from. Just recently some of them have the gut to mock the great prophet of Islam in their attempt to ridicule, Dr Pantami.

Though the bigoted and eccentric traducers seem to be faceless, they are not unknown going by digital footprints and the patrons of their platforms of blackmail and propaganda.

If their media platforms were used to scandalise former Presidents Obasanjo, Yar’adua, Jonathan and even Buhari, why should Pantami feel offended? They are better ignored.

It is obvious that they are over-pampered ethnic jingoists and over-tolerated fake activists who are overtly ignored because of their questionable integrity and dubious pedigrees.

Once again, I appeal to Sheikh Pantami to ignore them and focus on his national assignment which has enormous presidential endorsements and the support of Nigerian citizens who are beneficiaries of the digital economy.

Adnan Mukhtar is a Staff Writer with Politics Digest and writes from Kofar Famfo, Kano City.

By Abdul-Hamid Abubakar Zubair

The ungovernability, which is crystal clear, toward the act of showing contempt and lack of reverence to sacred religious deity/deities is imminent and very alarming. If not seriously challenged and tackled by the constituted authorities, especially at the federal level, that may, unfortunately, aggravate severe tension even to the dogmatical secular democratic doctrine, believed to be a workable formula that has an answer to all national issues. 

It holds true, you like it or not, the fact that religion matters in Nigeria. Most people are firmly bound to one of the two major faiths, Islam or Christianity, and thus, it is a duty call for any person in power to uphold, respect, and support people’s various beliefs. The people have the right to practice their religion. Blasphemy is unacceptable and is punishable even according to national laws in the criminal codes as enshrined by both customary and Shariah laws. You can’t shift secularism to this place – at least, it is not yet the time.

Observing closely how cascades of blasphemous thoughtlessness and rashness have been unravelling in recent times, you can sense new dimensions and order of hidden treacherous agenda, purportedly insinuated by servile demonic elements. It is not by mere serendipity but a carefully thought out and planned memorandum.

In the North, there are more than four blasphemy suits filed in courts. The two trending cases include Yahaya Shariff Aminu, 22, a musician, and Umar Faruk, 16, both in Kano. The latter has been overturned and acquitted, and the former has been sent for a retrial by the Court of Appeal.

Another classic take-away example was the just concluded dialogue that features the controversial Shiite scholar, Abdul-Jabbar Nasiru Kabara, following his deliberate inciteful utterances and wrong interpretation and exegesis of Sunnatic traditions (Hadith), and after his request to the Kano State government to do justice and convene a physical dialogue with other Kano Islamic Clerics from the Salaf, Tijjaniya and Qadiriyya Sects. The aftermath of the conversation proved the bitter truth that was heavy and unfavourable to the eccentric Shiite cleric. 

I heard of a similar ordeal from Sokoto. A man allegedly made similar blasphemous utterances against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). However, we were supposed to be brainwashed by the excuse that he was suffering from temporal madness. Meanwhile, dementia was his alibi.

Taking a close look at these, one may ruminate over some questions and conclude that all these are not coincidental but planned.

Insecurity is a current social issue at hand. It has perturbed the entire nation. A lot of societal menaces are happening.  This trending problem of blasphemy coupled with insecurity will produce a severe stale. If it finds a place to stay, it will add salt to an injury, and the pain will be intolerably excruciating. 

There should be no room for apology for a deliberate blasphemous act. Anyone found guilty must be seriously punished and his actions thoroughly condemned. The same thing goes for all media outfits. Through that only, peace can prevail. 

Some personalities and deities are insurmountable, untouchable in major religions that should be demarcated by the power authorities and declared as a “no-go” zone. In strong terms, it should be stipulated that anything the Christians, Muslims, or any other religion recognised by the authority; within the Nigerian Province, which is considered alien or goes against the standard teachings – especially blasphemous utterances must be punishable. The government should get a grip on these with a strong and clenched fist.

The government should seize the day while it’s still dawn and make hay while the sun shines before things turned out of hand.

Abdul-Hamid Abubakar Zubair
Federal University Gashua, Nigeria.
E-mail: ibntaimiyya@fugashua.edu.ng
Phone no.: +2348138171001

By Adamu Sani (Tj Chinade)

It appears that some people think of human rights was only theorised by the Western world and scholars. However, this perception proves inaccurate because Islam is the ultimate religion that left behind nothing in confusion. To understand this, Almighty Allah says, “…..We have neglected nothing in the Book (Glorious Qur’an).” (Qur’an 6:38). Given this verse, most of what the western people theorised has its roots in Islam. Meaning that if someone searches deeply into the topic, someone may easily trace its origin from the Glorious Qur’an and Hadith of the Prophet. Therefore, human rights have been discussed and recognised by some organisations as detailed in Islam, since Almighty Allah is the Creator of the universe.

What differentiates between human rights in Islam and the western perspectives is that Almighty Allah and all laws that give rights in Islam are derived from the primary sources. In contrast, in western perspectives, it is man-made laws, and the leaders provide the rights to their respective people of their States or Nations. It should be clear that human beings are all the same in the sight of Allah. The rights and privileges that Allah has granted to man as a human being will be enjoyed by all individuals, regardless of colour, religion, geographical location, nationality, among others. All the rights should be recognised and respected by every Muslim. The following are some of these rights.

1. Right to Life

The first and foremost fundamental right is the right to live and respect human life. The Glorious Qur’an states: “If anyone killed a person, not in retaliation of murder, or spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed all mankind…” (Qur’an 5:32). According to this verse, the punishment of taking life in retaliation for murder or spreading mischief on the earth can be decided only by a proper and competent court of law. In addition, if there is any war with any nation or country, it can be determined only by a properly established government. In whatever case, no human being has any right by itself to take human life in retaliation or for causing mischief on this Earth. In another place, Almighty Allah has condemned the killing of any soul without a reliable measure as He is saying;  “… and kill not anyone whom Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause (according to Islamic Law)…” (Qur’an 6:151).

2. Respect for the Chastity of Women.

In Islam, the chastity of women must be respected and protected under all circumstances, everywhere, regardless of her religion or even if she has no faith. A Muslim is forbidden to be in any illegal relationship with a woman. Almighty Allah emphasises this in the Glorious Qur’an, thus: “And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily it is Fahishah (i.e. anything that transgresses its limits)” (Qur’an 17:31).

3. Right to Basic Standard of Life.

The Glorious Qur’an enjoins upon the Muslims about the economic right. Allah says: “And in their properties, there was the right of the beggar and the Mahrum (the poor who does not ask the others)”. Qur’an 51:19.

4.Right to Freedom.

Islam has clearly and categorically forbidden the barbaric practice of enslaving a free man or selling him into slavery. Because of this, the unequivocal statement of the Prophet reads, “There are three categories of people against whom I shall by myself be a plaintiff on the Day of judgement. On this three, one who enslaves a free man, then sell him and eat this money”.

5. Right to Justice

It is also the most important and valuable right Islam has given to man as a human being. Almighty Allah calls upon humankind to respect justice in many places in the Glorious Qur’an. One of these places is where Allah says: “O you Who believed! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily Allah is Wel-Acquainted with what you do.” (Qur’an, 5:8).

The above verse clarifies that Muslims have to be just not only with ordinary human beings but even with their enemies. It is noteworthy that justice in Islam is not limited to Muslims but all people regardless of their race, colour, tribe, nation or religion – the entire humanity. This indicates the boundless mercies of Almighty Allah to his creators.

6. Equality of Human Being

It should be clear that Islam not only recognises and confers absolute equality between men irrespective of any colour, race, or nationality but makes it an essential and significant principle and a reality. To understand this, Almighty Allah says: “O mankind! We have created you from male and female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily the Honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) Who has Taqwa (Qur’an, 49:13).

The above verse suggests that the division of human beings into nations, races, tribes, and group is for the sake of distinction so that people of one tribe or group may easily recognise their partner once they meet. This further indicates that the superiority of one man over the other is only based on one’s faith, purity of character and high morals, not based on colour, nation, tribe and language.

7.Right to Freedom of Expression

Islam also gave human beings the right to freedom of speech, but with a limitation, this can be seen in one of the Hadith of the Prophet reads: “Say good, or be silent” This Hadith clearly shun away the spreading of fake news and hate speech.

By 

Adamu Sani (Tj Chinade)

07030045189

adamusani3828@gmail.com

The 35-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salam, alias MBS, initiates more radical changes in the kingdom hitherto known for its conservatism and strict adherence to Sharia.

In addition to barring loudspeakers from amplifying prayers and sermons at mosques and turning down the volume during calls to prayer, the Saudi government announced that shops, restaurants and other enterprises do not have to close anymore during prayer times. A government was reported to have declared that “Those days of inconvenience are now over.”

The MBS initiated liberalisations continue to reverberate around the kingdom while dissents are silenced.

According to two Saudi human rights groups, “When a little-known religious leader penned an online article criticising the decision by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, he was arrested, and his once-active Twitter account went silent.”

It is also reported that the government fired “many” Imams for not following an official directive to preach against the Muslim Brotherhood, which MBS-led Saudi Arabia has designated as a terrorist group.

A year ago, the government stripped the religious police of their powers to arrest people. Around the same time, women were granted the right to attend sporting events while removing gender segregation at restaurants, other events.

Sarah Dadouch of The Washington Post concludes thus, “Mohammed is rewriting the longtime power-sharing arrangement between the ruling family and the clerical establishment — a partnership that created the kingdom. Islam has remained a cornerstone of Saudi identity; the kingdom is the birthplace of the religion and hosts its two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina. The king’s official title is the custodian of the two holy mosques.

In some quarters, fears abound that the fabric of the kingdom is now 4unravelling. But those fears are rarely shared anymore, lest there be more arrests.”

By Ibrahim Siraj

A renowned Islamic scholar and Chief Imam of the historic Qubaa Mosque in Medina, Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdallah Zarbaan Al-Gamidi has been reported dead. He died Friday, according to sources familiar with the development.

Sheikh Zarbaan was a teacher, mentor and father figure to all Nigerian graduates of the prestigious Islamic University of Medina. He was instrumental in the admission of hundreds of Nigerian students into the prestigious University through the Daura intensive training he coordinated for several years since the inception of the programme in Nigeria.

Prominent among Sheikh Zarbaan’s students are the late Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam, Drs Muhammad Rabi’u Umar, Bashir Aliyu Umar, Abubakar Muhammad Sani, Ibrahim Ilyas, Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo, Isa Suleiman, Muslim Ibrahim, Sheikh Abdulwahab Abdullah, Professors Mansur Sokoto and Abdallah Saleh Pakistan, to mention but a few.

He will be remembered for his special attachment to his Nigerian students, whom he mentored up to his final moment on earth. Every year, he would call some of them during the annual Ramadan Tafsir to pass a message of goodwill and encouragement.

He recently donated his entire book collection for the benefit of Nigerian scholars. The books were received through Dr Abubakar Muhammad Sani and will be kept in a library in Dutse for access by the public.

He was a friend to many prominent Nigerian scholars and philanthropists such as late Sheikh Aminuddeen Abubakar, late Halifa Sheikh Isyaku Rabiu and Alhaji Aminu Dantata. May Allah have mercy on him and make Aljanna his final abode, amin.

By Ibrahiym A. El-Caleel

Northern Nigeria, Arewa launched her Shari’a project on the eve of the third millennium, precisely in 1999. The project was cheered by Muslims, who are the larger share of the Arewa population. But, on the other hand, the project became a thorn in the flesh of liberal Muslims as well as Islamophobes. Therefore, this generated heated discussions within the Arewa intelligentsia, from the mosques’ pulpits to traditional media pages.

Immediately Shari’a was launched, additives were added to strengthen its influence over the years. The Shari’a courts appeared visibly effective and powerful in their jurisdictions. On the other hand, they were feared due to their initial charisma. Shari’a hudud (penalties) were unapologetically executed in states that subscribed to the project. In 2003, Kano State impressively established the Kano State Hisbah Corps to deepen Shari’a application further. All these were efforts that every conscious Muslim found impressive. Nigerian Muslims were able to leverage democracy to re-establish their lost treasure of Islamic Law. It was a sort of blessing in the eyes of conscious Muslims. Today, however, things are beginning to fall apart.

In recent years, we see rather poor management of the Shari’a project. Convicts in Shari’a courts now find a way to evade justice, leveraging the weak points in the project. More problematic is the visible selective application of Shari’a among Arewa Muslims. Concerning the Shari’a application, Arewa currently operates a caste system. Masses are prosecuted under Shari’a for the slightest offences, but the elites commit big offences and get away with impunity. The Shari’a practised by the earliest Muslim generations was egalitarianism, where everyone was equal before the Islamic Law. But in Arewa today, Shari’a is an elitism that only applies to the nobodies in the society, while the elites break the code and fingers are not raised at them.  

Kano Hisbah is famous for coming into the spotlight with all sorts of amazing arrests and “Shari’a law enforcements”. There are pictures of them randomly stopping youths and cutting their hair because they have kept bushy and unkempt hair. To me, this should be a minor thing that should bother Kano Hisbah, when every week, men and scantily dressed women converge at costly-rented event centres, dancing and freely mixing in the name of celebrating weddings. Kano Hisbah never shows up in such Shari’a noncompliant events because they might be meeting the last son of a commissioner, the wife of a minister or even the nation’s First Lady herself. Apologists of this caste system might say perhaps Kano Hisbah never comes across these numerous events that happen frequently and simultaneously. But the answer is, after concluding the events, these “untouchables” audaciously flaunt the immoral pictures and videos on social media to the public glare. And nothing still happens.

Shari’a in Arewa will continue to be feeble because Arewa leaders are not genuinely committed to executing it. Only Allah knows the hearts of men, but the body language we are seeing is that these leaders use Shari’a in the spirit of populism; to woo political fandom. If we have Shari’a, then everyone must come equal before it. In a sane society, everyone comes equal before the law. This is called “the rule of law”.

It was narrated that during the reign of Caliph Umar bnul Khattab, Amr bnul Aas was the governor of Egypt. This governor had a son who entered a horserace with an Egyptian man, and the Egyptian man won the race. This defeat angered the governor’s son, so he decided to flog the Egyptian man. The man left Egypt and travelled to Madinah to complain to Caliph Umar. Umar summoned Governor Amr bnul Aas and the son to appear before him. When they showed up, Umar asked the Egyptian man to flog the Governor’s son as he had flogged him. Then he said to the governor, “when did you start to enslave people when they were born free?”. This incident indicates that Caliph Umar, as one of the most influential leaders in history, never allowed impunity and elitism to prosper in the land.

Secondly, when a lady from Bani Makhzum committed theft, the people of Quraysh requested Usama bn Zayd to intercede for her with Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). When Usama spoke about it to the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him), the Prophet said, “Do you try to intercede for somebody in a case connected with Allah’s Prescribed Punishments?” Then he got up and delivered a sermon saying, “What destroyed the nations preceding you, was that if a noble amongst them stole, they would forgive him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would inflict Allah’s Legal punishment on him. By Allah, if Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut off her hand.”

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) is the grand patron of all leaders executing the Shari’a. This is him (Peace be Upon Him) saying if his own most beloved daughter were found guilty, he would apply the laws on her with no regard to her exalted status. May Allah’s salutations be upon him. He indeed is our ultimate role model worthy of emulation.

Until Arewa leaders take the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) as a role model in the Shari’a project, we will continue to be a laughingstock. It is quite shameful that daughters of Arewa governors and emirs dress immodestly at their weddings. We have seen the daughter of former Kano Emir Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II taking a handshake from the Vice President, an ajnabi (strange man), in front of her father. The daughter of Kano State Governor Khadimul Islam, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, dressed immodestly on her wedding day. She wore a sleeveless wide-necked gown that almost revealed her chest. As if that was not enough of breaking the Shari’a code, she danced in this outfit to the visuality of strange men. The daughter of former EFCC Czar Mallam Nuhu Ribadu also made a similar appearance some months back.

This week, the trending topic on Arewa Facebook centres around another Kano princess, Zahra Nasir Ado Bayero, who is getting married to the President’s son, Yusuf Muhammadu Buhari. In her bridal shower event in Abuja, the princess appeared in a tight wedding gown, exposing the upper part of her torso. Of course, her hair was styled and opened to the public like her fellow sisters in the Shari’a code-breaking. People are wondering how Kano Hisbah is not seeing all this and issuing a press release.

The amoralism is getting institutionalised by the children of Arewa leaders. It speaks volumes to why Shari’a is still a baby in Arewa despite spending more than 20 years in the system. People who could give us a formidable Sharia are issuing licenses to their children to abuse the code and go scot-free. This is why even convicted blasphemers these days do not end up suffering the penalties. Anyone with some copper coins in their pockets and a little political network can find a way out. Only the poor and the unconnected can be convicted and be eventually punished. This is the caste system we have awaken to in Arewa today. Unfortunately, leaders are not ready to walk the talk. We need a leveller to be able to have an effective Shari’a system. What is good for the goose has to be good for the gander. Else, we are all joking around.

Ibrahiym A. El-Caleel is a Civil Engineer by training with an interest in public and social commentary. He writes from Zaria and can be reached via caleel2009@gmail.com.