Muslims

By Ismail Hashim Abubakar

Although the articulation of the presidential ambition of Bola Ahmed Tinubu (if actually this his real name) is seizing the attention of the public these days, Tinubu’s psyche might have likely become fraught with political confusion since 2020 when Mamman Daura gave the popular BBC interview on competence as the chief criterion for Buhari’s succession, rather than regional or ethnic consideration. 

This time around, the greed of  Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems even to surpass that of Atiku Abubakar. The man is using every channel to realise his (of course, legitimate) ambition while at the same time subjecting himself to more public shame. The man has become too wild in his bid to realise his dream of emerging as President, and there is a strong indication that he can go to any length to achieve his goal.

However, Tinubu is in a very disadvantageous position occasioned by the mixture of his ethno-religious and geographical inclination. The man is a Muslim, no one doubts, but of course, a very nominal Muslim who favours ethnic proclivities more than religious brotherhood and solidarity.

Based on clear historical evidence, to Tinubu, a Yoruba Christian is far better than a Muslim of any linguistic extraction. However, his hatred for the Hausa is beyond any human quantification. The series of brutal massacres of northern Muslims by government-backed OPC in the Southwest, especially Lagos when Tinubu was governor, still evokes gory memories in the minds of many Muslims, and this will play well as Nigeria approaches the general election in 2023.

Nevertheless, the shaky religious credentials of Tinubu, besides the status of his wife as Christian and his Christian handlers, do not at all make him a Christian or outside the fold of Islam. If that is the case, if, for example, he is nominated to contest for President, CAN and Nigerian Christians will never accept him as their representative, lest it means his running mate can be a Muslim.

Moreover, for most Muslims, especially in the North, Tinubu does not have enough moral credentials to be nominated as a Muslim candidate with any (northern) Christian candidate. Many northerners, in fact, will prefer a Christian from the South and a strong Muslim from the North to be paired to contest for the big office rather than Tinubu.

Tinubu’s visit to Kano a few days ago and his meeting with important and influential clerics in the city would not likely be sufficient to make his ambition sellable. Likewise, the many (courteous) praises showered on him by some Muslim scholars during the visit will not help him either.

So far, this is the dilemma that Tinubu has found himself in. My biggest fear, which I pray situations will not lead to that, is if all the above peculiarities tend to remain the huge stumbling block in the way of Tinubu to the Villa, and he may be left with no option but one: to publicly proclaim to accept Christianity. This decision will then mark his burial in the cemetery of Nigerian politics.

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

By Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed

The Imam of Al-Furqan Mosque of Nassarawa G.R.A, Kano, Sheikh Dr Bashir Aliyu Umar, said that during a lecture at the Faculty of Arts and Environmental Sciences, Bayero University, Kano, today, January 19, 2022. 

Dr Bashir lectured on “Islamic perspective on the drivers and ways to mitigate global environmental change”. He further explained the basis of maintaining environmental cleanliness as Muslims, citing Quranic verses and hadith. 

He said: “Islam asserts itself as a universal religion – through reaching people, geographical spheres and historical applicability.”

The former chairman of Kano State Council of Ulama, Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, was among other scholars who attended the event. He also contributed to the seminar.

He added, “The upholding of environmental protection and maintenance of one’s environment leads to healthy wellbeing and sanity. On the other hand, a lack of environmental protection and maintenance leads to sickness, irrational thinking and poor focus by the people around such environment.”

The lecture was part of the Talking Environment Seminar Series organised by the Faculty periodically.

By Safwan Suhaib Ibrahim

Culture, just like science, is never static. As we read more, travel more and impinge more and more on one another through trade, schools, international and religious organizations, our culture and behaviour patterns become heterogeneous – more cosmopolitanised. As people who are committed to the acquirement of wealth and knowledge for the power and insight they give, we must accept the challenges (?) they come with, which is, “Cultural Dynamism”.

Culture, to put it in a mild way, does not only centre on customs and attitudes inherited from our predecessors or the circulation of folktales by word of mouth. It’s also a formal way of training the young in a body of knowledge or creed, borrowing techniques and fashions of others, adopting and selling new ideas or products. Thus, cultural homogeneity is our – everybody’s – way of life.

It’s often not realised, least of all by a layman, that culture is a step further from people’s traditional food, dress, language, music and ceremonies; rather, it’s the people themselves and the society they live in. The human being is an evolutionary animal who is always assimilating new changes brought about by the socioeconomic wind. As we live, we design our culture and we also get designed by it. The everyday flirtation of native dress, songs, dances and language, skin colour or faith are never what exactly our culture is; they only represent a wee portion of it. Our ideas, our ties, our standards and the logic we reflect on a specific problem that confronts us speak more about our culture. 

We – Hausa – have perpetually claimed to be a unique breed of people who despise, or claim to despise, copying others, especially the Western world, though our current moral attitudes and ceremonies are in no way different from theirs. We’re now men of two worlds. So, It’s, of course, a sheer delusion for some of us to pretend to reject everything they’ve acquired from foreign culture simply because it’s “foreign”, but it’s not foolish to rescue one’s culture from total extinction. There’s a need for the revival of awareness of Hausa culture with its great philosophy and epos of music and poetry, dress and language and its ancient literature, but not a total rejection of foreign or alien culture; for that’s as illusive as self-defeating. 

Lest I be misunderstood, I’m not denying that foreign culture or ideas cannot have a destabilising influence on us (of course they do), but I believe there are some that impart a new impulse that prods us to create a new method of organisation and new hope for development. Thus, before we start thinking of driving those alien cultures and ideologies away, we need to study our culture and our people well. We need to start from the basics. That’s, I think, there’s a wider conception of our culture which we give little or no particular emphasis that needs to be tapped now.

Our respect for elders, hospitality to strangers, our feeling of brotherhood and community, our mutual aid for the provision of support and development of services like health protection and education, our freedom of expression, our readiness to provide an economic surplus to neighbours which was so deep-rooted in us that none was allowed to starve, wander in the street or suffer when there’s anything could be done to help him out, and our democratic statecrafts are all but an adventure to us and our progeny. Don’t you think the fight should be on our abstract, not physical culture? 

Safwan Suhaib Ibrahim sent this article via bagwaisafwan@gmail.com.

By Idris Yana

Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of interest to contest for Nigeria’s presidency in 2023 is a prologue to the array of drama that we are going to witness in the next couple of months.

The 2023 presidential election will defy many political and analytical rationales.

Tinubu’s candidacy poses a challenge to both Tinubu himself and the Nigerian political philosophy. Currently, the unsigned sacred pact is that Nigeria cannot afford a president and his vice who belong to the same faith. Thus, Tinubu, being a Muslim, cannot have a Muslim vice-presidential candidate. Another “gentleman agreement” is that the president and his vice cannot come from the same part of the country. Therefore, this means that Tinubu’s running mate must come from the North and be a Christian. Though we must define where is North, at some point.

This is the epitome of the complexity (you can call it confusion) of Nigeria’s democracy. I will tell you why shortly.

The Northern Nigeria I know and live in can hardly support Christian to become Tinubu’s running mate. This, whether we say it out loud or not, is the mentality of an average Northern Muslim: A fact we all pretend does not exist.

While I cannot foresee an enduring strategy that Tinubu can use to navigate through this maze, I believe two parties stand a chance to benefit from his quagmire. The first is the current vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo. Although the witty professor-cum-pastor did not come out yet to declare his intention to run for the number one office, his body language and some events that have unfolded have already shown that he is in the race.

Osinbajo, being a Christian from the South, is very much aware that Tinubu’s dilemma is to his advantage. Many people in the North will prefer to have him as the presidential candidate so that they can field a Muslim running mate for him.

The other party that stands a chance to benefit from this is PDP. Like Osinbajo, I am sure PDP monitors the unfolding of Tinubu’s candidature and waits for the right time to make their move. They have many options to explore. One of such options is appealing the sentiment of the North by fielding a Muslim candidate from the part, most likely Atiku, and a Christian running mate from either South-South or South-East with Nyesom Wike as the most likely candidate. They have the option of reversing this and trying their luck.

Whatever happens in 2023, Nigerians will have multiple lessons to learn from. For me, the most important lesson is the dire and urgent need for the country to move away from the political ideology that favours primordial sentiments over competence. Instead, Nigerians must learn to elect a leader that is capable of saving us from us.

Idris Yana writes from Exeter, United Kingdom. He can be reached via idrishyana@gmail.com.

By Abdullah Yahaya

In contrast to the popular belief that the disagreements which existed between the famous scholars of the early post-Qur’anic time [The leaders of the four schools of thoughts] and still exist between the contemporary Islamic scholars—that the variation in some of their juristic rulings is a blessing—is an antithesis to the correct teaching and lessons of the Qur’an and the authentic sayings of the Prophet [PBUH]. In no single incidence would you find either in the Qur’an or authentic hadith in which disagreement is encouraged. However, there are a plethora of divine injunctions where Allah and His Messenger [PBUH] frowned on disagreements or conflicts. 

In Suratul Anfal 7/46, Allah (SWT) says, “And you should obey Allah and his apostle, and do not dissent, you will crumble, and your strengths will fade away”. Another indication of the negative effects of disagreement happened when the Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] was alive. Two people among his companions engaged in a fierce dispute inside the Prophet’s mosque during the dawn prayer [Subh], and it happened that at that night the Prophet had a dream about the actual date in which the Night of Decree “Lailatul Qadr” will fall on. Upon reaching the mosque, the Prophet saw the two disputants and quickly went and reconciled them. As a result of that delay caused by their disagreement, the Prophet forgot about the contents of his dream and the Ummah is left until today in doubts of the actual date of Lailatul Qadr. The instances are too numerous to list out. Al-Subqee said, “Kindness and compassion require that we should eschew disagreement.”

The above and many other Quranic and sunnatic injunctions and the sayings of our guided forbears [Athaar] are combined efforts meant to stifle the adverse effects of disagreement, which include fragmentation of the Ummah, disunity, loss of strength and self-esteem among the Ummah and so on. The holy Qur’an has more of these examples.

Surat Daha, 20/83-97, explicitly relays to us what happened to the Israelites “Banu Israel” when Prophet Musa (AS) went to discuss with Allah, after which Musa Thamiri manufactured a calf from the clay embellished with gold and said it was their god and that they should worship it. Prophet Haroun (AS), whom he left as his representative, tried to call them to order to no avail. When Musa AS returned and met them in that situation, he reprimanded his brother and asked why he did allow them to commit polytheism. He said, “Oh my brother, seize me neither on my beard nor on my head, for I was afraid that you would say I cause a rift between Banu Israel just because they refuse to listen to me”, replied Prophet Haroun (AS).

With the above evidence, one can deduce that Islamic preachers ought to be extra heedful in airing to the public what will cause rift and disagreement between the Muslim community, especially on issues whose knowledge or ignorance will not harm someone’s belief. Moreover, disagreement in juristic rulings between our scholars is not a blessing but a scourge. This is considering the number of fractionation and fragmentation caused within the Muslim community then and now.

Abdullah Yahaya can be reached via abufudaily88@gmail.com.

By Aisha Abdullahi Bello

The word “Almajiri” is derived from the Arabic word “Almuhajir”, which means an immigrant or someone who migrates from one place to another. So, originally, Almajiri is an immigrant who leaves his place of birth at a very tender age to acquire Islamic education.

It was believed by the people then that if a child received Islamic education at a very young age, he was likely to retain it throughout his lifetime. This had made many parents enrol their male children in the system.

In the ancient days, the system was so organised, and the parents were much responsible that they didn’t just dump their children at the “allo [slate]” schools the way today’s parents do. They also made it mandatory upon themselves to provide necessary food items and other provisions for the children, which would be enough for them throughout their stay with the “malams [teachers]”.

At each interval, maybe a period of three to four months, the children were readied for a return to their various homes. So, you’ll find out that each Almajiri would at least visit his parents thrice or even four times a year.

Now, the system is no longer what it used to be. Everything seems to have changed completely; the system, the parents and the children have all turned into something else. If you call the name ‘almajiri’, instead of the title to ring the bell of a child who came from a distant land to acquire knowledge, a different bell will ring. The name suggests an unlucky child whose parents gave birth to and later abandoned on the streets to fend for himself by whatever means.

I am used to asking myself, what could be the cause of this disguised child abuse in the name of “almajirci”? What is the essence of bringing a child to this world if you cannot cater to his basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and quality education? Could this problem (almajirci) be attributed to poverty, lack of parental care, or is it a lack of adequate measures to tackle the menace by the government? These are the series of questions that are yet to be answered.

The rate at which the syndrome is growing could be checked if the parents control their birth rate through family planning measures. The government should try to enlighten parents on the benefits of family planning and its impact on society as much as possible.

To sanitise the system, the government should create a committee that will focus on the issues by standardising it to suit the present time. This could be achieved by taking the statistics of all almajirai, providing them with uniforms and building classrooms for them to have a conducive learning atmosphere. This will go a long way in curbing the extent to which they wander over the city.

The government and well-to-do individuals in the society should join hands together to create skill acquisition programmes and sponsor programs on TV and radio to educate the almajirai on how to acquire skills and make use of them for survival.  These skills could be tailoring, dyeing, soap making, blacksmithing, shoemaking, etc.

With this, I believe the rate at which the almajirci syndrome grows will hopefully reduce to some considerable level and, if carefully sustained, will someday become history.

Aisha Abdullahi Bello sent this article via aishaabdullahibello@gmail.com.

When a river dries up
All living dwellers around
Are gripped by fear,
Throats become thirsty
Leaving all far and near
In great danger.

When a river dries up
Doom and uncertainty
Pounce from the shadow
Like a lurking tiger
Hounds poor preys.

When a river dries up
All the living plants
And weeds too
Live at risk
Since clouds of sand
Only flood eyes
And rain not.

When a river dries up
Wise birds migrate
In search for new streams
As visiting flamingos
Stop coming, forever.

Oh Shiekh Dr. Ahmad,
Indeed, you are a river
Who will never dry –
Your teachings will live
With us eternally.

Dwell in Firdaus,
Pious soul!

Khalid Imam
7/1/2022

By Bin Isah

Of all events, death stands the best chance to hold the most central attention. It’s gripping, and its grasp strong. It resembles gravity, but its force is more powerful. And it always provokes shock, pain and grief. And no matter the frequency of its happening, it is still not a normalcy. Upon its occurrence, people will respond with the same reaction as ever before. Allah SWT put it as a test, a warning and a path to the final home. But some deaths hit harder than some, and some leave deeper scars than the ordinary.

On 7th of January, death had dawned upon us with its darkness. It took a light, that is what knowledge represents. A knowledgeable mind of higher erudition, a paragon of wisdom and virtue, an epitome of Islamic scholarship and understanding, Dr Ahmad Bamba, BUK, Kala Haddasana, is gone. And that means a chasm has been created, a gap that can never be refilled.

When I first heard him in our home in my more younger days, I asked about him. I was curious to know, for something about him was indeed captivating. An elder brother of ours that used to bring his audio tapes to our abode said he was a teacher to Mallam Ja’afar. That’s the description that cut a long story short. We already knew Mallam Ja’afar, so he was the teacher of teachers, a scholar that produces scholars.

Dr Ahmad Bamba, was said to have appeared as a public preacher for three decades, that is, since his return from the Islamic University of Madina in 1991. In these periods, no any occupation had seduced him away from his devotion to his Islamic teaching and preaching. And this long time of service, on the path of Allah SWT and for the guidance of the people, is sufficient to provide a picture of a man with purpose, dignity and piety. His pleasure in the work had penetrated him so much that no any stress could disrupt it.

Even at 82, Dr Ahmad did not retire. His life had no any ambition but Da’awa service, informing people on how to live in the light of Divine Pleasure under the guidance of His Prophet, Muhammad SAW. He believed that people need to lead a righteous life, and in as much as he breathed he would have no any other endeavour. And it is clear that his life has been a blessed, graceful one. The grace that Allah SWT placed in his work is apparent. He lived with his faculties in function, and with such a vigor that scares even the energetic young. His thinking remained acute, his voice sounding, and his movement full of life. It’s the blessing of Allah SWT.

And what is more wonderful about Dr Ahmad Bamba is the way his style touches upon the tastes of all ages. The young and the old, men and women will tell you they like him. His Hausa language is original, his explanation lucid, and his treatment of matters loose, and that makes people listen to him with passion. He has a special knack for making the complex simple, and his grasp of social experience puts him at another edge. And his preaching is not boring, it’s full of fun.

Whoever remembers Dr Ahmad BUK will tell you that it’s by his reading of “isnad” he recognises him. In fact, “Kala Haddasana” is another name for him. Here is the man that spent his best time at service to the Prophetic Sunnah, teaching people the times and life of the Prophet SAW, as exemplified in his words and actions, at home and at away, making the Prophet SAW more accessible to the seeker. The prophet’s relationship with Allah SWT, with his wives, with other people across different paths and faiths, etc, Dr Ahmad leaves no any aspect without a word on its meaning and value based on the acceptable accounts.

The most popular, most reliable and well documented six books of hadith that are called “kutubus sitta” have been taught by him, and with such a precision that goes within the public purview. And Scholars that learn from him never miss his technical analysis of the . Both the public and the scholars are carried along, and this could only be done by an exceptionally phenomenal teacher. And Dr Ahmad is one. And that’s the greatest achievement that no one could beat him in its regard. He is the only champion in his league. His “Mawatta Malik” is even published into a voluminous, enriching book, and in the living language of the people, and that shows that his legacy will dance to the music of time.

Sheikh Muhammad bin Othman observed a moving Khubta, with tears breaking out of his eyes, and his breath choking him at throat. He recounted the condition in which he found Dr Ahmad at hospital, and described it as the most traumatizing one, but what Allah SWT decreed is the most prevailing. He said, “I saw knowledge before me, lying on the bed —ga ilimi kwance. Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiun.” I could not do anything, we could do nothing about it, he added. “Dr was not even conscious. I left with a heavy heart, and the whole night I couldn’t sleep well.” In the morning, around 10:58, he was informed that Dr Ahmad was no more. Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiun.

The death of Dr Ahmad recalls to life the life he has lived, and that its mark shall remain upon the mind of the living. It is however a void that stimulates remorse at the recess of people’s hearts, because such a loss is irreplaceable. Though his knowledge shall continue, and his wisdom be applied in the art living, discussing and teaching, his absence will leave many questions unanswered and many problems unsolved when they surface. There are gifts that leave with those that bear them. And Dr Ahmad is gone.

While being interviewed after the funeral prayer, Dr Sani Umar R/Lemo described the loss as huge, a bleak sign that knowledge is precipitating. He said that people will indeed feel the emptiness occasioned by Dr Ahmad’s leaving. Of all their lives, they know Dr Ahmad with teaching and preaching. He is a guide, a father, a guardian, as Sheikh Dr Abdallah G/Kaya put it. To all scholars, he is a role model, an example to be emulated. And scholars from different parts of the world have expressed their sadness over the loss. And to Allah SWT we all belong, and to him is our return.

I was at the graveyard, close to his grave, and what I saw and felt in that moment will stay with me for a longest while. In fact, the entire experience shall be memorable. People were swallowed by grief, held by remorse and chained by love. Upon the arrival of his body, I found myself frozen with words and motions. I remained silent, only feeling the sensation of the pain that engulfed me. I shed tears, and over the fact that Dr Ahmad was truly gone. Here is a knowledge in shroud, a remarkable personality buried, a pious scholar being laid to rest. Only “Allahu Akbar” and “Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiun” that filled the air held me, but I could have fallen aground. Finally, Dr Ahmad was in his grave, closed and gone, forever. Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiun.

Bin Isa writes from Kano State and he’s a desciple of the late Dr Ahmad Ibrahim Bamba.

By Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed

We can categorically define a divorcee as someone unlucky in a specific marriage. I know that I will be in the minority if I say divorcees are given less chance to develop themselves personally before getting pressured into remarrying in the Northern part of Nigeria.

I understand and appreciate the concern with threading carefully regarding resuscitated emotions and intimate urges. However, a ‘decent’ society like Northern Nigeria expects that you abide by the rules of decency in ensuring that you either preserve yourself for your next spouse or remarry to avoid falling into the traps of indecency.

In this aspect, indecency refers to the lack of adhering to the control of urges for every culturally and religiously conscious person. These traits are seen as the signs of responsibility, including sustaining oneself; ready to take up self-evaluation, focusing on goodness, and maintaining dignity.

The pressure that comes from the family, society and whatnot is justifiable. However, the pressure that comes with engaging these divorcees in personal development is a progressive vacuum seat.

A divorcee can either be a man or a woman. But statistics show that a woman is more affected by divorce financially while a man is affected mentally. But, of course, this assertion is opinionated, as there can exist other varying opinions.

Let’s take Kano State as a case study. In 2020, Dr Sabo Dambazau, in an interview with Kano Focus, said 45% of divorces in Kano are caused by co-wife rivalry. Other causes he highlighted include forced marriage, fake identity by the men before marriage, lack of catering for family financial affairs succinctly, and suspicion from either the man or the woman.

For Dambazau, a lack of trust causes suspicion. And this distrust is seen in wives taking their husbands’ phones. Often, both check each other’s phones.

According to Dambazau, couples need counselling, personality development, and consciousness of Islamic teachings through the actual practice of the teachings to reduce divorce. This can be supported by enrolling in Islamic schools. He ended with advice on staying genuine and honest during the courtship before marriage.

My scope will be Personal Development for the Divorcee. It is essential to know that learning and seeking knowledge are the two fundamental processes that every human should consciously and intentionally be involved in.

As a divorcee, the first focus should be personal development. And this cannot be achieved without being intentional about self-development. So, how do you achieve personal development?

As someone who might have gone through emotional downturns or physical battles in their marriage,  self-development evaluation is a facet to help you check yourself and correct the mistakes you might have made. Every human is fallible. Hence the premise of every divorce is that both parties have a role to play in the faults. However, one side usually weighed in as more wrong than the other. Still, there is never a party devoid of guilt(s). So, you use the experience of a failed marriage to build your knowledge about marriage if you wish to be in it again.

In trying times, maintaining spirituality is crucial. In the North, an epitomic feature is the presence of religious rooms to learn from – while you rule in self-development. You cannot rule out upgrading your belief. For instance, there are many Islamic schools for Muslim divorcees in various Northern states. And seeking the appropriate knowledge through such schools enhance and contribute to the upliftment of morale.

This sums up an inference of a child’s upbringing in a typical Northern Muslim home. Thus, before reaching the age of five, recitation of verses from the Quran begins, opening the ability to read and recite rhymes and books in western schools. So, who says learning has a boundary or specific scope?

Another aspect of personal development is acquiring soft skills. For some female divorcees, one of the reasons their families or society has pressured them is usually due to self-sustenance. A woman in a non-secular community like the North has to either sustain herself financially, be under her parents or a man. You do not have to rush into another marriage to develop yourself personally. Instead, go out and learn soft skills such as MS Office, graphic design, Corel Draw, Digital marketing, social media management, online journalism, etc. You can acquire most of these skills online or offline for free or pay a token, especially if you desire to get the certificate.

Personal development stretches out to unlearning, learning and relearning, and in this, we cannot rule out upgrading education level to the next stage. If you are a primary school certificate holder, secure a secondary admission. If you are a secondary school certificate holder, try and acquire a UTME form, sit for the exams, and pursue admission, even if it’s a polytechnic or college of education. And for a bachelor’s degree holder, it is easier though costlier, which makes it essential to personally develop the self so as far as there is determination and hard work.

In all of these, I suggest that families and society give premium corporations to divorcees to see that they are helped towards self-development and not pressured to remarry. Of course, marriage can come later but having productive and oriented divorcees instead of a new payroll of reproductions will push the nation’s economy forward.

“Read. Read in the name of thy Lord who created; [He] created the human being from a blood clot. Read in the name of thy Lord who taught by the pen: [He] taught the human being what he did not know” (Quran, 96: 1-5).

Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed wrote from Kano. She can be reached via sufyanhussainaahmed@gmail.com.

By AD Raula

I thought I should be one of those facilitating the spate of hatred and senseless vilification against Kano State Hisba over the runs of their functions in protecting the social mores of Kano folks. I once defied Hisba in their command office over their discriminatory treatment of poor people, after which they even locked me off and set me into trepidation of prosecution. This came after they dealt with me deftly and violated my justiciable rights. However, I was granted bail on that night as they could not take me to court after the miniature intimidation. Still, their treatment then was horrendous altogether.

The narration above had happened when I went to their state command in Sharada to pursue bail upon receiving a call from my brother, whom they arrested along with coteries in birthday function at Sharada municipality of the state.

Nevertheless, I didn’t arrive at their office in Sharada till late in the evening. They explained their inability to vouchsafe the detainees’ bail in their custody (including my brother) pending when their lawyer would be available the following day. Subsequently, the backwash of what transpired between us (me and Hisba) was the release of the then commissioner of the environment’s daughter, who was also my brother’s confederate. But we were kept (other bail seekers and me) outside the premises impotently.

My crime in the Hisba headquarters was merely unravelling what they might have forgotten that they represent Islam and that everything they do has to be in line with Islamic manners and principles. In contrast, what they did to us was the blended injustice, and that’s how everything became worst as I couldn’t withstand their ill-usage approach.

Howbeit, the honesty of the matter is that Hisba, as the morality enforcement body, has its shortcomings and lapses just as police and other military bodies have. We all know that their satisfactory moral and shari’a services within which they were established are far beyond that of other federal law enforcement agencies. But, why do we tend to transmit condemnatory gestures to them and not appreciation instead, which I believe they deserve only encouragement rather than the opposite from us as the Muslims? Also, most of these Hisba folks live with their families on low monthly earnings that you can never survive on as their denigrator.

My firm belief is that the existence of Hisba and operations reduce fornications and other social vices to certain degrees that their abolishment or nonexistence would have brought. Similarly, the extent to which they are playing justice between parties is more appealing, acceptable, and equitable if compared with other securities in the country.

In closing, people should know that no codification of laws on earth or being made favour poor folks. On the contrary, laws are always at the side of those with power and wealth. So, please, pray for Hisba, support their effort or keep silent.

AD Raula wrote from Kano. He can be reached via raulerabdul6@gmail.com.