Begging as a Failure of Leadership

Recently, His eminence the Sultan of Sokoto was quoted saying that almajirci has nothing to do with Islam and that it is people who are too poor to send their children to school that resort to sending them for begging. He said it while chairing a meeting on the girl child education in Kaduna.

Let me start by saying that I respect the office of Sultan and that my intention here is not to malign his person or the traditional institution that by the circumstances of our history provides the leadership of the Ummah in this part of the world. 

The notion given by the traditional ruler that almajirci and begging are the same is the kind misconception that has impeded the solution to the problem of child begging in Northern Nigeria. Begging is the act of seeking assistance from someone often in form of money, food or clothing. Begging is not Islamic and the Holy prophet (peace be upon him) spoke against begging with such a frequency and emphasis that most of his companions stopped from making even ordinary requests for the rest of their lives. The very few exceptions to this rule are detailed in relevant Islamic books.

Almajiri on the other hand is the distortion of the Arabic word almuhajir, meaning someone who has left his home in search of security, food, knowledge, etc. Commenting on the first Hadith of his popular collection of 40 traditions, Imam Alnawawiy listed many reasons for which Hijra is recommended in Islam. One of them is search of knowledge. The Qur’an (Q9:122) has made it an obligation for each community to sponsor people from among themselves who will engage in such movements in search of Islamic knowledge. As a matter of fact, the founders of Sokoto Caliphate belong to this group.

It is therefore necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff. While almajiranci is Islamic, begging, whether it is done by children or adults is unislamic. A collective, thorough and sustained effort must be made to see to the end of this menace without affecting Islamic scholarship. As the spiritual leader of the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria, the Sultan is supposed to lead the way.

And when His eminence spoke about sending children to school, which school is he referring to? Is it the western education type popularly called makarantar boko by his people? If so, he doesn’t have to worry. There is currently a big Federal ministry of Education, 36 state ministries of Education, 774 local Education departments with thousands of teachers, curriculum experts and other employees aimed at promoting those schools. What is missing, which is what everybody expects to be the Sultan’s business, is a comprehensive guideline on the establishment, running and content of Islamic schools. Because of the absence of such guidelines, every community operates their Islamic schools the way they like. At the grassroot level where Islamiyya schools are established and run, the NSCIA and JNI are vividly absent. In many cases, even the Headmasters do not have a blueprint of what is supposed to be taught in their schools.

When referring to the conventional western-style schools, what I thought should be the worry of the Sultan is the Islamic studies content in those schools. Apart from IRK (or IS as it is now called), there is no other subject or program aimed at teaching our children about their religion, especially in public schools. The IRK is deficient in many ways. For example, it does not make the child to be able to recite Qur’an. Again, a child may pass IRK in flying colours without knowing how to write their names in Arabic, which is the language of Islam. The JNI/NSCIA is supposed to come out with a realistic framework to correct this anomaly for adoption by state governments especially in Shari’ah states. One of the best models I have seen is that of a private girls’ school in Kano. The school has a comprehensive program by which a child will complete Qur’anic recitation in the second or third year of their senior secondary school. In addition, whether a girl is in Science or Arts option, she must take Arabic. Thus, by the time they finish the school, all pupils are able to recite Qur’an correctly and know basic Arabic that will help them learn their religion from the source. My reader will be interested to know that the percentage pass in both WAEC and NECO is always 100.

My advice to the Sultan and indeed the JNI/NSCIA is to first and foremost realize that it is their inaction that has made begging to persist among Nigerian Muslims. The more they cry aloud about this problem, the more ridiculous they appear. They should therefore stop living in the past and live up to their responsibility. That is the only panacea for integrity and well being of their people.

Published in Blueprint Newspaper of 16th March, 2016

THE ORDEAL OF AISHA ORURU: WHY PMB MUST INTERVENE

Sometime in February 2013, a lady by name Charity Uzochina then a student of the federal Polytechnic Bida embraced Islam. As is the practice, she changed her name to Aisha, a popular Muslim name. At that time, Aisha was 25 and thus by any standard an adult who could decide for herself.

In a nation whose constitution allows for freedom of religion with respect to its choice and practice, one would expect no dust to be raised at that development. However, the father of Aisha, who is also a pastor tried to forcefully take back Aisha in order to force her back to Christianity. He was backed by the Christian Association of Nigeria and all manners of so-called human right activists. Out of fear for her life, the lady approached a Shariah court in Niger state which asked the Etsu Nupe to give her protection. She thus dropped her studies and took refuge in the Emir’s palace. A year later, she got married to the Muslim lawyer who handled her case. It is important to note that Aisha succeeded only because of the resilience of the Emir of Nupe who refused to release her to those wolfy set of people who were not ready to accept anyone of them to embrace Islam even if their conversion is as Aisha herself put it, “strictly personal, gradual and well thought-out” and even if no law of the land prevents it from taking place. One irony is that none of the so-called human right groups came out to defend the right of adult Aisha to decide for herself the religion she wanted to follow and indeed the husband she wanted to marry.

If the Emir of Bida stood his ground to protect a helpless lady who was adamant on exercising her right of choice, the Emir of Kano was not forthcoming in this regard. I m particularly referring to the story of Ese (Aisha) Oruru which has dominated the headlines over the first several days. This story is one of pity and persecution. It has also revealed the timidity of the Nigerian Muslim community and the dysfunctionality of their leadership. Ese Oruru is a teenager born to a Christian family in Bayelsa state. At a stage in her life she decided to change her religion to Islam. Conversion to Islam in Nigeria is not new. Islam is the fastest growing religion on earth that people across all continents continue to embrace. In the case of young Ese she embraced Islam through one Yunusa who is a native of Kano state. Not only did the young man preached Islam to Ese, he took her to his village and married her. According to the news, there was an attempt by Ese’s family to take her back to Bayelsa but she refused because she was comfortable living as a Muslim with her husband of choice.

Like the case of her name-sake in Niger state, the story of Ese has attracted a lot of noise by the traditional noise makers in Nigeria. A lot has been said to the extent that many people who should ordinarily sympathize with Aisha for her ordeal have become confused and are busy condemning people whose guilt has not been legally established.

Here, there are many questions in need of answers. First, how old is Aisha? The initial story was that Ese is 18. But later we were told that she is now 14 but was 13 as at the time she was ‘abducted’. There has been no independent investigation to determine her actual age. What I expect the self-acclaimed champions of child right to have done is to launch and publish an independent investigation to ascertain the actual age of Aisha (Ese). This will clearly establish whether or not she has the right to decide for herself.

And what determines the age of maturity?  It is relative depending on the issue at stake and the legal system in place. According to the laws we inherited from the British, a girl who willingly submits herself to a man is not considered to have been raped unless she is below the age of 14. In other words, marriage aside, if Ese willingly submitted herself to Yinusa for sex at the age of 14, he can validly accuse anyone who calls him a rapist of character assassination. This is obviously the reason why our so-called advocates of child right reduced the age of Aisha to 13 in order to have a reason to make the public believe that the ‘minor’ was abducted and raped.

Now, how neutral is the Nigerian Police? Anyone who has listened to the explanations of the Nigerian Police would doubt the neutrality of the Force on this issue. For example, since the ‘rescue’ of Aisha and her return to Abuja, they have been hiding her from the public and disallowing her access to the press. In spite of this, a national daily published an interview purportedly given by Aisha in which she corroborated the claim that she was hypnotized. The ‘interview’ is available on the popular Linda Akija’s blog as I am writing this piece.  If the Police truly allowed the interview to take place and denied other journalists access to her, then it is not fair. And if the interview is false, I expect the Nigerian Police to arrest the publishers for misleading the public and ridiculing the Force.

Another threat to the well being of Aisha is the statement from her family that they will be taking her to TB Joshua.  This is because according to her father Mr. Charles Oruru, “Ese had declined to come home after being released into the custody of the Police, fearing she may have been hypnotised”. This statement from Mr. Oruru, published in the Vanguard of 2^nd March 2016 raises another dust. The Police must have forced Aisha to Abuja and that is why she has been hidden from the Public. And why take her to TB Joshua? TB Joshua is a Christian preacher who does not share the same faith with Aisha. Assuming Aisha is bundled and taken to TB Joshua who is believed by his admirers to have extra-spiritual powers, how will he react when she refuses to accept his advice to return to Christianity? Can we rule out torture? Who is there to make sure that this young person is not maltreated? Her desperate parents who have been made to believe that their daughter has been hypnotized by Muslims and want her to be hypnotized back to Christianity by TB Joshua or Joshua’s disciples who believe in the supernatural powers of their leader? Nigerians would definitely be interested to know TB Joshua’s method of hypnotisation to make sure that it does not contain any form of maltreatment.

In conclusion and with due respect to the Emir of Kano, he should not have handed over Aisha (Ese) without getting assurance that she will be safe and following to make sure that she is not tortured for her belief whether or not she has reached the age of puberty. But it is not late. He, along with other leaders must follow this matter to logical conclusion and make sure that Aisha stays alive and safe. But above all, Mr. President should come in to make sure that this helpless Nigerian has been safely handled. 

SHIITES AND THE EL RUFAI’S COMMISSION

12^th December 2015 is a day many Nigerians will not forget. It is the day many men and women graduated from the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria. However, most Nigerians would not have known about the passing out of these new recruits if not for what Colonel SK Usman of the Nigerian Army referred to as an attempt on the life of the Chief of Army Staff. The three star General was on his way to pay a courtesy call on the Emir of Zaria when he met a group of rampaging youth many of whom were holding sticks, machetes and other types of weapons. Their mission, according to what they told senior military officers who were pleading with them to clear from the road, was to make sure that no one passed without the permission of their leader.

That was not the first time this group of heretics will obstruct the road for a high profile Nigerian. They did the same thing to the immediate past Governor of Kaduna state. These same people once forced the convoy of the late Emir Ado Bayero to stop and wait in the premises of a secondary school in Kano city to allow their leader to pass. But like the saying goes everyday is for the thief and one day is for the owner. If the civilian Governor, the traditional ruler and indeed other Nigerians tolerated the rascality of the Shiites, this would not be expected from the nation’s chief warrior.

Since the December episode many opinions have been expressed, but mostly by analysts who must say something because it is their job to do so. For those of us who are at liberty to keep quiet and have watched with keen interest, there has been nothing surprising. Shia thrives on deception, ignorance and hypocrisy. Shiites pronounce Islam only to undermine it. That is why they do not build mosques but only shrines like the now demolished Husainiyya which is reminiscent of Zoroastrian fire temple of the old Persia. Even in countries where they build mosques they do so for cover up but not for Islamic worship. This was once publicly stated by Mallam Yakubu Yahya with reference to Iran. Yahya is currently the acting leader of Shiites in Nigeria. He allegedly remained in Shia because of economic benefits which accrue to him as the ‘Governor’ of Katsina in Elzakzaky’s Government.

Mallam Ibrahim Elzakzaky was reportedly shot several times and is still in Police custody. Many of his followers including his deputy are said to be dead. This is very unfortunate and although the Shiites always rejoice at the suffering of other Muslims, the rest of us would not do that. We wish him a quick recovery and Allah’s guidance. It is also important here to call on his remaining followers to embrace peace and realize that where their rights stop is where the rights of other people start. Of course this will not be possible without first withdrawing their allegiance from Iran and facing the realities of the Nigerian society. There is nothing wrong in realizing one’s mistake and effecting correction. Mistakes, like the Prophet (pbuh) said, are human, and the best of human beings are those who repent when they make mistakes.

What we have seen from Shiites, their internet gladiators and their new spokesman since the December happenings would only make one laugh because of the level of insult on the intelligence of Nigerians. For example, instead of the Shiites to apologize to NSCIA for the contempt with which they have always related with her, their spokesman is claiming that his group has an utmost respect for the body. Who does he think he can deceive? The well experienced NSCIA or the rest of us?

Another act of deceit by the Shiites is the use of the name Islamic Movement of Nigeria to identify themselves.  Here, a few questions need answers from the Shiites. For a group of people to be a movement, certain conditions are necessary. In the first place, members of a movement must share a common ideology. What the Shiites keep telling us is that they are a mass movement of people that include Muslims, Christians, Shiites, Sunnis, etc. If that is the case, what is the ideology? Is it Islam? If it is, then why drag the Christians into it? Christians do not share the same belief as Muslims and it will be a sheer dishonesty to drag them into a move that will lead to the establishment of an Islamic state, which is what the Shiites tell other Muslims they are struggling to achieve. On the other hand, if the ideology is not Islam, why use the word Islamic to describe the ‘movement’?

A movement, any movement, must have a goal. What is the goal of the so-called Islamic movement of Nigeria? Is it to practice Islam or what else? One cannot do Islam without following the teaching of the Holy Prophet. How did the Prophet (peace be upon him) successfully convert the whole of Arabia into Islam within 23 years? Was it by obstructing public roads? Or did he ever confront an armed warrior without even a needle in his hand? Why did the prophet have to leave Makkah in darkness and hide in a cave on his way to Madinah? Was it because he was not as brave as Zakzaky and his group? Certainly the Shiites have missed the road to the proper teaching of Islam. Elzakzaky considers the Iranian approach to ‘revolution’ as the only way to establish Islam. That is why he keeps on sending his defenseless followers to confront a well-equipped army because he believes that just like it happened in Iran in 1979, when the soldiers kill too many people they will be dropping their guns and joining the protestors. This is the kind of naivety expected when ignorance, haughtiness and leadership converge on one place.

Another characteristic of a movement is unity. The Shiites themselves are not united. There are at least three factions of Shiites in Nigeria with each faction looking upon others with contempt. With that, I suppose the first thing to do is to put their house in order, and even if they are able to achieve that almost impossible task then they should bear their correct name of Shia and not an Islamic movement.

It is in the light of the above that I would like to call upon the Kaduna state Government to reconsider the nomenclature of the commission of enquiry set up to investigate the clash between the Army and Shiites. The use of the term ‘Islamic movement of Nigeria’ to describe the group should be restricted to their imagination but should not be used by the Government. It is noteworthy that no one refers to the Shiites as Islamic movement except themselves. It is therefore highly unexpected for the Government to join the Shiites in this unpopular nomenclature. This is especially so because the group is not registered with this name by Corporate Affairs Commission.

If the reference to Shiites in the nomenclature of the commission as Islamic movement of Nigeria was meant to pacify them, it has not achieved the desired result. Instead of the Shiites to prepare their case, they are already giving some ridiculous conditions for them to appear before the commission. In addition, their internet gladiators are busy casting aspersions on the members of the commission. What I know of Shiites is that they will not accept anything short of Shiism and if anyone has any other approach they think can appease Shiites, let them try it. 

ORDEAL OF A TERRORIST’S BROTHER: MEMORIES OF SINGAPORE

Until December 2009, when the name Umar Mutallab was mentioned what came to mind was banking; just banking. Except those close to him or his family no one cared about the number of his children or whether or not he had any child at all. However, on the Christmas day of that year and like a wild fire, that news broke out. A young man called Farouq Umar Mutallab was caught trying to detonate an explosive device aboard an aircraft over an American city. That news was read over and over with so much analysis on major and minor broadcasting stations all over the world. The rest is now history. One important fact, however, is that the young man was a Nigerian. And for those of us who have affinity with Hausa culture, we immediately figured out why he is called Farouq. His actual name is Umar. But since his father’s name is also Umar, he had to have an alternative name since in Hausa tradition a child cannot be called with the same name as the head of the family. Luckily, every Umar is a Farouq; if he was not an Umar, then another name, may be some historical Hausa name may have to be used to address him, even though in school he may bear his actual name.

Although I have never met Farouq or his father, we have a lot in common. In addition to the fact that the underwear bomber is a Nigerian, he is from Katsina state, just like me. And like yours sincerely, he is also a Muslim and Hausa by tribe. We have the same middle name, Umar. We both carry green passports. In short, the terrorist is my brother.

The Detroit incidence took place when I was a PhD student at the International Islamic University Malaysia, a university that aims at bringing together some of the best talents from around the Islamic world. I enrolled for the PhD three years earlier when it was clear to me that conditions were not favourable for me to carry out a PhD research in Nigeria. I had now completed my PhD research and was about to submit my thesis for examination. As part of the research, I wrote and presented papers both in the Faculty and at international conferences. One of such conferences for which one of our papers was accepted for presentation was to take place in February 2010 in Singapore. That was a time when there were still red alerts in major airports around the world following the Detroit incidence. I was to attend the conference with my supervisor and we did. The procedure was that the organizers will send us letters of invitation which we should submit for visa. That took place successfully and we arranged to travel separately with my supervisor. He was to go by Malaysian airlines and I booked an Air Asian flight.

On the day of the journey I left home early and arrived at the airport on time so as to avoid any hitch. I passed through the Customs and Immigration check successfully. My first shocker of the day came from the Chinese lady who was to check both my passport and boarding pass before I boarded the plane. As soon as the woman saw my passport, she screamed to the hearing of everyone around, “With this passport, no!” She did not stop there. She ran with the passport into the airport building and after a few moments came back with an Immigration officer. Luckily, the officer was Malay. Malays are good and it was by their hospitality we were enjoying every bit of our stay in Malaysia. The man was calm and gentle. He asked me a few questions after which he gave me my passport and asked the woman to let me in. Soon, formalities were completed and we took off.

But if a Malay officer saved me from the trouble of the Chinese woman in Kuala Lumpur, he was not there to do so in Singapore. A bigger trouble was waiting for me at the Singapore airport. After disembarking from the plane we went for the Immigration check. But unlike other passengers whose passports were checked and endorsed, I was singled out and asked to follow a young man. The young man led me to a room, showed me a chair and asked me to wait. I had no choice. After some time he came back and asked me what brought me to Singapore. I told him and he said it was alright and left. He then kept coming at irregular intervals and repeating the same question in different ways and I patiently responded. As I sat there with no one to talk to and only my travelling bag with me I kept wondering what that room was meant for. Was it a cell? It didn’t look like one. But what offence did I commit to be put into a cell? Definitely, I thought, there must be a camera in that room by which my movement was being monitored from another place in the airport. May be I had an explosive in my underwear and I will use the opportunity to prepare it. Or probably there was a new method different from the one used by my brother in the US. But it will be foolish for them to think a smart terrorist will so easily fall into their trap. In any case, I didn’t know what they were up to, so I kept waiting.

After about one hour, my patience began to wane. I was very angry and I began to think of the way out. Many options came to my mind and for each option I weighed the consequences. One of the options I considered was to slap that stupid boy the next time he came and asked a silly question. But that will be too silly of you! I said to myself. It will just present you as another terrorist. Note that you are not in your country and what the Singaporeans tell the world is what everyone will believe. Back in Nigeria you don’t have a Government that cares for its citizens. Even in Nigeria, a foreigner can disgrace you and get away with it if has more connections, what more of a distant foreign land like Singapore? Your blood is not thicker than that of Samira Adamu who was killed in cold blood in far away Belgium and if not for the support of Africans in Diaspora no one will even know her story. In your own case you don’t have a strong Diaspora here or in neighboring Malaysia that will follow up to make sure that justice is done to you. Even in your university, Nigerian students are looking at one another as Hausa and Yoruba instead of fellow Nigerians.

With those thoughts, I dropped the idea of violence, but even as I was considering other options, the young man came in. “so what brought you to Singapore?” he asked. “Conference”, I answered, this time angrily. He said, “Okay, okay” and left. My thoughts then continued. Perhaps I should go back to Malaysia. When this boy comes in I will just tell him that I was no longer interested in going into Singapore and they should allow me to join the next flight back to Kuala Lumpur. But, when is the next flight? Perhaps in several hours time or the next day? Where are you going to stay? In this room? In a hotel? Do you think they will allow you to go to a hotel? Note that you have to give them a good reason for changing your mind about attending the conference.

That is how I continued thinking of one option after another until I finally said to myself, “Look the problem with you is that you have become angry and the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised you against anger. Don’t you remember the instance at which a man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and sought for advice and the prophet told him not to get angry and even after repeating the request several times the advice remained the same?”

With this hadith, I calmed down and the anger went away. I began to smile in my heart and soon I realized that there was also a smile on my face. So when next the young gentleman came in I was already smiling and ready to answer any question, no matter how silly, correctly. To my surprise he gave me back my passport and said, “You can go”. Yes, I could go, and with the smile on my face I ran into the big city of Singapore. 

HOW THE BIAFRANS LOST ME

Nigeria is 101 years old or is it 55? The story of Nigeria as we were told in school is that some white men called Britons came and overpowered our great grandparents to establish what they called Northern and southern protectorates. After sometime, specifically in 1914, the two protectorates were merged to form what is now called Nigeria. The country was given its name by the wife of one of her colonial masters who ruled her up to 1960 when it was declared independent. Independence meant the colonial masters will leave but all the structures they established including their language, their laws, Nigeria itself, etc. will remain unchanged. That is exactly what happened. Immediately they left there was a series of political crises that led to a self-declared secession by one of its constituent regions to form another country called Biafra. This led to a bloody thirty months civil war. The war began the year I was born and ended when I was still a baby. Thus, what I know about the Nigerian civil war and the crises that led to it is what I was told either by those who wrote on it or people who were there when it happened.

But right from my childhood, not any of the Nigerians who told me the story of Biafra found it easy. The questions I always asked were intimidating for any Nigerian nationalist. For example, what sin had Ojukwu and his people committed to warrant the reaction they got from Nigerians? If a wife who loved her husband at the time of marriage turns back one day and says she no longer loves the man and declares him an enemy, is it not in his own interest to part with her? Only a foolish man will be sleeping on the same bed with his enemy and calling her his wife. Now, what of if the marriage was imposed on them in the first place? The people who came to this part of the world and colonized us did not have our interest at heart. Their mission was to plunder our resources and reduce us to their perpetual slaves that we have become. That is why they did not consider our diversity before the 1914 amalgamation.

Another question I always asked was whether Ojukwu was interested in taking any part of the North or West along with him to form his new country or he was simply interested in going his way along with his own people. The answers I got were not convincing enough for me to hate Biafra. This is even more so after I read some of his speeches which did not indicate any desire on the part of the Biafrans to take any part of the Nigerian territory.

Now, did Ojukwu have the support of his people? The frank discussions I had with many Igbos later in my life showed that majority of the Igbos were with Ojukwu in the Biafran struggle. But if they were not sure, why did our leaders not organize a referendum? This is another question I have always asked. Or since Nigerians love religion, is there any portion of the Quran or Bible which says Nigeria as created by the British must continue to remain “a single indivisible entity” as the politicians always put it? Many questions without answers, and when you get the answers they are always funny.

Thus right from the beginning of my life I have always seen south easterners as a cheated people, a people forced to be the citizens of a country against their wish and all that I needed to openly declare my support for the Biafran struggle, even as a core northerner, was a transparently honest and sustained struggle by them for their cause. Unfortunately this has not been the case. Recent happenings have left no one in doubt about the evil motives of those struggling for the establishment of the nation of Biafra. The reasons are not farfetched.

The Biafran agitators have not been consistent. The intensity of their struggle depends on the Government in power. If the person in charge is one of their own, there is no Biafra; when they lose out, the struggle for independence begins. This is not the trait of a sincere people struggling for freedom. In fact, the direct opposite is supposed to be the case. For example, since the end of the Nigerian civil war the Igbos had never had it politically rosy like they did during the last PDP administration. The president was half-Igbo; at least his middle name is Igbo. The SGF was an Igbo man; the powerful Finance minister was Igbo. The Army chief was also from that tribe. In short, Nigeria was ruled by the Igbos. If the Igbos were honestly interested in innocuously going their way, there was no better time to agitate and in fact maneuver a referendum. However, what we saw was the polarization of Nigerians along ethnic and religious line by the Government and an approving silence from those currently calling for secession.

My sympathy for the Biafrans was completely obliterated in Onitsha last week. There was what was supposed to be a demonstration to further the struggle for freedom. Even if the demonstration was to be violent, the primary target would have been Nigerian symbols. However, what we saw was destruction of Islamic places of worship and property belonging to private entrepreneurs. The question here is, assuming Nigerians let go of Biafrans and allowed them to have a separate nation, what would be the fate of Muslims in the new country? Even in Israel which is a country built on race, there are provisions for minority. However, the message we got from Biafran agitators was that there will be no provision for mosques in the new country. Biafrans who would be interested in worshipping the Islamic way must go on exile to do so. Another thing to ask is whether there will be provision for foreign investors in the new country. Absolutely NO. That is the message from Biafrans. Or perhaps if there is going to be a foreign investment it must not come from any of the neighboring countries like Nigeria. The Dangote that is invited by almost all African countries will not be welcome in the new country.

My final question here is what should I do? Should anyone expect me to continue to have the same feeling for the Biafrans that I had before? Certainly no. The Biafrans have lost my lifetime sympathy and potential support. If there is any war, I will be on the Nigerian side.

HIJAB IN NYSC ORIENTATION CAMPS

Over the past several days there have been active discussions in social media on the use of hijab in NYSC orientation camps. The discussions followed an incidence that occurred in one of the camps. A Muslim youth corper wore a ‘long’ hijab and was consequently beaten by an Army officer. The NYSC authorities did not deny it and immediately redeployed the officer and according to the Director-General of the NYSC, more punishment will follow. How far that is true remains to be seen. My intention here is to look at the issue from a Muslim observer’s point of view.

Hijab is the dress stipulated by Islam for a Muslim woman when she is to appear before men who do not belong to the category of male relations known as maharim. The dress may be of any colour but it must satisfy certain conditions. In the first place, it must not be transparent. Second, it must cover all parts of her body in such a way that her shape is not revealed. The hijab must not resemble any dress known to be exclusively used by men and should not be attractive. A dress that portrays a woman as a follower of another religion is also not allowed just like any dress that depicts arrogance. By this, therefore, the so-called ‘short hijab’ that exposes the shape of the lower parts of a lady does not qualify as a proper hijab.

Opponents of the use of proper hijab by Muslim corpers have expressed different kinds of arguments. One of them is that Nigeria is a secular state and the use of hijab by Muslim corpers will depict it as an Islamic state. Another argument is that the NYSC camp is a paramilitary camp and since women in paramilitary agencies like immigration and Customs do not use long hijab, it is wrong for Muslim lady corpers to be allowed to use same. Another argument expressed in a Newspaper editorial is that the NYSC has never allowed the use of long hijab and what the DG has done is simply to continue with what he has met.

To start with, the meaning of the secularists’ argument is that since Nigeria is a secular country, no one is allowed to practice his/her religion. If that is the case, then all churches and mosques should be demolished and Nigerians should become pagans. What this group of people do not understand is that hijab is an integral part of a practicing Muslim life and Muslim women who use hijab are happier in it and do not use it for any other reason than the satisfaction of a religious requirement.

To compare the NYSC with paramilitary agencies is not acceptable. While women who apply to serve in paramilitary outfits have by implication accepted not to use proper hijab, following a degree or a HND programme does not imply that a Muslim woman has accepted to remove her hijab. The implication of the continuation of the ban on proper hijab is that Muslim women who insist on practicing this religious obligation are denied access to employment in their own country. It is noteworthy that completion of NYSC is a requirement for employment and admission into postgraduate programmes in Nigeria.

Perhaps the most laughable of all arguments is the one stating that since the wrong practice of banning proper hijab has been on for a long time, the wrong thing should continue to be. Even if the ban on the use of hijab were a written law, there is nothing wrong in taking it back to the National assembly to repeal it the moment it is discovered that the law denies a section of Nigerians the right to practice what they believe.

In effect, therefore, the issue of ‘long hijab’ is never dead as claimed in some quarters and can only die with Islam. The best thing to do, therefore, is to solve it once and for all. Certain steps can be taken in this direction. For instance, why must men and women be combined in the same camp if they must all participate in paramilitary activities? If those of us who participated in NYSC orientation before are to speak with honesty, we will say that the kind of immoralities that take place on NYSC orientation camps are not compatible with the basic teachings of Islam and we do not expect a decent and respectful Muslim woman to give in simply because she wants an employment or the rest of us to keep quite because we don’t want to be accused of being extremists. Another question is that must the women take part in those activities? The NYSC can do justice to this problem by making paramilitary activities optional for women.

If the NYSC cannot be creative in providing a solution, my expectation is that the Government will come in and provide justice for the Muslim ladies that are yearly being harassed in the name of serving their country. It is well known that justice is the only panacea for peace and when people cannot get justice in peace they resort to violence. It is needless to state that religion is a volatile issue for which many Nigerians are ready to kill and die as demonstrated in the past. The continuous silence of Muslim leaders on this issue does not help matters. I cannot imagine a Christian lady being molested anywhere in Nigeria in the name of religion and the Christian Association of Nigeria keeping mum simply because she is not a daughter of CAN President or a Christian VIP. This is how the Emirs who are the leaders of both JNI and SCIA have continued to lose their respect in the eyes of public because of their selective approach to issues that affect Muslims.

ALLAH’S FIRE IS FIERY (I)

Never! He will certainly be thrown into hutama (the crushing fire). And what may let you know what the crushing fire is? It is Allah’s kindled fire, that will peep into the hearts. It will be closed on them. In outstretched columns. (Q 104: 4-9).

This is the punishment set aside for the class of unbelievers who backbite, hurl insults and anyone who accumulates wealth without giving out the poor due. Such people will be accomodated in hutama which is a fire that belongs to Allah.

Hutama is just one of the seven levels of hell fire with which Allah will punish sinners on the day of judgement. According to Ibn Juraij, the levels of hell are Jahannam, which is the topmost, just below it is Ladha, followed by Hutama, Sa’ir, Saqar, Jahim  and Hawiya in that order. These levels are referred to as gates elsewhere meaning that each level has a gate through which will enter a specific class of sinners.  Narrating the convesation that took place between Allah and Iblis after the latter refused to follow the devine instruction to prostrate to Adam (alaihissalam), Allah says:

Verily my servants are such that you have no power over them except those of the deviators who will follow you. And hellfire  is the promised place for them all. It has seven gates. For each gate there is a group apportioned from them. (Q15: 42-44)

As to which group of sinners will occupy which level of Allah’s fire, it is agreed by all scholars that Muslim sinners will be on the topmost level which is the least horrific. The least of them in punishment is the one whose feet shall be barely touching fire but whose brain shall be boiling from the heat. The hypocrites will occupy the lowest stratum. (Q4:145). The five levels in between shall be occupied by different categories of non-believers.

Since hell fire is beyond human reach, the only single way of getting its description is divine revelation. The nature of Allah’s fire including its fuel, different types of punishment, the level of heat, nature of chains, size, food and drinks of its inmates have all been described in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

The fuel of hell fire is human beings and stones. Allah says, “…guard yourselves against fire, the fuel of which will be men and stones. It has been prepared for disbelievers” (Q2:24). In another verse Allah says, “O you who believe, save yourselves and your families from a fire, the fuel of which is human beings and stones, appointed on which are angels, stern and severe, who do not disobey Allah in what He orders them and do whatever they are ordered to do.

Different types of punishments have been reported in the Hadith by Samurah bn Jundub (May Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) very often used to ask his Companions, "Do any one of you has seen a dream?'' So dreams would be narrated to him by those whom Allah willed to relate. One day he (PBUH) said, "Last night I had a vision in which two men (angels) came to me and woke me up and said to me, `Proceed!' I set out with them and we came across a man lying down, and behold, another man was standing over his head, holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man's head, smashing it. When he struck him, the stone rolled away and he went after it to get it, and no sooner had he returned to this man, his head was healed and restored to its former condition. The thrower (of the rock) then did the same as he had done before. I said to my two companions, `Subhan-Allah! Who are these?' They said: `Proceed, proceed.' So we proceeded and came to a man lying in a prone position and another man standing over his head with an iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and tear off that side of his face to the back (of the neck), and similarly tear his nose from front to back, and his eyes from front to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man's face and did just as he has done with the first side. He had hardly completed that (second) side when the first returned to its normal state. I said to my two companions, `Subhan-Allah! Who are these?' They said, `Proceed, proceed.' So we proceeded and came across something like a Tannur (a kind of baking oven, a pit usually clay-lined for baking bread).'' I (the narrator) think the Prophet (PBUH) said, "In that oven there was much noise and voices.'' The Prophet (PBUH) added, "We looked into it and found naked men and women, and behold, a flame of fire was reaching to them from underneath, and when it reached them they cried loudly. I asked, `Who are these?' They said to me, `Proceed, proceed.' And so we proceeded and came across a river.'' I (the narrator) think he said, "-- red like blood.'' The Prophet (PBUH) added, "And behold, in the river there was a man swimming, and on the bank there was a man who had collected many stones. Behold, while the other man was swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter (on the bank) threw a stone into his mouth whereupon he went swimming again. Then again he (the former) returned to him (the latter), and every time the former returned, he opened his mouth, and the latter threw a stone into his mouth, (and so on) the performance was repeated. I asked my two companions, `Who are these?' They replied, `Proceed, proceed.' And we proceeded till we came to a man with a repulsive appearance, the most repulsive appearance you ever saw a man having! Beside him there was a fire, and he was kindling it and running around it. I asked my two companions, `Who is this (man).' They said to me, `Proceed, proceed!' So we proceeded till we reached a garden of deep green dense vegetation, having all sorts of spring colours. In the midst of the garden there was a very tall man, and I could hardly see his head because of his great height, and around him there were children in such a large number as I have never seen! I said to my two companions, `Who is this?' They replied, `Proceed, proceed.' So we proceeded till we came to a majestic, huge garden, greater and better than any garden I have ever seen! My two companions said to me, `Ascend up' and I ascended up.'' The Prophet (PBUH) added, "So we ascended till we reached a city built of gold and silver bricks, and we went to its gate and asked (the gatekeeper) to open the gate, and it was opened; and we entered the city and found in it men with one side of their bodies as handsome as the most handsome person you have ever seen, and the other side as ugly as the ugliest person you have ever seen! My two companions ordered those men to throw themselves into the river. Behold, there was a river flowing across (the city), and its water was like milk in whiteness. Those men went and threw themselves in it and then returned to us after the ugliness (of their bodies) had disappeared, and they came in the best shape.'' The Prophet (PBUH) further added, "My two companions said to me: `This place is the `Adn Jannah, and that is your place.' I raised up my sight, and behold, there I saw a palace like a white cloud! My two companions said to me, `That palace is your place,' I said to them, `May Allah bless you both! Let me enter it.' They replied, `As for now, you will not enter it, but you shall enter it (one day).' I said to them, `I have seen many wonders tonight. What does all that mean which I have seen?' They replied, `We will inform you: As for the first man you came upon, whose head was being smashed with the rock, he is the symbol of the one who studies the Qur'an and then neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting the enjoined prayers. As for the man you came upon, whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells lies that are spread all over the world. And those naked men and women whom you saw in a construction resembling an oven, they are the adulterers and the adulteresses. And the man who was given a stone to swallow is the eater of Ar-Riba (usury), and the bad-looking man whom you saw near the fire, kindling it and going around it, is Malik, the gatekeeper of Hell, and the tall man you saw in the garden is (Prophet) Abraham, and the children around him are those who died upon Al-Fitrah (the Islamic Faith of Monotheism).''' The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet (PBUH) , "O Messenger of Allah! What about the children of Al-Mushrikun (i.e., polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH))?'' The Prophet (PBUH) replied, "And also the children of Al-Mushrikun.'' The Prophet (PBUH) added: "My two companions added, `The men you saw half handsome and half ugly were these people who had mixed an act that was good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave them'.'' (Bukhari)