Preamble
Dear Nigerian Imams, in the name of Allah, The compassionate, The Merciful, with humility and due respect in the spirit of Islam, I hereby forward this open letter to you as a way of rubbing minds and comparing notes with you on matters of common interest. In terms of age, knowledge, experience of life and charisma, I may not be qualified to tutor you on Islam. And this letter is not meant to do that. But the dynamism of this divine religion of ours is such that no one has any monopoly of either knowledge or piety, no matter his age or experience. And no one can evidently claim to possess purer soul and conduct than those of his fellow Muslims. Only Allah knows and can identify His true servants and reward them accordingly. This is manifest in Qur’an 49 verse 13 where He says: “We have created you (human beings) as males and females. And ‘We have’ classified you into nations and tribes that you may interact with one another. Surely, the most dignified among you before Allah are those who are most pious”.
The Message
‘THE MESSAGE’ column as a reminder on Islamic matters does not ascribe any authority to itself. But in the process of comparing notes we may jointly find a clue to the problem we want to diagnose here. Two major issues jointly form the subject matter of this letter. One is the Qur’anic schools in Nigeria. The other is the Mosque affairs. The two are closely interrelated.
You will recall Sirs, that Islam first reached some parts of what is now call Nigeria in the 11th century CE. That was over 1000 years ago when no one could have dreamt of a country to be called Nigeria. Even the colonialists who caused the emergence of Nigeria as a country were, at that time, still wallowing in blatant ignorance as they foraged wildly and aimlessly in the darkness of life. It took 500 years after the arrival of Islam before Christianity came to Nigeria in the 16th century. Today, if the two religions are compared in terms of education and material progress in this country, one will be found obviously ahead of the other by far. As a matter of fact, it will seem as if Christianity preceded Islam in Nigeria by 500 years. There is a fundamental question here not yet asked let alone answered. Where did things begin to go wrong for the Nigerian Muslims?
It is only logical that a question like this is asked at this stage before any answer can be provided. From a Yoruba adage we learn that “when a kid falls he looks forward to someone who will lift him up. But when an adult falls, he looks backwards to see the cause of his fall”. After over 1000 years in Nigeria, Islam is eminently qualified to be called an adult. Thus we can jointly look back to see where things started going wrong if we sincerely adhere to Islam as we often claim.
If the past generations of Nigerian Muslims did not ask the above question, it wasn’t because they lacked intellect or foresight. Even if they had asked such question, their hindrance would have been lack of wherewithal to answer it effectively. They could therefore be pardoned. The circumstances in which they embraced Islam and practiced it were quite different from those of today. That they even stood firmly by Islam in those days at all, despite the implacable persecutions and segregation they faced was an impeccable testimony to their steadfastness in faith.
Unlike Christianity which was escorted down by its European propagators and strengthened by the colonialists after assuming power, Islam only migrated to Nigeria unaccompanied. That it emerged a force to be reckoned with was only due to the grace of Allah through the 18th century great Jihad of Usman Dan Fodio. Nothing encouraged that great scholar to embark on the Jihad more than education. It should be remembered that both Usman Dan Fodio and his son (Muhammad Bello) made such complex linguistic, theological, scientific and legal studies that the one had 93 books to his credit while the other had 97.
Intellectual encounter
It is also on record that Hugh Clapper-ton, a British colonial agent, once had an interesting intellectual encounter with Sultan Muhammad Bello, in 1824. After the encounter, Clapper-ton had to admit thus: “He (Muhammad Bello) continued to ask me several other theological questions, until I was obliged to confess myself not sufficiently versed in religious subtleties to resolve these knotty points”.
And when Clapper-ton returned to Sokoto two years later (1826) and presented Bello with a complete copy of Arabic Euclid he was shocked to learn that his host already possessed one. (Euclid is an ancient geometry book of 13 volumes named after its Greek originator).
Literacy in Nigeria
When the Europeans first came to this territory in the 16th century the north was the only part of what is now called Nigeria that was literate. And that was because Islam had reached that part of the country since the 11th century with its Arabic literacy. The English colonialists confirmed this on their arrival in Nigeria in the 19th century. And that was why they were much more cautious in their dealings with the northerners than they were with the southerners.
That the colonialists did not retain Arabic literacy in the north was due to the fact that they did not understand that language and could not communicate with it. If they had not ignored Arabic literacy, the north would not have been perceived as backward literarily today by the south. At least by 1919 when the south was just beginning to embrace literacy, the north already had about 25000 schools where students were taught various subjects in Arabic language.
Education in Nigeria today
Today, however, almost 70% of Nigerian Christians are conveniently lettered either in English which is the official language of Christianity in this country or in their vernacular languages through the Roman alphabets. That has enabled them to translate the Bible into over 20 Nigerian languages.
But on the contrary, less than 10% of Nigerian Muslims can be said to be competently familiar with Arabic literacy. And without adequate literacy in Arabic language, there can be no thorough understanding of Islam which is the total way of life for any serious Muslim. Today, despite the age of Islam in Nigeria and the population of the Muslims, the Qur’an has just been translated into less than ten Nigerian languages. Even that was only possible because the initiators of those translations were well educated in the language of the Qur’an.
Many Muslims who passed through the Qur’anic schools in Nigeria and claim to have graduated (through celebration of Walimah) end up being serious embarrassments to Islam.
Problem of Qur’anic Schools
The problem of Qur’anic schools in Nigeria is not just about faulty curriculum but also about primordial teaching methodology.
In the Western conventional schools, children are not only first taught the language of learning, they are also encouraged to stay and learn in those schools even as friendly environments are created for them. They are encouraged to wear neat and attractive school uniforms. They are provided with toys and other play materials which can endear them to learning in those schools. The teachers do not only advise parents to feed their wards before coming to schools or give them food to eat in school but also encourage the pupils to maintain good hygiene while eating. Thus, the pupils always want to be in schools. And whatever they are taught becomes the gospel truth which no one else can easily alter in them. Most of those pupils grow up in life to become greater than their teachers because the foundation of their learning is very solid and formidable.
This is not the case with Qur’anic schools which children of nowadays find abhorrent. Parents whose children attend both conventional and Qur’anic schools may ask those children to compare and contrast. If Muslim children could tolerate the inadequacies of the Qur’anic schools in the past it was simply because they had no alternative. The same cannot be said of now. That is why the population of children in Qur’anic schools has dwindled so tremendously.
Role of Language in Education
Language has a prima facie factor of any culture is a sine qua non in education. A culture not entrenched in a language is only bidding its time. Islam is a foremost culture with a foremost language. But with due apology, the attitude of some of you (Imams) and the clerics you appoint as custodians of the Qur’anic schools have virtually changed the colour and the taste of Islam as a culture in Nigeria. Rather than being an attractive place of learning, Qur’anic schools have been turned into scaring centres for our children. And only a very few of those children will willingly want to attend Qur’anic schools. The result is that no seriousness is attached to those schools in our society any longer. We all know the long term repercussion of this.
Ironically, the method of teaching introduced in Nigeria by the colonialists was copied from the Muslims who standardized education in the world. The only addition made to that method by the Westerners is monetization of knowledge through emphasis on certification of education.
Qur’anic Teaching Methodology
It is rather inconceivable that the so-called Qur’anic teachers would cultivate a short cut to Islamic education by teaching the children from the peak. This is generally influenced by the pecuniary gain accruing to those clerics from Walimah.
Qur’an is the epic literature in Arabic language. It is the encyclopedia of Islam. It is not meant for recitation alone. It is the final source of researches in all fields of learning for those who know its value. To be able to recite or use Qur’an for any research, one needs to understand the language in which it is written which is Arabic. No one can meaningfully read and comprehend the Encyclopedia Britannica without understanding English language.
Perhaps the point needs to be made clear here that it is not compulsory that all Muslims should understand Arabic before they can recite the Qur’an. But anybody who wants to claim authority in Islamic knowledge must, of necessity, be able to read, write and comprehend Arabic language very well.
Translation
There can never be any true translation of a language to another language without sacrificing some elements of the originality of the mother language. This is where the error lies in the current methodology of teaching the Qur’an to Nigerian children by Nigerian clerics. Children’s brain is like a rock upon which a mark is made. Return to that rock many centuries later and you will still find the mark intact.
In Islam, Qur’an is the Glass House in which the Muslims’ minds reside. The foundation of that house is Arabic language. Without understanding Arabic it is impossible to comprehend any literature written in Arabic, be it the Qur’an or Hadith. The best that can be achieved in such a circumstance is to memorize some parts of the Qur’an and base it understanding on hearsay or translated documents.
Summary
The summary here is that no education can be correctly imparted to any school child with the teaching of encyclopedia as a first course. As a matter of fact, a good teacher does not need to teach his or her pupils the contents of an encyclopedia. Just teach those pupils the language in which the encyclopedia is written and they will do the rest on their own at the appropriate time. That is what prompted the late Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory to establish the famous institute of Arabic and Islamic education (Agege) called MARKAZ in 1952. The indefatigable sage had also gone through the old system which he later found to be a cog in the wheel of Islamic education in Nigeria. He therefore traveled to Egypt for proper Islamic education and methodology of teaching despite his meager resources then. His intention was to pave way for millions of Nigerians and other Africans who might genuinely aspire to become Islamic scholars. Today, this columnist, being an alumnus of that great institute, is one of the beneficiaries of that blessed effort. The full story of MARKAZ will be published in this column in the near future ‘in sha’A llah’.
Review of Qur’anic education
To endure in Nigeria, Qur’anic education will need a serious review by no other forum than yours (Nigerian Imams). The children attending Qur’anic schools must be made to see its value. The environment of learning must be made conducive for those children. The teachers in charge must be humane in conduct and in thought. The methodology of teaching must be made attractive to the learning pupils. Emphasis must be laid on language at the initial stage to enable the pupils know the meaning of what they are learning. Reading and writing assignments must be given to those pupils constantly. The idea of Walimah is not bad but it must be de-emphasized to reduce the impression that Qur’anic schools are mostly about Walimah for the benefit of Qur’anic teachers. Instead, premium must be placed on building total Muslims rather than just Qur’an readers.
Memorisation of the Qur’an
Memorization of the Qur’an is very laudable but knowing the meaning and the Islamic application of what is memorized should be giving priority. There must be close and lively interaction between the teachers and the pupils. A good arrangement must be made for teachers of Qur’anic schools to be reasonably remunerated. Periodic excursions to places of Islamic interest should be arranged for the pupils to boost their orientation and to expose them islamically. There should be inter-Qur’anic schools’ quiz competitions, debates and sports. Children of Qur’anic schools must look neat and decent in appearance.
By the time all these measures are effectively taken the dwindling population of pupils in Qur’anic schools in Nigeria would have evidently become a part of history. And the fading interest in Qur’anic education would have been adequately rekindled. As for the Mosque affair which is the second leg of this letter, please watch out for it in this column in the near future God willing.
