By Adamu Muhammad Hamid PhD,
In civilized societies, crucial political decisions come out of informed public opinion. Political debates through the media lubricate a polity, thereby ushering a transparent political process. In Africa, especially in Nigeria, citizens have greater affinity and adherence to their religions more than they have for their polity or political affairs.
In the on-going imbroglio engendered by the rancorous controversy on preaching styles of Abdul-Jabbar Nasiru Kabara, big surprises are coming from some respected Islamic clerics, and even Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI). A score of scholars complained to the Kano State Government (KNSG) on the preaching styles and utterances of Abdul-Jabbar Nasiru Kabara, which to their estimation amounts to desecrating the stature and personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), the number one most influential person in history according to Michael Hart in his book “The 100: A Ranking of Most Influential Persons in History”.
Going through how the author discussed the personage of the Prophet, and how it matters to public life, no one needs to be told that the personality is of security importance to the whole world, not just Nigeria. For illustration, let me cite the multiple consequences of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, the recent one of which was the beheading of a school teacher in France.
In Nigeria, the ThisDay publication of some sentences on Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ in relation to the botched beauty pageant that was to take place in Abuja in the 2000s was instructive enough. So, the complaints of the Kano Ulama to KNSG were quite in the right place, instructive and patriotic. They complained to avert a possible catastrophic incident, which end only Allah knows. It is understandable they observed the people’s perception, sensitivities, sensibilities and the plain writings in the air on the preaching styles of Abdul-Jabbar, especially the phraseology and his word description of his understanding of a couple of Hadiths in Hadith books considered as most authentic by the Sunni world, and in this context, Muslims of Nigeria, namely the books popularly known as Sahihul Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. This also includes Abdul-Jabbar’s comments on some of the close companions of the Holy Prophet like Abu Huraira and Anas Ibn Malik. I repeat, these complaints by the Kano Ulama are genuine, and rightly timed and placed.
Though in the recent times I haven’t been quite a fan of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Kano state governor, but he has now won me over to his side by doing the right thing, and in time. Because of security implications of the nature and style of Abdul-Jabbar’s preaching, the Kano State Government announced a ban, precisely stopping his preaching in Kano state. So, the controversy developed organically.
Upon the Islamic jurisprudential principle of fair hearing, which was also upheld in Nigeria’s Constitution, Abdul-Jabbar appealed to the KNSG for him to be allowed to “sort it out” with the Ulama in a debate. The KNSG under Ganduje also did the right thing again, by taking the responsibility of organizing the debate, Lo and behold; it also made the process comprehensive by inviting other prominent scholars nationwide, to moderate the process, so that the matter can be laid to rest, without degenerating to chaos. To respect the Sultanate as the institution in charge of Islamic affairs in Nigeria and JNI, the KNSG also involved them through a special invitation.
This historic event cannot be better organized! But alas; to throw spanners into the process, a host of Islamic clerics, prominent among whom Sheikh Tijjani Bala Kalarawi, Sheikh Daurawa condemned the debate, citing that it was not going to be beneficial to the society. JNI and the sultanate also issued a public statement declining to participate in the process, according to “Inda Ranlka”, a Freedom Radio program of 5th March.
Let me begin with the flimsiness or weakness of Tijjani Bala Kalarawi’s argument. He said the scholars to face Abdul-Jabbar are in themselves divided in their creed and theology within Islam. Therefore, they should have wiped their differences to have the legitimacy to face Abdul-Jabbar in a debate over this sensitive issue.
In logic, Kalarawi’s stance is called category mistake fallacy. He is mistaking uniformity as a condition for unity. Nobody has ever claimed that the Muslim community or society needed to be uniform before it could face what is perceived as a blasphemy, especially on an issue over the sanctity of the person of Prophet Muhammad.
Over issues of protecting the person of Prophet Muhammad, the Muslims all over the world needed and have to be united, without necessarily being uniform in peripheral issues of theology. And the Muslim world had never been a uniform one throughout history; in fact, they do not need to be uniform on all issues. Allah Himself did not require them to be such. On foundational issues like Salah and believing in all the prophets, yes!
On his part, Sheikh Daurawa claimed that there was no point debating since Abdul-Jabbar said what he said, and those who were not satisfied gave their reply, so everyone knows the stand of both sides. But the problem with this argument is, no side was given an opportunity to ask the other questions.
Secondly, only through coming face-to-face would verify the claims of each side, and the public would judge. This again, is a very weak argument.
The most perplexing stance is that taken by JNI, and I would wish to encourage the Sultan, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, to constantly guide the JNI, otherwise it would lose focus and bearing because of its objectives and the perceived role it has to play in Nigeria, given its composition and structure, containing as members almost all the emirs in Nigeria.
The Organization must be on the pursuit of the truth wherever it leads to. Its role is not only that of replying CAN whenever it (the latter) makes a political statement against the ideals it holds. For JNI to support KNSG in the pursuit of truth on matters of security is not optional.
The only options before Governor Ganduje in place of the dialog/debate, is either to allow Abdul-Jabbar to continue with his characteristic alien style, which would never be condoned by Kano and other Nigerian Muslims, or forcibly stop him, which would be uncivilized and barbaric. The only way is to allow the truth come out in an organized and controlled situation. Islam is not an opaque religion, and like plant, it thrives only under light.
On the issue of security and those directly having to do with foundational pegs of Islam, JNI has to cooperate with governments or other statutory institutions to resolve them. JNI cannot decline participation in events of this nature.
In a whatsApp post attributed to Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, the JNI Secretary General, he said, “JNI based on most jurisprudential deductions feels that it is not even proper to debate with Abdul-Jabbar as someone who openly blasphemes against the noble prophet (S.A.W.) his fate is sealed Islamically”. If this post actually belongs to Dr Khalid on behalf of JNI, I am seriously stunned. He did not say what the jurisprudential deductions are… and he did not quantify what makes them most out of other deductions. I consider this attempt as a mere rhetoric to improperly swerve the attention of the society over a critical matter.
This is what Dr. Khalid in the attributed post thinks. But beyond that, Abdul-Jabbar is claiming to be protecting the person of the prophet through that characteristic style, and by extension, working for Islam. So, the only way anyone could sort out these claims and counter claims of other Islamic scholars who complained is through a dialog/debate, where contending parties would lay their facts and sources on the table.
The JNI ruling stance should have been that if the position of KNSG was unislamic, or haram, in which case everyone should have gone with JNI. But contrariwise, the dialog/debate option happens to be the hard way, the only way for the Nigeria Muslim community to guard itself against the excesses of the whims and caprices of scholars who play on the ignorance of majority to cause confusion, thereby profiting cheap popularity. The debate has to hold or else, worse would continue to happen because governments abdicate their responsibility of checking such excesses by nailing exuberant scholars to account for their strange stances within the purview of knowledge, and this precedent has already been set.
Still in the above cited post attributed to Dr Khalid, he said, “it appears the issue is blown our of proportion by giving it undue publicity by the government and individuals, thereby making a hero out of a cowardly and disrespectful act”. Now is it possible to say an issue regarding the sanctity and personality of Prophet Muhammad has been blown out of proportion? No matter how little, if an issue has to do with him, it already assumes unquantifiable proportion. No need for blowing anything!
Again, Dr Khalid calls Abdul-Jabbar acting cowardly, but he forgets that if the Islamic scholars who volunteered to dare him in a debate had heeded the “advice” of JNI and declined to face him, who then would be the real coward in this scenario? I want Dr. Khalid to honestly answer this question to himself.
I was surprised when the Sultanate went with JNI on this matter, because I am aware when the Sultan Saad Abubakar, soon after assuming the throne, and worried about the division among Nigerian Muslims over Ramadan, Shawwal and Zhul Hijjah moon sightings, convened a conference for all those who had anything to say on the astronomy of the moon and its Islamic jurisprudence.
The Sultan achieved a gargantuan success at the outcome from the degree of harmony among the Muslim Ummah on the subject. I emphasize here, that was not achieved in darkness or with reticence or by discouraging the dialog. Scholars attended the conference, presented their versions of understandings on the subject, corrections were made on erroneous understandings and, at last, it was a success! I knew the Sultan with this kind of spirit, we praise him for that and now urge him to also be firm and resolute on this Kano issue of Abdul-Jabbar. The Sultanate is a principal stakeholder in that which Gov. Ganduje is organizing.
Now it is worth placing on record here that Nigeria should not be encouraging an atmosphere of hide-and-seek, darkness, insincerity and opacity, even in our politics, governance, much less in our religion; the one we claim we are practicing between us and our Creator. If someone says Abdul-Jabbar was wrong, why shouldn’t such a person come and show it? Show how he was wrong to guide all others. Isn’t this exercise a noble one? Just as an example, Saudi Arabia as a model Islamic society protects itself from excesses of scholars by establishing a committee of high profile scholars (Lijnatul Da’imah Lil buhuthil ilmiyya wal ifta) to address any strange issue brought by any scholar, and other relevant issue of “fatwa” (ruling on contemporary matters). The committee usually invites scholars for hearing or questioning.
It will be of interest to note that in the 20th and 21st centuries, people at the forefront of advancing the frontiers of Islam in the whole world are debaters. Instead of engaging other religions in physical confrontations, scholars like Dr. Shabir Ally, Dr. Jamal Badawi, Dr. Zakir Naik, Mohammad Hijab, Saboor Ahmad, Nadir Ahmad, Adnan Rashid, the late Ahmad Deedat, etc., have been doing excellent job through debates with adherents of Hindu religion, Brahmans, Christians and even Atheists.
In fact, in America, Muslims and Christians together have faced atheists like Aaron Ra, Apostate Prophet, Prof. Richard Dawkins, etc. So why should Muslims shy away from debates internally? Doesn’t this smack of hypocrisy? On the Christian side there are Prof. David Wood, Prof. James White, Dr. Mike Licona, Dr Robert Green, etc. When intellectualism collides, truth sparks therefrom!
History has recorded that Abdullah ibn Abbas, the cousin and companion of the Prophet engaged the Kharijites in a debate, high profile scholars like Nasiruddin Albany and Ibn Taimyya had also engaged in debates to clarify subjects. Is it proper to now say that we have a better wisdom? This in addition to the basics that Allah had encouraged good debate with The People of the Book, and the Holy Prophet himself debated the Christians of Najran. Is it proper for any Muslim to claim wisdom above that of Allah? It’s truly commendable that Gov. Ganduje, despite the dribbling from a section of the Ulama, announced through his Commissioner for Religious Affairs on 5th March, 2021, that the debate would forge ahead; there’s no going back, despite the distraction and the noncommittal stance of the JNI and some Ulama This is the hallmark of a good leader!
Some interested section of the Nigerian society went to court to stop this process which is a criterion for the truth to emerge, thereby forming a reasonable basis for KNSG to take a firm stance on this matter based on evidence and decide on the issue based on knowledge that is clear to all.
Meanwhile it is surprising that the group now going to court to stop KNSG from proceeding with the debate had not earlier on gone to court to stop Abdul security implication and preaching style because of it and still claim he/she is a No one can go to court to stop this pristine even good Muslim or that they are working for Islam. The two positions are mutually exclusive.
Dr. Adamu Muhammad Hamid is at No .C290 Railway Road, Bauchi
amhamid@fptb.edu.ng
