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Thursday, March 14, 2019

CLERICAL IGNOMINY


El-Rufai and Buhari 

Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
Jeremiah 14:14



For two weeks running I have addressed issues on this page regarding the 2019 elections, and how the Church has turned the pulpit into a campaign podium for the PDP presidential as well as gubernatorial candidates in some states of the Federation - For the Love of Atiku and, last week, The Church Re-Elects El-Rufai. So-called men of God, we have witnessed in the run-up to the election, openly canvassing for support in favour of their anointed candidates, as if God were a card-carrying member of the PDP. 

Today I will address, firstly, false prophecies from the pulpit on electoral outcomes, and secondly the demographic realities the Christians of Kaduna must come to terms with after the success of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.   


Democracy in Nigeria, especially during the 2019 general elections, has exposed many “false christs and false prophets” who did not “perform signs and wonders” that could deceive “even the elect”, but who brazenly attributed to God what He did not say. (March 13:22). The most baffling aspect of these false prophecies is the flock of worshippers who were witnesses to the falsehood when they were uttered, but who, despite seeing the incongruities in the predictions, continue to flock the same places of worship administered by these shameless liars in clerical garb. Moving from one side of the dais to the other, and some of them, betraying feeble grasp of the English language in their delivery of the sermon; doubtless, many among their votaries are much more educated than they are. However, this educated laity must meekly attune truth and falsehood emanating from the pulpit, from one who receives Devine inspiration and is moved by the holy ghost.   

  
“Nigeria,” declared a prophet on video footage by Fano TV widely circulated in the social media, “your next president is a youth. God have  (sic) left fathers; and God has located a youth.” 

Needless to indicate that the footage was released few months to the 2019 presidential election, and this revelation was related to the  worshippers in this place of worship, about God’s decision to forsake “fathers” of the likes of Buhari, “and God located a youth.” By this Devine revelation, the next president of Nigeria will never be a Muhammadu Buhari. 

“I see a name starting with ’S’.” in case anyone was in doubt, the prophet, in the video footage, continued, “And I see a chair and  ’S’ sitting on the chair. And the country become peaceful. If you know Obasanjo, tell him God said he must use every resources that he has to support this elected youth by God, the way Samuel support David.  

“Thus says the Lord of hosts whom I will stand before on the last day and give an account.”

This deluded prophet portrayed God as being oblivious of the withering influence of the Letter-Writer in Nigeria’s politics, and how, during the elections, he and other retired generals and political godfathers will be routed and rendered politically irrelevant by the masses, "the real voters."  


“Anytime I stand to prophesy to nations here”, said the charlatan prophet, “you know, it doesn’t miss. I will not say what God did not say. And I will not prophesy what God did not put on me or in me. Whatever I heard that He say I should say is what I say, and there is no apology for it. …  President Muhammadu Buhari, thank you for what you have done for Nigeria, we celebrate you, we honour you, and we give you quick recovery from any illness in the name of Jesus, but sir, step-down, youth is the next.” Maybe he was referring to the Next Level which the Buhari government is still loading for launch after its swearing-in!  


In another video clip, contemporary with the one by Fano TV, another imposter boldly told his congregation: “Please Nigerians” he said, “warn Buhari that he is going beyond his boundary. That the Lord said that his tenure is once. Not twice. If not, he will not see the election ooo. Tell him, If you know him and how to reach him, write an email, send him a text. If he made the mistake to campaign for election, before the vote, he will die. And I’m saying the truth.”  

I cannot see the truth in lying about God. However, as I said earlier, the worshippers surprise me more than the false prophets. Among the Christians are good people who will preach the Gospel without imputing falsehood to God and relating to people what He has not said to them. But why will people see and hear what these false prophets have prophesied before the elections, claiming to be speaking on the authority of God, only for their lies to clearly appear for all to see, as all their predictions failed to come to pass, and the same people will continue to worship under the guardianship of these fraudsters? “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” (Matthew 13:13)


Demographic Realities of Kaduna State

Last week I concluded my piece by stating that the Church has challenged the mosque to a leadership contest, and the Muslims have picked up the gauntlet; “if indeed democracy is the game of numbers, the Church re-elects El-Rufai”; and it has come to pass. On the same day in which that article appeared on this page, March 8th, 2019, DAILYPOST published an interview it had with Reverend Gideon Para-Mallam from Jos, the Plateau State capital, in which he “called on the people of Kaduna State to politically detoxify the state by ensuring they vote out Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for the state to move forward.”

Para-Mallam said, “The idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a State which is multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious as Kaduna … is politically wrong and unacceptable either in this 2019 election or the future.” Para-Mallam found it convenient to speak from Jos and avoid the similarity between Plateau and Kaduna, more so that the Muslim population in the former quadruples that of the Christians in the later but where Christian-Christian ticket is the default politically. Muslims in the Plateau suffer what Para-Mallam described as ‘politics of the tyranny of the majority’ where they are treated unfairly. His pontification detoxification rhetoric should start from Plateau State. 

“To insinuate”, Reverend Gideon further said, “as I hear some claim that votes from Muslims alone can produce a Governor in Kaduna State thereby making votes from Christians irrelevant is unfortunate and condemnable.” That was an allegation, without evidence, made by Prophet El-Buba against the Kaduna State Governor as I mentioned here last week. However, when looked at closely, bearing in mind the Church’s posture before the election, and how Kaduna Christians were called upon to converge from all over the world to ensure El-Rufai's ouster, one can assert without equivocation that many Christian votes did not go to El-Rufai. They voted for the Christian-anointed candidate of the PDP who got quite a number of votes from Muslims also. Thus, in spite of the split votes of Muslims - some to El-Rufai and some to Isa Ashiru - the “bulk votes of Southern Kaduna” and those of “non indigenous people” did not make Christians of Southern Kaduna victors in the race! 




This boldly calculated political gamble by El-Rufai has paid off and exposed the demographic strength and weakness of the various parts that make up the state. Come 2023, thanks to the Church for sharpening the blunt edges of religion in the election; gubernatorial candidates will not be overawed by false claimants of political relevance. The real democratic process of negotiation according to what various components in the state can bring to the table in terms of votes shall apply. No candidate will be held hostage and be coerced into ratifying one-sided covenants in favour of a section of the state bereft of demographic virility! 

Thursday, March 7, 2019

THE CHURCH RE-ELECTS EL-RUFAI





Say: If your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives, and your tribe, and the wealth ye have acquired, and merchandise for which ye fear that there will be no sale, and dwellings ye desire are dearer to you than Allah and His messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah guideth not wrong doing folk.  
At-Taubah 9:24


Reminiscent of what happened in 2015, thanks to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the 2019 election is making Nigeria’s democracy take the form of a Crusade, turning “the pulpit into a devilish podium” to campaign for the PDP in myriads of states most especially Kaduna. Examples abound in Plateau (causing inter-denominational conflicts), Taraba (now aided by mercantile judgement), Nasarawa and whatnot, but my focus will be on Kaduna because of its notoriety in tribal and religious problems. Muslims’ response in countering this evangelical onslaught on APC and its candidate, the incumbent governor, is to regard participation in the election as a binding Jihad on every believer in Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him. 
If Governor Nasir El-Rufai wins tomorrow’s governorship contest, the Church has inadvertently succoured his re-election efforts by stirring up the hornet’s nest of religious fervour among the adherents of Islam.    

     El-Rufai

In a video clip that went viral on WhatsApp, one Prophet Isa El-Buba, who described himself as one of the “genuine prophets, whose conscience cannot be bought or manipulated”. Quoting from Psalm 59:11-12, Prophet Isa El-Buba said, “Slay them not, that is the wicked and the adversaries, lest my people forget: but one thing we are asking for, scatter them by your power; and bring them down, from their place of authority, O Lord our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak”.
“There is a man who (sic) is your governor”, he continued amidst thunderous, nay raucous plaudits, “who lied proudly, looked down on the Church, spoke words… that with your votes or minus your votes, he’s still going to win. He has used his mouth to wash down and to look down at the state of the Church. Now, I want to say to all of you, I don’t care your political inclination, whether you are PDP, APC or whatever you are, it’s not about party, it’s about a person that has looked down on the glory of the Church. Therefore, in the pride of El-Rufai, you must remove him from that seat of power. ..you must not allow the agent of the devil to continue to be your governor over Kaduna.”


Prophet El-Buba has not recited El-Rufai's lies or how the Governor looked down on the Church and undermined the effects of Christian votes in his re-election, but he went on to command the candidate of APGA, Polycarp Gankon, who was apparently among the worshippers in the church to convene a gathering of all gubernatorial candidates of other parties to step-down for the candidate of the Church in Kaduna State, Isa Ashiru of the PDP. 

   Polycarp Gankon

Amebo News Online published an article by one David Ayuba Azzaman titled Implication of El-Rufai Returning as Governor in Kaduna, in which the writer claims that Southern Kaduna can sway election results to their favoured candidate  with “ about 900,000 …bulk votes”, as they did to Yakowa, together with scores of votes from Christians and of another “close to 600,000 …non indigenous people” living in Muslim dominated areas in the state.
Azzaman excoriated El-Rufai, “who”, according to him, “doesn’t hide his hatred for Christianity”, for introducing “a strange policy of Muslim Muslim ticket” which “if achieved will mean that Governors after Nasiru Elrufai will follow suit. A time will also come when they will out rightly (sic) tell us we don't have David Ayuba Azzaman in Kaduna State.”
Unfortunately, even before the success of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, the handlers of the incumbent Governor of Kaduna State fell prey to the author’s prophesy that his existence will be denied, as a group, El-Rufai/Hadiza Ambassadors (EHA) did just that, as reported by LEADERSHIP of March 2, 2019. EHA said in a statement signed by its chairman, Ahmed Sani, among other points, that “Tactlessly using the obscure name  of one David Ayuba Azzaman,  the PDP,  sensing impending  defeat at the scheduled governorship and state assembly elections of March 9, attempted to change historical figures and facts to fan the embers of communal  distrust”.



If the people behind EHA had been diligent in their search for his identity they would have found  Google virtually littered with David Ayuba Azzaman’s articles which are an embodiment of endemic enmity against El-Rufai, Islam and Muslims. The EHA would have found his picture, when he was ordained as a pastor, as well as his being the President, Network for the Rights of Indigenous and Marginalised People.

Still, in the  Amebo News Online article,  Azzaman called on “Southern Kaduna sons and daughters and non-indigenes of Kaduna” to converge in the state for a showdown with the incumbent for the sake of their “children and even those to be born.” Return of the Jackal. 
Pastor David adjured “the stakeholders in Southern Kaduna and Christian leaders in Kaduna to seat with” the candidate of the Church and PDP, Ashiru Kudan, to “start negotiating” for possible dividends by coming up with a  ratified covenant of repudiating El-Rufai’s anti-Christian policies “after victory is achieved”, not least, “changing of nomenclature …and sacking of..traditional rulers/institutions”, giving compensation to “the victims of Fulani herdsmen killings” and revisiting “the issue of sacked workers…”

   ISA ASHIRU

In a swift reaction to Pastor David Ayuba Azzaman’s article, a veteran journalist, resident of Kaduna and Muslim scholar of the Christian Bible, Abubakar Jiddah Usman described the piece as “quite disappointing” and “most unfortunate”. He said “the crux of the matter is not El-Rufa’i's Muslim-Muslim ticket or his alleged hatred of the Christians, but the Southern Zaria people’s pathological hatred and disdain for Islam and Muslims..” except a few among them.

On Azzaman’s vaunt of demographic capital Abubakar said the claim by “David Ayuba,” of over 900, 000 votes from that area for Late Yakowa, is, to say the least, a shameless exaggeration, unless of course if he's confirming the over voting that characterised elections in that area before the advent of card readers.”

Abubakar further contended that the “alleged hatred for Christians" as imputed to El-Rufai is false. “It's a fact”, he said, “that El-Rufa’i, even if he cannot be said to be a nominal  Muslim, one can certainly, would never ever say he's a fanatical one or type. His office secretary, his right-hand man, Peter, his principal pressmen and many of his closest friends, the like of Pastor Bakere, are Christians to the core. Yet, he hates Christians and Christianity!!!?”


The Church, by consecrating Isa Ashiru as the Christian candidate, has emasculated the will of the Muslims in the state in interrogating the performance of El-Rufai and determining whether or not he deserves a second term. The contest now is between Islam and Christianity. To many Muslims the PDP candidate is Reverend Father Isa Ashiru Kudan, and thus, ensuring his defeat is a Jihad. 

On the authority of the above epigraph from Surah Taubah 9,  verse 24  of the Glorious Qur’an, people have forgiven El-Rufai whatsoever infraction he might have committed against them, if there is any, even if it be the killing of one’s parents, progenies, brethren and spouse, or destruction of merchandise and means of livelihood, or the demolition of dwellings and expulsion therefrom; El-Rufai is blameless now that the Church has delineated the sharp edges of belief and infidelity. 

Nobody is speaking about the manifestoes of the candidates and their parties. The issue of how to tackle insecurity, reduce illiteracy, unemployment and penury is not on the minds of the electorate. The right to question the capacity and quality of candidates in governance is lost in the cacophony of needless acrimonious campaigns from the Pulpit and the Mimbar

Therefore, the Church has effectively disenfranchised Muslims in PDP who would have otherwise voted for Isa Ashiru. El-Rufai’s handlers can have some respite, religious scholars have taken over a gratis campaign in favour of their principal, and if indeed democracy is the game of numbers, the Church re-elects El-Rufai by challenging the Muslims to a leadership contest.  




Monday, March 4, 2019

MUSLIM CONDUCT BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER ELECTIONS


_The Murshi of Abuja National Mosque, Professor Shehu Ahmad Sa'id Galadanci, CON presented, in English, the lecture I am sharing with my readers today, on Wednesday, February 12th 2019, at the Abuja National Mosque between the Maghrib and Ishaa prayers. Enjoy: _

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Almighty Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, the compassionate, the Merciful. The Master of the Day of Judgment. You alone do we worship and to you alone do we turn for help. Guide us on the right path. The path of those on whom you have bestowed your favours, not those who have incurred your wrath, not those who have gone astray.

May the blessing of Almighty Allah continue to be on the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), his household, his companions and all those that follow his teachings and guidance.

I would like first of all to welcome all the distinguished worshipers that are here to share with us the discussions we are going to have tonight in this blessed Mosque. We are starting new series of public lectures and talks in this Mosque and this is supposed to be the first of these series, and in In-Sha-Allah we will continue to have these public lectures at least once every month.

As most of you in the audience are aware, mosques have always been the citadel and centres of learning throughout the history of Islam. In fact, the Prophet’s Mosque in Al-Madinah which was set up by him 1440 years ago was not only a citadel of learning but a confluence where Muslims used to discuss all their political, social and economic matters; and the Prophet himself was the first teacher or the head instructor in this Islamic institution. He used to give instructions to the worshipers on all matters relating to their spiritual and worldly affairs. It was a training ground for building the Muslim Ummah and guiding it to live happily in accordance with the Shariah system and prepare it for the life in the hereafter. A number of companions of the Prophet graduated from this institution of learning and became highly learned in various branches of knowledge. The subsequent Ulama’ used to quote these highly authoritative scholars as their authority in many branches of learning. Until the present time, the Ulama’ are making good use of their vast knowledge.

The Prophet – no doubt – taught us how to use mosques not only as places of worships or centres of learning but also as a centre of socialization. With frequent repetition of five prayers daily, the mosque certainly becomes a centre of socialization. Worshipers become friends to one another, help one another and become eventually as brothers and sisters.

One of the important function of the mosque is that it provides a venue for the practical teaching of all aspects of Islamic virtues like unity and equality of the Ummah. All worshippers stand together in a row before their creator; all stand side by side – shoulder to shoulder, no difference between rich and poor, old and young, permanent secretary and messenger, chairman of a company and labourer. Thus the atmosphere of brotherhood, unity, equality and love is clearly and abundantly demonstrated as stated by Almighty Allah:
"
“Surely your community is but one community and I am your Lord so worship Me” (Al-Abiyaa vs 92).
In a similar vein the Almighty Allah in the Surah of Al-Muminun says:
“This community of yours is one single community and I am your only Lord, therefore, fear Me alone (Al-Mu’minun vs 52)”
As there is no aspect of ‘Ibadah (worship) in Islam that could be practised and accepted by Allah without knowledge hence seeking knowledge is a fundamental requirement in Islam. In fact, the first word of the revelation that was revealed to our Prophet was ‘Iqra’ – read or recite.

“Recite in the name of your Lord who has created. Created man out of germ-cell, Read, for your Lord is the most Bountiful One who taught by the pen. Taught man that which he knew not. ( Al-'Alaq vs 1-5)
 
This event, no doubt, has immense significance and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as the greatest in the history of human existence. One of the commentators of the Qur’an Sayyid Qutb comments that “This event signifies that God has bestowed on man an honour the greatness of which he can hardly ever appreciate and for which he can never show enough gratitude; not even if he spends all his life in devotion and prostration. (S.Q. Vol. xviii p.264)

The significance of this first revelation to us is that:
Reading is an important method of acquiring knowledge for man.
Whatever knowledge man acquires comes originally from Allah.
Allah, the Most High created pen as one of the most important means of learning. 

And Allah taught man what he did not know.
It was the mosque that led to the creation of the first University in the world – Al-Azhar which was established by the Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt in 978 A.D (about 1041 years ago).
Having said all these to emphasise the significance of the mosque, I should now turn to the topic of my talk tonight. For several weeks I have been dealing with this topic in my Friday Khutbah in this Mosque namely – how we should conduct ourselves before, during and after the General Elections.

As the days for conducting General Elections draw near political leaders have already intensified their campaigns, each party trying to urge Nigerians to vote for them. It is most unfortunate that these campaigns sometimes bring with them a great deal of chaos including fighting that leads to loss of lives and properties, robbery and other crimes. 

In this country and in a number of African countries, election days are always full of problems and chaos that usually lead to insecurity and instability. This is certainly against the Islamic code of life. Islam, as we are aware, is a religion of peace and it encompasses all aspects of human endeavours whether religious or worldly affairs. It teaches and guides Muslims how to conduct themselves, how to perform all their religious obligations and how to go about doing their business politically, economically and socially.

The idea of consultation was an early practice among the Muslim community and was applied by the Prophet and the Caliphs that came after him. It was an essential aspect of Islamic life and distinctive quality of the community entrusted with the role of leading mankind. Needless to say, it is a fundamental quality of sound leadership. We are told by Allah that we are:

“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah...” (Al-Imran vs 110)

In Surah As-Shura (consultation) Almighty Allah praises those that conduct their affairs by mutual consultation among others. He says:
“And those who shun grave sins and gross indecencies, and who, when angered will forgive. And those who responded to their Lord and regularly observe their prayers, conduct their affairs by mutual consultation and give generously out of what We have provided them.” (Ash-shura vs 37-38)

The point I wish to draw attention to here is ‘consultation’ which indicates that it is a characteristic quality of the Muslim Ummah in all situations. Our present situation now calls for election as the best procedure for providing a healthy system of consultation.
Now that in a few days time, this country is going to conduct election, it is very much hoped that Nigerians should conduct themselves in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity throughout these days so that there will be no violence, no killing and no any chaos.

It is pertinent to draw attention to the following points:
All campaigns these days and always should be free from political violence, attempted murder of political figures, kidnapping, rape, other crimes and disruption of campaign and rallies of opponents.
We must refrain from all fraudulent practices during the elections; these include:

Stuffing ballot boxes with incorrect thumb printed ballot papers;
Snatching of ballot boxes;
Multiple voting;
Under-age voting;
Rigging; and
Falsification of election results

One other important point that needs to be emphasized is the intensification of voter education by the Election Management Body – INEC, political parties and all the stakeholders. This is especially vital in rural areas and among the non-literate voting population. Some non-literal population may have difficulty identifying even the symbols of political parties and thereby become vulnerable to the manipulation of party agents.

In conclusion, it is pertinent to emphasise the importance of having a free and fair election devoid from violence of any kind. There should not be any attempt to murder or harm an opponent or indulge in any activity that may lead to fighting, plundering and looting. No one who has any trace of faith in his heart should attempt to murder any person, because doing that is a crime too horrendous to be committed. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“He who deliberately kills a believer his punishment is hell, therein to abide permanently. God will be angry with him, and will reject him and will prepare for him dreadful suffering.” (An-Nisa’ vs 93)
According to some commentators of the Qur’an, deliberate murder of a believer is a crime against the very idea of believing in God. For this reason, it is associated with denying faith altogether. Some scholars are of the opinion that no repentance of such a crime is acceptable. Others disagree.

In another place Allah says:

Say, "O Allah, Owner of power, You give power to whom You will and You take power away from whom You will. You honour whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.

Finally, we pray that our elections will be conducted in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity and should be free, fair and credible without any fraudulent manipulations. We as Nigerians must realize that genuine elections are essential foundation for sustainable development and functioning democracy. We should also remember the statement of Almighty Allah:

“Anyone who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it. And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil will see it.” (Az-zalzalah vs 7-8)

May the Almighty Allah help us to conduct all our affairs correctly, peacefully and justly, Ameen.


Date Published: Friday, February 14th, 2019

VIOLENCE-FREE ELECTION: THE ROLE OF MUSLIM WOMEN

The main auditorium of the Women’s Development Centre, Abuja was the venue, on Sunday 22nd March 2015 of a _National Muslim Women Town Hall Meeting_ organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Islamic Affairs & State House Mosque, _Barrister Tahir Umar Tahir_. The auditorium was full with mainly women from various Muslim organisations; there were some men also, not more than 1% of the participants anyway, which included some imams, _Islamiyyah_ school teachers, paper presenters and representatives of the Muslim _Students Society (MSS)_.


I was invited to the event as a discussant in a letter dated 12th March 2015 and signed by the SSA, Barrister Tahir Umar Tahir himself, which read in part: 

“In continuation of the series of sensitization programmes in order to promote the need for the conduct of peaceful and violent (sic) free elections, I wish to respectfully notify you that my office is scheduled to hold sensitization/town hall meeting for 1500 Preachers, Imams, & Islamiyya school teachers of the FCT, Abuja.
“3. You are kindly requested to be A DISCUSSANT at the event. Her Excellency, Dame (Dr.) Patience Goodluck Jonathan (MAMA PEACE), First Lady, Federal Republic of Nigeria is expected to be the Special Guest of Honour at the event….”

From two other papers attached with the above letter, I understood that the ‘Lead Presenter’ of the paper I will discuss, with four other discussants, was _Ustaz Bashir Mundi_, who, during his presentation modified the topic to “Peaceful Elections” instead of “Violence-Free Elections”, because, according to him, ‘the former reflects more proactively the broader Islamic objective of spreading peace, love and mercy universally’.

What I am trying to establish is the fact that none of the documents sent to me, from the letter of invitation to the conference papers, indicated that the National Muslim Women Town Hall Meeting was a political event or campaign event for any presidential candidate. Given the information communicated to me by the SSA to the President on Islamic Affairs & State House, Barrister Tahir, I came to the Town Hall Meeting with the intention of discussing Violence-Free Elections from an Islamic perspective. I shall revert to this aspect when I discuss the arrival of Her Excellency, Mama Peace, in the Second Session of the event.

Before the First Session of the meeting, Barrister Tahir Umar Tahir made invited speakers at the event to understand the need to ensure formal decorum, quietude and orderliness on the part of the audience in the presence of the Special Guest of Honour, the First Lady. He was very explicit on the exception that some of her handlers took over her coming to the event to avert a repeat of the hurling of pebbles at her husband during some of his campaign tours in the Northern part of the country. Barrister Tahir was able to convince Mama Peace, however, ‘that all would be well.’ And on the strength of these assurances by the Barrister, Her Excellency overruled her security details and gave her word on attending the meeting regardless of the consequences.

Therefore, we all resolved to address Barrister Tahir’s concern in our presentations, from the Lead Presenter, Ustaz Bashir Mundi, to the four discussants - 1) Sheikh Musa Olaofe, PhD, Imam, Ansar-Ud-Deen, Abuja, (who was not present during the greater part of the First Session), 2) Sheikh Nura Khalid, Imam, Apo Legislative Quarters, 3) Yours Sincerely from the Abuja National Mosque. (I may have cause, in the future, to write on why some people are uncomfortable with my being associated with the Abuja National Mosque, especially in public functions. This is a discussion for another day), and 4) Hajiya Raliat Akinbobola, Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN). 

The speeches we gave were in English, Yoruba, and Hausa languages, according to the proficiency of each speaker in a local language, but all spoke in English before translating into either Hausa or Yoruba. We devised this method of communication so as not to misinform or leave anybody out as to the seriousness of maintaining order when Her Excellency was around. 

Each one of us tried to show the position of Islam in the deference and honour a Muslim should accord leaders. We emphasised that there was not to be shouting, booing or interjection of abusive words when ‘Mama Peace’ was delivering her speech. Those irrational behaviours we should leave for hooligans and political touts, but this is a congregation of Muslim representatives from various Islamic bodies; therefore, we must exhibit discipline and adherence to the etiquette of public engagement between the leader and the ruled in the presence of Madam Jonathan. 

Security at the _Women’s Development Centre (WDC_) on that day could only be compared with what we saw during Mr Bill Clinton’s visit in August 2000. Soldiers, Police, Civil Defence Corps and members of the DSS were everywhere outside, within the entire premises of the WDC, and in the auditorium hours before the arrival of Mrs Jonathan. I do not blame her security details for doing their job, given the current insurgency challenges in the country, but the whole thing reminded me of how tight the security was during Clinton’s visit to the same venue about 15 years ago.

For this First Session of the Town Hall Meeting under discussion, everybody was seated before 11 am after passing through rigorous screening of their cars at the main gate of the WDC, and other forms of search through metal /bomb detectors at various entrances into the auditorium. Once you came into the premises of the WDC, you could not go out for anything until after the end of the Second Session later in the evening after the departure of Her Excellency, the First Lady. If you went out, you forfeited your chance of participating in the event, because you would not be allowed in a second time. The SSA’s office provided takeaway lunch and water for all participants, and there was no reason, hence, for anybody to leave the WDC in search of food.

When some participants wanted to go and observe _Zuhr_ prayers within the WDC at the end of the First Session, they were advised to carry their handbags with them because the security personnel in charge of the auditorium would clear-away any unattended bags. This instruction also reminded me of the airports where unattended baggage will be collected and destroyed by security men. 

The Second Session saw the arrival of the long-awaited ‘Mama Peace’ who was well-received by the audience. Some of the participants even exceeded what our admonitions requested of them; they gave Her Excellency standing ovation as she came on stage waving at the crowd of attendees of the Town Hall Meeting. She got a raucous welcome from this full-to-the-brim auditorium. Among the entourage of ‘Mama Peace’ were Her Excellency, Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo, wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Aisha Bala Mohammed, wife of the FCT Minister, and my sister and ‘mother’ Hajiya Zainab Maina, the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, among others.

During his Welcome Address to the gathering the SSA to the President, Barrister Tahir Umar Tahir updated Mama Peace on the composition of the audience, representing various Islamic organisations and Muslim women associations. He went further to establish from Qur’anic references what honour Allah has bestowed on womenfolk by, in addition to countless favours, revealing a whole Surah An-Nisaa (Women) in their name. The SSA said President Jonathan has achieved many successes in the areas of appointing women to many positions, robust handling of our security challenges, efficient tackling of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) on the verge of Hajj 2014, and the Almajiri Schools. Barrister Tahir ended his address by reminding the audience of working for peace and respect for their leaders quoting Qur’an, Al-Furqaan, 25:63 to buttress his point. 

I was disturbed and felt betrayed when I noticed, with the prompting of some brothers and sisters at the event, that truckloads of branded campaign ‘_gift_’ items were stationed and offloaded outside the venue ready for distribution to participants. I wondered sadly how a function meant to discuss peaceful elections would be turned into a campaign avenue for Mama Peace. So, I resolved to address the impropriety of stupefying unsuspecting Muslim representatives by deceptively turning violence-free elections meeting into a presidential campaign event for Mama Peace’s husband.

‘Your Excellency, Mama Peace,’ I began, when it was time for me to speak as a discussant, ‘I have two requests to make to you humbly. Before you came, we had to intimate the audience on the difference between a political gathering and a religious one, and how to conduct ourselves as Muslim representatives from various organisations in your presence. And, Your Excellency can attest to that from the way you were warmly received when you came in today. Therefore, my first request is to avoid campaigning for anybody so that we can concentrate on the issue of the day, namely, our role in peaceful elections. The conveners should have invited the wives of other presidential candidates to make even participation of stakeholders.

‘Your Excellency, Mama Peace, we have not gathered today to support any political party or a presidential candidate. This meeting is not the place for the distribution of any branded gift items or money. We are here to discuss peace, period.

‘My second request, Your Excellency, is for you to seize this moment and apologise for those bitter words you directed at us during some of your electioneering assertions which I will not repeat here. That word of apology will remove any rancour that may be lurking in our hearts against you. The Bible says in *Matthew 5: 23-24* that if you come to the altar with an offering to the Lord and you suddenly remember that your brother has something against you, you should leave your gift at the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother, then return and make your offering. 

‘Your Excellency, I respectfully request that you do just that, and I am certain that many people in this hall and those watching this event will relent towards you and even vote for your husband, Mr President on Saturday. Thank you very much.’

Unfortunately, when Mama Peace stood up to speak, she failed to seize the moment or grant any of the requests. She said it was not fitting for anybody to ask her not to campaign for her husband’s reelection in an event organised by people who are in their positions ‘by the grace of Mr President and the PDP. If Jonathan is not there, they will not be there. Those who gathered us here are appointees of Mr President.’ According to her, since it is campaign time, she has to seek votes for Mr President.

She then began a vigorous campaign for her husband’s re-election thereby frittering away the chance to be amenable and reasonable. She seemed to think that the world revolves around her. Her utterances betrayed an aggressive nature lurking behind the rustic look of harmless innocence. I wrote earlier about her not so peaceful declarations, the bulk of which I was requesting her to apologise for. Alas, I did not estimate that anyone occupying that position could be so blind to reason. Again, I wondered how ironic her nickname is.

*March 2015*
Date Published:  Friday, February 7th, 2019

FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE AS COUNTER-TERRORIST MEASURES (2)


Concluding part of the remarks at the National Stakeholders Roundtable on Partnership on Strengthening the Role of Religious Experts and Scholars in Countering Violent Extremism in Nigeria Held at NTI Kaduna.

Organised by Office of the National Security Adviser between 19th and 21st January 20, 2015.

As I adumbrated earlier, it is curiously unjust that people commit felonies when Government is insulted but when God and His Prophet are insulted, it is freedom of speech. Does it make sense in a world where a vast majority are religious? Muslims love Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They do so naturally and as a religious duty. According to the Qur’an, “the Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves” which means that they would prefer the Prophet (PBUH) to their lives.

Therefore, there is no normal Muslim that does not feel hurt when the Prophet (PBUH) is castigated or ridiculed. There is no normal Muslim who does not feel the pains deep in his marrows. It is only the degrees of reaction to the hurt that vary. While 99 per cent of Muslims would consider it as one the suffering they bear in this unjust world being controlled by unjust leaders, part of the remaining one per cent might react in a manner that is often presented as representing the attitude of the vast majority. Islam is aware of the natural inclination of insulting other peoples’ objects of worship and it forbids Muslims from doing so (i.e. And insult not those who they (non-Muslims) worship besides Allah, lest they should wrongfully insult Allah without knowledge. Thus we have made alluring to each people their own doings…)

To drive the point further home, let us consider the Charlie Hebdo issue. Despite the fact the leaders of Muslims in France and beyond have condemned the act, it did not matter to the initiators of the provocation. They went ahead to print additional million copies in order to spite and hurt 1.7 billion Muslims for what two people did. This provocation had the tacit support of governments and people that would otherwise be considered responsible. How do you condone one evil and condemn a similar evil? Evil is evil and all evils by all persons should be countered.

We assume that everyone has a fair knowledge of terrorism, a term seemingly reserved for deviant actions perpetrated by those who bear names associated with Islam, which is part of injustice. A crime committed by a Jew is not blamed on his religion. No one took Judaism to task on trial as a result of Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians. A crime committed by a Christian is not blamed on his religion. No one blamed Christianity when Anders Behring Breivik killed 85 people in one swoop in July 2011 at a summer camp in Oslo. It is whatever people who bear Muslim names do wrong that is blamed on Islam while the infractions of others are treated as non-issues.

There are four causes of contemporary terrorism in my opinion. They are 1) widespread injustice and its glorification, including imbalance 2) Corruption, a cankerworm in the global community; 3) Forced cultural assimilation through which globalization is used to advance the jaundiced philosophy of might is right or the aggressive pursuit of making everyone conform to a single norm; and 4) Lack of leadership, structure and hierarchy in the Islamic community globally and locally, which makes Muslims individualize what should have warranted a collective response.

It is on the basis of the last point that I believe the Nigerian Muslims should boycott all French products. At least, we must look for an acceptable way of registering our collective disgust for what happened regardless of how effective or otherwise it will be. Let Muslims boycott French products even if this is not satisfactory or adequate to some people. The NSCIA is also forwarding a letter of protest to the French embassy to register its disgust on the re-printing of the offensive cartoons while sympathizing with the country on the tragedy. I don’t know how many people have sympathized with us on the horrific massacre at Baga and Doron Baga which happened around the same time where hundreds of our countrymen were killed and “over 3,700 structures were damaged or completely destroyed”, a situation that Amnesty International described as “devastation of catastrophic proportions”.

Another relevant issue here is the speed with which our Federal Government reacted to the Charlie Hebdo tragedy. If the Government had responded to the Boko Haram murderous campaign with the same speed after the abduction of the Chibok girls, we would not be where we are today. It is for this same reason of selective interest in dealing with issues bordering on human life and security that many people believe that the Government is directly or indirectly involved in the spiral of violence being unleashed by the murderous gangs tormenting our peace and security as a country. 

Before I conclude, Mr Chairman, let me use this opportunity to call on Nigerians to come together and defy all ethnic and religious contours that are often exploited to divide us to ensure that the forthcoming elections are peaceful and successful. It is in our collective interest that we promote democratic ideals and contribute to the process of governance, part of which is elections. We should discharge this civic responsibility as a religious obligation and we should make the process violence-free. Politicians don’t actually fight wars, they rely on ordinary people. Nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian as we were all born equally.

Let the world be fair and just. Let the Government of Nigeria be fair and just. Fairness and justice complemented by good governance in all situations are effective counter-terrorism measures. The Nigerian Muslim community will continue to offer sincere advice to the government, even if the Government does not listen to our own advice. We wrote that the Federal Government should postpone the National Conference held last year because nothing would be implemented from its outcome because the timing was wrong and it would affect the preparations for the forthcoming elections. Yet, the Federal Government went ahead to organize it and people are counting it already as part of the failed promises regarding the implementation of the reports. The Federal Government rather prefers to listen to self-serving religious merchants who are concerned about their comfort and pockets. They readily serve as money launderers and gun-runners while pretending to be men of God. They cannot deceive God and wise men and women.

Lastly, I learnt that three magic expressions are “Please”, “I am sorry” and “Thank you”. I plead with the Government to please save Nigeria and Nigerians that are dying like fowls especially in the North-East. I am sorry to those who expect more from some us religious leaders because we can only advise and God is a witness that we do so as sincerely and as frankly as we can. I want to appreciate the National Security Adviser/The SSA and their teams for inviting me to this occasion. And to all of for your attention, I say, “Thank you”.

Prof. Is-haq O. Oloyede, OFR, FNAL,
Date Published: February 1st, 2015

FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE AS COUNTER-TERRORIST MEASURES (1)


Remarks at the National Stakeholders Roundtable on Partnership on Strengthening the Role of Religious Experts and Scholars in Countering Violent Extremism in Nigeria Held at NTI Kaduna.
Organised by Office of the National Security Adviser between 19th and 21st January 20, 2015.

Let me begin by congratulating the offices of the National Security Adviser and SSA on Islamic Affairs on the thoughtfulness of organizing this important and timely workshop. It is highly commendable to bring various shades of opinions and diverse stakeholders together to brainstorm on issues pertaining to our collective interest and security. I am of the opinion the more opportunities we have to sincerely plan, brainstorm, strategize and even socialize, the better for us because communication is one important way of peacemaking and confidence building. 

While appreciating the organizers, it strikes me that the programme falls within the same time the American Embassy is also inviting a couple of Muslim activists to a programme of the same thematic concern. I then wonder if the Government and the US Embassy are working in concert in this all-important regard or it is just a mere coincidence. Curiosity is the key to knowledge and I think if the former case were the situation, a joint programme would have been much better and cost-effective. More importantly, it is relevant and appropriate that we collectively discuss counter-terrorism. 

The fundamental purpose of Shariah, which means “divine guidance” but popularly construed as “Islamic Law”, (a more fitting interpretation of its component, “fiqh”), is security. This security operates on five levels, otherwise referred to as maqasid shariah, which are the security of life, of property, of mind, of progeny and of honour. These are basic necessities for existence in every human society and every society is duty-bound to protect these necessities. Counter-terrorism is a contemporary security mechanism for the protection of these basic necessities of existence and it is crucial it is given serious attention. We need to re-orientate the mind of the enraged to the Quranic prescriptions against unwarranted hate-speech against Islam and the Prophets. Allah told Prophet Muhammad "exercise patience on what they are saying" This should be our message.

Mr Chairman, on the other hand, while it is desirable and essential to discuss counter-terrorism against the backdrop of what our world has become especially with reference to the preponderance of guided weapons in the hands of unguided/misguided people, I would suggest the approach to the subject is more encompassing. For security and counter-terrorism measures to be robust and effective, they should address the root causes. The root is always there but we often deal with the branches. Two of these root causes are unfairness and injustice and expectedly, fairness and justice will counteract them.

Let me be specific here. There is freedom of speech but we also know that freedom is constrained by law when it infringes on personal integrity, state or national security. There is defamation law to protect individuals from slander and libel. In Nigeria as a state, no one is free to run his mouth wild and ask that a foreign country should topple a democratically elected government because that is a felony. 

Speech can do more damage than physical torture and that is why there are legal safeguards against defamation and felony. Oppression or violence is done also by speech, among other ways, and both the Glorious Qu’ran and the Holy Bible are unequivocal in this regard. According to the two sources, “oppression is even worse than killing” and “oppression makes a wise man mad”. Prevention is also better than cure as we can actually counter-act many problems by guarding against oppression in speech and in deed.

Few issues can be used to illustrate this and one thanks the Pope for the recent statement he made that free speech has its limits. According to the Pope while in The Philippines last week, if his good friend “says a curse word against my mother, he should expect a punch in the nose,” adding “It is normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.” It is the faith of about two billion people in the world that some people have turned to the butt of jokes and highly offensive and inexcusable caricatures all in the name of freedom of expression. When a cleric issued a fatwa that such a person ought to be sentenced to death, the highly hypocritical western world cried out as if the cleric too had no right to freedom of speech. Intolerance of Islam led to the blasphemous pronouncements/presentations to which an intolerant group also reacts.

Whereas, it is the same campaigners of freedom of speech that arrested someone for hate speech, after supporting the attack in France. It becomes glaring that freedom of speech exists to insult a religious group while there is no freedom of speech to express one’s thought to the country. The limit of freedom of expression should be all-encompassing, not parochial. This is unfair and it is lack of fairness and the oppression that it engenders that makes people mad in the world, to paraphrase the Bible, including those that would have expected faith to have made wise.

The insight in the quoted words of the Pope would be lost to many, especially those who constitute problems to the world. The implication of its profundity is that it is natural one reacts when one is provoked. It is, therefore, sheer hypocrisy to always be blaming reactions rather than address the (in)actions that precipitate the reactions. Negative reactions are reactionary; they are not justifiable but the point being made is the need to dig deep and address root problems so that we make the world fair and just.

To cite another example, if a person puts a green leaf in-between his teeth, it is an ordinary thing. But when that is done in the presence of the deaf in our culture, it is provocative and there is a spontaneous reaction. It is unreasonable to blame the deaf for reacting while ignoring the person who puts the leaf between his teeth. Since it is not food, why must the agent provocateur put a leaf in his mouth to taunt or provoke the deaf in the first instance? This is the situation the world is facing. Muslims are being deliberately taunted, heavily maligned, collectively provoked and then roundly blamed for reacting as naturally as one would punch a person’s nose for insulting one’s mother.

Prof. Is-haq O. Oloyede, OFR, FNAL,

Date Published:  Friday, January 25th, 2019

I AM ‘_MIJIN_ _HAJIYA_’


In contrast to ‘_Mai Gida_’, I am ‘_Mijin Hajiya_’. Mai Gida (not _Maigida_ which is a proper noun for many people) is a patriarch who barks orders in his household, whose presence heralds the end of joviality. The sound of his voice as he noisily clears his throat before he goes into his residence is a war-horn for everyone to behave themselves and maintain order. He does not smile at his wife, he assumes a darkened countenance whenever he is with her. The sign of any tenderness towards her renders him weak and susceptible to undermining by the wife. His wife’s duty is to obey his harsh instructions with alacrity, serve his food, satisfy his amatory needs and take care of the children, or ill-treatment and desertion will be her lot. Her opinion is not sought on anything about the life of the _Mai Gida_ or even her own affairs. It is for the husband to decide for her, as a woman, in the psyche of _Mai Gida_, should be far removed from any involvement in the life of her husband and his business, otherwise that spouse is _Mijin Hajiya_.

I would rather be _Mijin Hajiya_, even though the term is used derogatorily in my community; being a _Mai Gida_ is the norm. People in Mai Gida’s world consider a marriage successful only when the wife is enslaved, and bereft of her husband’s love and respect. Therefore, a husband who displays any form of affection to his wife, or honours her, or seeks for her opinion on anything is _Mijin Hajiya_. For such marital harmony to exist, according to my community, the husband must be a weakling, subservient to the wife, without any authority over her. 

I reject the standard set by Mai Gida’s world and accept that of the Prophet, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam in his dealings with his consorts, Mothers of the Believers. When he, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam was frightened after his encounter with the angel during the first revelation of the Qur’an, he did not rush to a _dandali_ (an androcentric club) where _men-only_ issues were discussed. The Prophet, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam went to a woman, his wife Khadijah, terribly distraught, urging her to cover him, that he was afraid. She took charge, gave him comfort, reassuring him that Allah shall not disgrace someone like him who does good to others, keeps good relation with his kith and kin, supports the weak and answers the call of those who are in distress. Yes, when he needed warmth, reassurance and dispelling of doubt he, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam rushed home, not to _dandali_.., he went to the Chairman (Khadijah) of the company that he, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam served as the Managing Director. 

In like manner, as Mijin Hajiya, I am a deserter of _dandali_ at the hour of fear and confusion over any matter. I rush home to Hajiya for a brainstorming session which will result in reaching a resolution and having a direction on the best cause of action.
The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam has shown a lot of love to Aisha, _radiyallaahu_ _anhaa_ to such an extent that gifts flooded to the prophetic household on the days he was in her room. People chose the best moment to sent the gifts when his heart was most tranquil in the room of whom he loved most among his wives, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam. (Al-Bukhary) 

I would not be ashamed, therefore, of showing love to Hajiya because my community chose to forsake what was recorded in the _Seerah_ on how he, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam consorted with his wives! Whoever honours Hajiya, honours me, Mijin Hajiya. Whoever vexes her, incurs my ire! 

Mai Gida expects a _yes-sir_ response to all he says, but Hafsah, Mother of Believers, radiyallaahu anhaa interjects points in the Prophet’s words to elicit more explanation. He once said that none of the people who pledged the oath of allegiance to him will go to Hell. Hafsah interjected by saying “What about the saying of Allah ‘Not one of you but will pass over it (Hell)’”? The response she got was not a slap on the face, but rather the Prophet, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam told her to read the next verse “Then We shall rescue those who kept from evil, and leave the evil-doers crouching there”. (Maryam, 19:71-71)

If the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam who was receiving Devine Revelations would be mild in his response to Hafsah’s interjection, why will Mai Gida respond violently because his wife draws his attention to a mistake in his judgement?
After completing the documentation of the Treaty of Hudaibiya which on the surface was not in favour of Islam, the _Mushriks_ denied the Muslim entry into Makkah for their Umrah even though they had assumed _ihraam_. Thus, when the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam accepted this denial and ordered his followers to slaughter their _hadyi_, sacrificial animals at the venue of this unjust Treaty and shave their heads so as to get out of _ihraam_, the ordinance of the Prophet was not complied with by any of the companions. The _Sahabah_ were so despondent by the Prophet’s acquiescence to the _Mushriks'_ demands that none of them moved when he gave the instruction on the _hadyi_ and slaughter. 

At that critical moment, grieved as he was, the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam went into the tent of (Hajiya) Umm Salamah, radiyallaahu anhaa, wondering how will a people prosper when they demur the instructions of their Prophet. She soothed his nerves by saying “Oh Messenger of Allah! It is not disobedience. The people are in shock over the outcome of the Treaty and the loss of the Umrah due to the denial of entry into the Holy City by the Makkans. Go out to them and do what they are reluctant to do. They will follow your example”. 

The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam listened to her carefully and when she finished, he went out and did exactly as she advised. He slaughtered his camel and shaved his head. No sooner had he done so than all the people, as if racing with one another, slaughtered their animals and shaved their heads.
Thank you mother, Umm Salamah for saving the situation, abating the anger of Allah’s Messenger, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam and thus averting the wrath of Allah on the Ummah because of the people’s reluctance in doing his bidding.

Mai Gida will not consult his wife on such issues as he deems himself educated and intelligent enough to know it all. But as for me, Mijin Hajiya, I have in the Messenger of Allah “a beautiful pattern (of conduct)” (al-Ahzaab, 33:21) and so Hajiya is to be consulted on my affairs because whatever happens, we are all in it together. 


Date Published: Friday, January 18th, 2019

PREPARING FOR THE 2019 GENERAL ELECTIONS

I am sharing today a translation of the Khutbah, with the above heading, delivered by one of the imams of the Abuja National Mosque, Dr Muhammad Kabir Adam, on Friday, December 23rd, 2018._
 
Dr Muhammad Kabir Adam
Praise be to Allah who has honoured this _Ummah_ by making it ‘best community that hath been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and ye believe in Allah.” I praise and offer gratitude to Him, the Almighty, for what He has bestowed. I bear witness that there is no (true) god but Allah, who has prescribed prosperity for the summoners to good and betterment. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the bearer of the standard of _da’wah_ and _jihaad_, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and upon members of his household, who trod his path and traced his footsteps, and upon all those who follow them in goodness, for as long as the alternation of night and day lasts.
“O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them, twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom ye claim ( your rights ) of one another, and toward the wombs (that bare you ). Lo! Allah hath been a Watcher over you.” (An-Nisaa, 4:1) 

Servants of Allah! I enjoin you and myself to fear Allah, Almighty. Anywho fear Allah, He will find a way out for them, and enlarge their reward on the Day of Judgement. Oh people! Obey Allah and obey His Messenger and those among you who are in authority. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has gained a signal victory. 

Brethren in faith! We have to wake up from our deep slumber, give life the concern it deserves, and participate in the nation’s political activities by voting for our various representatives in all levels of leadership. This is a very important matter which Islam considers a binding duty on every citizen since the politics of the _Ummah_ and its leadership must be recognised by everyone, and that can only be achieved through the participation of all. 

What is the role of the youths in this responsibility? Will the youths, who are the pillars of every society and its future, allow themselves to be used by the politicians in their political chess? Will the youths accept being pawns in the game of power, at the hands of politicians who saturate and enervate their senses with drugs and other intoxicants, turning them into moving weapons against political opponents in their electoral campaigns? No, should be the appropriate answer to these questions. 

Oh Muslims! Islam is the religion of truth and peace. Thus, it prohibits harming and maligning people in whatever way and for whatever purpose. Not only that, Islam regards defamation as an abomination and an enormity. The Qur’an says: “And those who malign believing men and believing women undeservedly, they bear the guilt of slander and manifest sin.” (Al-Ahazaab, 33:58)
Leadership is something that Allah has ordained and made it a pillar on which societal wellbeing is established. For Islam is both a _deen_ and a way of life; a _deen_ and politics; a _deen_ and a social interaction; all that is based on discipline and adherence to law and order. Chaos has no place in the Islamic Society. 

Brethren in faith! Making illicit drugs available to youths during political campaigns is an appalling disservice to the nation. Consider the corollary of drug addiction, indiscipline and insecurity on the society. Life in such a society will be very miserable, just like the devil’s workshop where the strong devours the weak - survival of the fittest. Chaos will reign supreme in this intoxicant milieu where Satan is certain to sow the seed of rancour and discord among the individual members of the society, as the Qur’an mentions: “Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and to turn you from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. Will ye then have done”? (Al-Maa’idah,5:91)

Oh Muslims! Power is Allah’s; He bestows it on whom He wills, and withdraws it from whom He wills, as He Himself says: “Say: "O Allah! Lord of Power (And Rule), Thou givest power to whom Thou pleasest, and Thou strippest off power from whom Thou pleasest: Thou enduest with honour whom Thou pleasest, and Thou bringest low whom Thou pleasest: In Thy hand is all good. Verily, over all things Thou hast power."Thou causest the night to gain on the day, and thou causest the day to gain on the night; Thou bringest the Living out of the dead, and Thou bringest the dead out of the Living; and Thou givest sustenance to whom Thou pleasest, without measure.” (Aali Imraan, 3:26-27)

In the Sunan of Imam Haakim, the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said, “And when you ask, ask of Allah, and when you seek help, seek for the help of Allah. The pen has dried after writing whatever will happen. If all creation were to gather together and desire to benefit you with anything which Allah has not destined for you, they will not be able to do so. And if they were to gather together and desire to harm you with what Allah has not written against you, they will not be able to harm you a stint. And know that there is a great good in perseverance at the time of adversity. And verity, success is with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease”. 

Therefore, seeking for political office, one should not be so desperate as to drug the youths in order to create unrest and gain therewith some political capital in the forthcoming 2019 general elections. 

Anyone who desires to occupy a public office, oh Muslims, they should exert their utmost in seeking for people’s acceptance and votes during the electioneering. There is no blame on anybody seeking for elective office especially where such a person is intent on correcting what has been corrupted in our nation. The Prophet Yusuf, alaihis salaam, sought from the King of Egypt the position of the Head of Treasury and Minister of Agriculture because he desired betterment in that office. “He said: Set me over the storehouses of the land, I am a skilled custodian”. (Yusuf, 12:55)
On account of the above, whoever vies for an elective office let them start by seeking Allah’s guidance in that desire, and then the people’s acceptance as well as observing the electoral laws and respecting the citizens’ human rights. Whoever strives in upholding the truth while vying for a position, Allah will be their succour since they desire good for themselves as well as for the people. The Qur’an says: “And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right”. (Al-Ankabut, 29:69)

Brethren in faith! Do not build your campaign rhetoric on deception and oppression, for the end of that will be destruction and chastisement. “Do they not then see that We have made a sanctuary secure and that men are being snatched away from all around them? Then, do they believe in that which is vain, and reject the Grace of Allah? And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah or rejects the Truth when it reaches him? Is there not a home in Hell for those who reject Faith”? (Al-Ankabut, 29:67-68)

Servants of Allah! Seek for _al-Khair_ from Allah Almighty, and do not cast yourselves to ruin by running after the fleeting glitter of this world; it is caducous since it will tarry with you but for a while, before it goes to another person, maybe to a victim of your ill-treatment, who may not desert you at the hour of need. On account of this, I call on politicians to eschew lies and avoid stoking hatred and rancour among people during the electioneering.
And Allah it is whose help is to be sought in (all the allegations) that you describe.

Translated (from Arabic) by:
Abubakr Siddeeq Muhammad,

Date Published: Friday, January 11, 2019