The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Muslims

  • Edo Muslims: Mixing facts with fictions

    Edo State is entering a very peculiar stage in its political history. It is therefore expected that over the next few weeks or months, individuals and groups will, for partisan reasons, find it convenient to be biased in addressing issues of common interest. Indeed, as the race to replace incumbent governor, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, whose tenure winds up on Friday, November 11, heats up, stake holders will up the ante with antics deliberately designed to take the wind off the sail of their rivals’ ships. And without any doubt, the battle will be no-hold bared where ordinary onlookers will hardly be able to differentiate facts from jaundiced claims. It has begun in earnest as a faceless Muslim group took a full page advertorial in The Nation of Monday, January 25. In the said publication, the group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to save Muslims in the state from what it termed the Oshiomhole’s ‘…orgy of political repression and marginalization’. But a peep through the content reveals that the claim is a cocktail of falsehood deliberately orchestrated to turn a section of the populace against the governor.

    The first indication that the group is a front for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is its description of the governor, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. Besides referring to the state as an empire, it addressed the governor as an emperor, a unique description which fits aptly into the vocabulary of its chairman, the very loquacious Chief Dan Orbih. It is simply a proxy fight in the visage of the biblical hand of Esau, voice of Jacob.

    Ordinarily, the group made some weighty allegations that are worthy of attention. It however, messed them up with factual errors. For instance, it accused the administration of deliberately denying them of any worthwhile position in the cabinet, particularly in the distribution or appointment of commissioners. In its words, “When Adam Eric Aliyu Oshiomhole came to office, there was high expectation in the Ummah that he was going to reverse the trend of our under representation and low visibility in sensitive and key positions in government. This hope was immediately dashed when he constituted his first cabinet of over 18 commissioners without any visible Muslim presence. Only his friend, Abdul Oroh, made the list.”

    By interpretation, the group’s assumption is that Oroh lost his identity as a Muslim because he made the list not on the strength of the group’s recommendation but on his fraternal or personal relationship with the governor.

    While it is not very imperative to contest any claim by the group, one is however, constrained to point out its factual errors with regards to the number of Muslims in the governor’s cabinet. The truth is that though all of them are not commissioners, some of them can be said to be his eyes and ears. A few of them include his Private Principal Secretary, the very quiet and unassuming power broker, who took over from the late Olaitan Oyerinde, incidentally another Muslim, and Alhaji Mikano Kadiri, Special Adviser/Principal Security Officer, who commands such influence in the administration that no one can afford to ignore him. Others are Kassim Afegbua, his equally influential former Special Adviser, Media and Public Affairs, now information commissioner, Hajia Maimunat Momodu, Executive Director, Special Duties, Abdulahi Imhodagbe, Executive Director, Governor’s Office, Hajia Bilikisu, Executive Director, SACA, and Alhaji Abu, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the State Government. The list is endless. Simply put, it is callous and wicked for anyone to deliberately turn facts on their heads all in an attempt to maliciously plant seeds of discord among the populace.

    The group also claimed that the state government denied it the use of the Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium but conveniently excluded the fact that national security agencies provided the information that labelled its intended event as unhealthy for public safety. They also forgot that as the chief security officer in the state, the governor is duty bound to act decisively to forestall any breakdown of law and order, a reason for which he may have acted the way he reportedly did. Instead, it employed the so-called denial as an excuse to justify its scandalous accusation against him. They added that besides openly insulting and branding all Muslims in the state as “miscreants and thieves”, he went the extra mile of not sparing the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, who incidentally is the President General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA. Unfortunately, it failed to establish how the governor insulted the revered Sultan.

    Rather than admit that its claims are mere attempts to whip up damaging emotions against the governor, the group went on to accuse him of gathering and sharing N3 million of state funds to Muslim leaders on January 16, arguably to correct the mistake of preventing the group from using the stadium facility to discuss its numerous plights. But any cursory observer can tell that its sole aim is to take advantage of some fortuitous events and mischievously paint same as established rules designed by the governor to stifle the ambition of Muslim community in the state, one of which now includes the deputy governor slot in the next administration. Successfully, it squandered any public goodwill it may have envisaged.

    Yet, the group committed more blunders by presenting its case in a cocktail of mind blowing grammar obviously designed to impress readers. In one fell swoop, it alluded to the forlorn hope of its members in the state by claiming that they are “…sanguine that a lugubrious past was going to be consigned to the waste basket of history… But little did we know that our lacrimation was not going to come to an end…” as the condition Muslims found themselves remained a “Store house of mortification, denigration and suffocating misery” a reason for which they continued to “…remain luxated from all things of honour…”

    In order to be saved from what appears to be more than “… cruel mendacity…” it called on President Buhari to “…kindly intervene to extricate the Muslims from the shackles of mortification”.

    Igodomigodo, the wordsmith and Chief Zebrudaya Okoligwe, the clown, must be going green with envy.

    • Omoarelojie writes from Benin.

  • Re – Hijab: Muslims against Muslims

    Preamble

    An article entitled ‘Hijab: “Muslims against Muslims” which appeared in this column penultimate Friday drew an unprecedented array of reactions from readers. A follow up to that article last Friday in this same column also attracted torrential reactions. Apparently, both articles struck the touchy parts of readers differently. And their simultaneous reactions, accordingly confirmed that assertion.

    As mortal beings, we jointly live in a world of diverse ideas and experiences. It is not always that we see what we look. Some see without looking. Some look without seeing. But in the end, we all return to the natural fallibility that confirms our mortality. As a columnist, I take responsibility for whatever storm or calm that greeted both articles. And at the same time, I thank all who reacted to them positively or negatively. Allah knows best. Here we go:

     

    Reactions

    “….NACOMYO has made it categorically clear that hijab can never be separated from believing women, so banning hijab is banning the practice of Islam. The claim by the writer that the “the experience in the countries such as Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon where the spate of mass murder by bomb blasts concealed in Islamic dress in those countries went down tremendously, following the ban on certain types of hijab” cannot be substantiated because the gendarmerie in these countries are well equipped, up to the task and are up-and-doing to contain the insurgency. The role played by the Chadian armed forces in dealing Boko Haram in Nigeria, before President Muhammadu Buhari took over, a deadly blow, cannot be over-emphasized. On January 12, Boko Haram still struck in northern Cameroon where 13 Muslim faithfuls were brutally killed by a man suicide bomber in a Mosque!

    NACOMYO has strong belief in the sincerity of the incumbent government to eradicate Boko Haram without banning hijab and we have seen the handwriting on the wall already. All what the government needs is our full support and vigorous prayers for its success in bringing the insurgency to a quick end, fighting corruption to a standstill as well as rejuvenation of Nigerian economy. Mallam Garba Shehu, the President’s Spokesman has officially denied the hijab ban, what’s more?

    Finally, NACOMYO advises the columnist, and his likes, to always use their pens to promote, defend, propagate Islam and educate non-Muslims about Islam rather than compromising the religion at any slight provocation. They should learn from the action of the only woman on the panel who successfully boxed the President to a tight corner on the issue of hijab. Her action seemed propelled by religious interest rather than by professional zeal…”

    Binyamin Yusuf, Secretary-General NACOMYO

     

    My dear brother Femi Abbas, after carefully going through your write up titled ‘Hijab: Muslims against Muslims’ and the barrage of reactions that awashed (sic) the social media from our Muslim brothers, I felt pity for you. Your follow up article titled: ‘The Message and ‘The Messenger’ however came as a relief and a justification for my caution against reacting in a hurry. What some of those reactions intended to do was to give you a public ridicule and disgrace. And that perhaps forced you to throw your background open, a thing you had never done in your 33 years of writing the same column. That shows that the motive was beyond the article they reacted to. But thank God, you have proved your intellectual worth and restored the confidence of your genuine readers by delivering the goods as expected of you. However, without those tendentious reactions most of your readers would not have known anything about your background and professional antecedent. Now, I am more strongly confident in ‘The ‘Message’ column. Please, ride on. God bless you.

    Jelili Adebare, Shaki, Oyo State

     

    Alhaji Femi Abbas, have you ever heard the story of the lion and the lamb? Both animals met at a stream where they went to drink water. On sighting the lamb, the lion greedily accosted her by alleging that the lamb was polluting the stream. The lamb said “it is not possible since I am drinking at the lower part of the stream and you (lion) are at the upper side”. The lion then said you want to abuse me again as you did here this time last year? The lamb replied that I had not been born this time last year. Then, the lion said if it wasn’t you, it must have been your mother. The wild cat thereafter pounced on the innocent lamb and made a meal of it. That is the parable of our brothers’ provocative reactions to your article even after you had effected correction. But I am not surprised as that is characteristic of new school Muslims in Nigeria today. Femi, just stand by Allah and He will stand by you always.

    Abdullah Musa Zubair. Kaduna

     

    Mallam Femi, reading through your article captioned ‘The Message’ and the Messenger’ last Friday, one could feel that you were worried. I don’t think there is anything to worry about. The duty of people who have little or nothing to offer the society is to disturb those who have societal value. You are not a local columnist and cannot be rubbished by local nuisance. With Allah’s tremendous endowment for you, such envious reactions ought to have been expected from time to time. Every success has a cost. Yours cannot be an exception. You should rejoice that the unwarranted attacks on you in the social media over your article on Hijab has turned out to be a booster and not a diminisher (sic) of your enviable image. Alhamdulillah. Please, throw the past behind you and continue your good work as usual. Allah will continue to guide and protect you.

    Suleiman Guruje, Abuja

     

    Alhaji Femi Abbas, the interruption brought into your column by the bitter critics of your article on hijab was not against you but against those of us who are regular readers of that column. Most of those who reacted did not read the article in question. Some of them called me to ask for your telephone number and email address both of which are constantly present in the head mast of your column. You will also notice that most of them could not even spell your name (Abbas) correctly. That will confirm to you the type of people you are dealing with. Ironically, most of those people who can be called new school in Islam had not been born by the time you started writing a column. I appeal to you to please concentrate on the wheat of your profession while you leave the chaff for the goats. Your quality will never diminish. Assalam alaikun.

    Salihu Fazazi, Auchi, Edo State

     

    Mallam Abbas, I have never met you in person, neither have I seen your photograph anywhere. But I want you to look at the appearance of the modern day propagators of Islam. When I read your article titled ‘The Message’ and ‘The Messenger’ my mind just quickly went to the young Muslim brothers who claim to be engaged in da’wah. Should any propagator of Islam be shabby? How can a shabby person win souls for Islam? Please, whenever you meet them take a second look at them. I am disgusted. These are the people who want us to see them as scholars. Does scholarship take away decency from a scholar? Islam is becoming something else in the hands of modern day Muslim scholars. We must do something about it. Please, lead us. God will give you all you need to lead.

    Shakirullah M. Haruna, Brinin-Kebbi, Kebbi State

     

    Ustadh Femi Abbas, I have followed very keenly the arguments for and against the ban on the use of Hijab or Burqah between you and some of your readers in your column. As usual, your detailed analysis of the origin and genesis of hijab is highly appreciated and by that analysis we are better educated. Those who are denying your claim and calling you names have not told us their own version of the history of that Islamic dress. We thank Allah that you inform and educate with your column without necessarily claiming to be a scholar. That is a mark of humility. May God increase your knowledge and your wisdom.

    Salim A. Abubakar, Dutse, Jigawa State   

     

    Mr. Femi Abbas, Reading your last Friday article was quite interesting. I had to quickly look for the one of the Friday before which warranted the writing of the second. My conclusion after reading both was that Nigerians generally acknowledge good work only posthumously. You know what that means? How many of those emergency critics are capable of writing Islamic columns of your standard? Ordinarily, there is nothing bad in calling your attention to an error. But when a handshake goes beyond the elbow, it becomes suspicious. Intention matters a lot. From the reactions I have read in the social media so far, it seems that most of the critics had been looking for an opportunity to attack you on something else which they have not yet disclosed. But don’t be bothered. It is all part of experience. We shall intensify our prayers to Allah to continue to provide you with long life and formidable protection and give us more men of your type. Remain blessed!

    Mubarak Ahmad Mubarak, Jos, Plateau State

     

    Alhaji Abbas, those who seized the opportunity of your error in the article on hijab to say you are rather a nonentity than a scholar, have their hidden agenda. Through what I read in their reactions, I discovered that they have redefined scholarship. To them, only people who know Hadith and Islamic history are qualified to be called scholars. They have made Hadith the primary source of Islamic Law. Even where the contents of the Qur’an evidently contradict their quoted Hadith, they stick to the latter. So, with Hadith, they can easily pronounce Hell in judgment over their victims. Other learned people, irrespective of the depth of their knowledge, cannot be scholars.

    That is why a person like you cannot be qualified for a scholar. It is a matter of blackmail. But if you join them today, you will automatically be recognised as a scholar. We are talking of the modern day diabolical scholars who must be seen as such to be able to exploit the Muslim Ummah. Rather than lifting Islam, these people have relegated the divine religion through dogmatism rather than dynamism which Islam stands for. Hijab is not the problem but those who are campaign for it. We must cooperate to rescue the situation. We cannot continue like this. God bless you.

    Adam Olajide Ojengbede, Ile-Ife, Osun State

     

    Ustadh Femi Abbas, for many years, we, the permanent readers of your column have benefited tremendously from the fountain of your knowledge and we are not idiots. We can easily distinguish between the wheat and the chaff. No emergency/extremist tutors can confuse us at this stage with strange tutelage like the one that bred Boko Haram insurgents. We know that life is sacred in Islam and anything that can lead to deliberate termination of lives unjustifiably must be avoided. Islam is neither a bloody religion nor a religion of nudism. Hijab is an ordained costume for Muslim women but it does not necessarily have to be Burqah or Khimar. That is the point you were making and we understand it very well. We are quite familiar with your writings and logic. Anybody can make a mistake. Your clarification in the second article should be reasonably comprehensible to any responsible Muslim who has no ulterior motive. We are satisfied. Let those who see religion as an instrument of mass murder separate their mode of worship from that of conventional Islam. No one can lure us into blind fanaticism.

    Bamidele Ibrahim, Ikare, Ondo State

     

    Assalam alaikum, you are always an enjoyable columnist and preacher of Islamic issues. May I advise you to compile your articles of about 33 years into a book form for the benefit of Muslims and to serve as a further means of reference. On issues of hijab, your explanation is well understood and should be acceptable to all. Ma salam.

    Hon. ADEYINKA Corsim, Osodi, Lagos

     

    I sincerely appreciate respected Alhaji Femi Abbas to have written this article; ‘The Message’ and ‘The Messenger’.  May Allah overlook our shortcomings.  I think we should all see it as a reminder that perfection and absoluteness are only for ALLAH especially as it clarifies his mistake by showing the missing link in the article which according to him, he had inadvertently omitted.

    “Banning Burqah rather than Hijab is not the same as banning Islam” was said to be the original draft and not “Banning Hijab is not the same as banning Islam”

    I implore all Muslims that we write a rejoinder to him appreciating his courage to accept his mistakes and show him genuine and increase love and concern. For me, I take your clarification as true and I apologise for any denial and or castigation you may have received on behalf my Muslim brothers and sisters. Regards.

    Akinfenwa Omolaja Akeem

     

    Ustadh Femi, We have problem. The issue here is not about hijab per se. We know hijab as a divinely ordained dress for Muslim women. Wearing it is not negotiable. But Islam, in our society today, is passing through a new trend that may be bigger and more dangerous than Boko Haram. Are you aware that our female children are now being waylaid by some modern day self-acclaimed scholars? These heretical scholars who evidently toe the line of the Taliban, ISIS and Al-Shabbab are out to destroy the lives of our female children. They do not only persuade them to withdraw from their University courses, they also marry them out through match making without the consents of their parents. They convince the innocent girls that once they attain the age of 18, they do not need their parents’ consents again to take decisions on issues including marriage. They then ask such girls to send some tins of condensed milk to their mothers as a replacement for the milk they had sucked from those mothers’ breasts at infancy.

    By the ‘Salafi’ philosophy of these ‘satanic scholars’, women are not supposed to work outside the confines of their matrimonial homes and therefore, they do not need any certificate. They also try to convince some young Muslim graduates to do away with their University degrees or forget about Al-Janna (Paradise). Some of such ‘scholars have even created special camps at which they indoctrinate their captives after hypnotising them.

    Please, Femi, use your powerful column to correct this terrible anomaly and educate Nigerian public about it before it is too late. Some parents who have fallen victim to this evil are still gnawing their teeth. Others must not become their victims again. And if you have female children especially in higher institutions please, monitor them very well. You have intellectually used your popular column for Nigerian Muslim Ummah in the past 33 years. Allah will reward you abundantly. But this is not the time to relent. Allah will help you as you are helping others. We need more information and education through your column.

    Sulaiman Olaoye Jubril, Lokoja, Kogi State.

  • Hijab: Muslims against Muslims

    Hijab: Muslims against Muslims

    Preamble

    Controversy is a Nigerian. It occupies a delicate but vintage position in the hearts of most citizens and revolves incessantly around trivial matters often to the detriment of serious and meaningful issues. In no other country of the world does controversy thrive as much as it does in Nigeria. Nigerians take pride in the vainglory offishing out controversy even where it serves no purpose. When public controversy in Nigeria is not about politics, it may be about tribe or religion or gender. If this country is most qualified for any adorable medal it is in the realm of controversy.

    Through such controversies certain peculiar vocabulary such as tribalism, nepotism, marginalisation, ‘islamisation’and annulment often surface.

     

    The current controversy

    Currently, another controversy is raging in the country.It is about an allegedly proposed ban on the Muslim women attire called Hijab.

    Incidentally, this controversy is between the Nigerian Muslim community and the Federal Government on the one hand and within the Muslim community on the other. Some Muslims are alleging that the Federal Government is planning to ban the wearing of hijab by Muslim women and are therefore calling on President Muhammadu Buhari not to dare it as such action may entail serious implications.

    Ironically, some other Muslims believe that the gross abuse to which hijab is subjected(especially by Boko Haram vandals) as well as the embarrassment which such abuse constitutes to Islam has long warranted the ban on hijab.

    In the melee, a fierce controversy has ensued between both sides.Thus,some Muslim groups and individuals have taken to the internet to sensitise the Nigerian Muslim Ummah on the need to counter the alleged proposal with a view to preempting the Federal Government from turning such allegation into a reality.

     

    Proposal to ban Hijab

    What most Nigerians, especially Muslim agitators, do not seem to know is that the proposal to ban hijab did not emanate from the Federal Government of Nigeria. Rather,it came out of a security meeting held by the Presidents of West African countries otherwise called ECOWAS. And the reason for resorting to such a proposal is the well-known rampant and continuous mass killing of innocent people with bomb blasts by some devilish elements who callously use such dress to conceal the bombs.

    The proposal came up subsequent to the experience in countries such as Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon where the spate of mass murder by bomb blasts concealed in Islamic dress in those countries went down tremendously, following the ban on certain types of hijab.

    This experience came to confirm that the abuse of those female Muslim garments by some devilish elements in the society who are bent on decimating Islam by all means. It is the main cause of mass killing adopted by Boko Haram devils.

    However, despite the ban on those types of hijab, Muslim women in those countries still cover their heads as well as their bodies but not in the types of robe that can aid concealment of bombs. Besides, the three governors of the frontline states in the Boko Haram war (Adamawa, Bornu and Yobe) have also proposed the banning of the dress for the purpose of peace.

     

    What is Hijab?

    Linguistically, the Arabic word hijab means rein which is a kind of strap with which a domestic animal, such as horse, is cautioned against dangerous surge or unbridled aggression.

    Derivatively, hijab is a kind of scarf adopted in Islam for Muslim women to cover their heads as well as to protect the sensitive parts of their bodies against immoral or sensual exposure. This is to prevent any possible harassment or abuse to which immoral dressing easily subjects women in the society.

    By Islamic prescription, hijab is mostly meant for women who have attained the age of puberty. But younger women may wear it as a rehearsal in preparation for their attainment of puberty.

     

    Types of Hijab

    Although the general name by which this attire is known is hijab, there are other names according to the types designed draped and worn by various Muslim women in various countries and Muslim societies of the world. There are several types of this attire. For instance, in most Arab countries, it is either called Abayah (loose and flowing outer garment that covers the entire body from head to feet excluding the face) or Al-Amirah (which consists of a close fitting cap, usually made from cotton or polyester in form of an accompanying tube-like scarf) or Burqah (a complete cloak-like garment that covers the entire body including the head and the face) or Khimar (which is almost same as Burqah except for its exclusion of Niqab).

    Niqab is the special substance meant to cover the nose of a Burqah wearing woman. In short, the name depends on the pattern of sewing and the community in which it is worn.

    Meanwhile, the type of attire which the Boko Haram heretic group forces some women to conceal bomb in and which most Nigerians generally call hijab is either Burqah or Khimar or Abayah. These are the types banned in Niger, Chad and Cameroon which are also being proposed for banning in the entire West African region.

     

    Why do Muslim Women wear Hijab?

    Hijab is a dress of decency divinely prescribed for Muslim women to preserve their chastity and to ward off any indecent attraction that may cause public harassment for them or subject them to sexual abuse.See Quran 33 verse 59 which states thus in respect of hijab:

    “O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the wives of Muslim believers to clad themselves in their outer garments;that is more dignifying for them to be identified with so that they will not be harassed; Allah is most forgiving, Merciful”.

     

    Genesis of Hijab

    Long before the advent of Islam, hijab had been in use by women of various religions, including Jews, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Christians and Buddhists though it was called different names.

    Head cover (hijab) was globally regarded as a spiritual dress of dignity as women who wore it were accorded high level of respect. Today, as in the days of yore, each community has a name for it in consonance with its religion and language. For instance, it is called Chardon in Iran just as it is called Dupatta in Pakistan and Mukena or Selendang in Indonesia. In Malaysia, it is called Tudung or Kerudung. But Islam came to statutorily adopt it in the early 7th century as a peculiar identity for Muslim women in some countries in Asia and the Middle East, including Arabia.

    Hijab is not necessarily a combination of long garment plus scarf as designed in the mentioned countries. And Islam did not limit it to any particular design or colour. Other dignifying dresses like the type of “up and down” (Buba and Iro) type of attire worn decently by Nigerian Muslim women in the Northern and South Western parts of the country which do not expose their bodies in any way is equally qualified to be called hijab.

    It is rather unfortunate that some satanic forces have now turned the protective dress generally called hijab into an instrument of death by violence. But this is not quite strange since virtually every beneficial substance anywhere in the world today is satanically abused.

     

    History of Hijab

    Hijab reached the Arabian Peninsula from India via Persia (now Iran) several centuries before the advent of Islam. It was originally meant for the upper class people, such as princesses and wives of monarchs. But it later became a dress for all willing women when it was adopted by Islam not as a dress of class but as a respectable dress of chastity. Islam is not a religion of class. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was divinely mandated to preach the religion of peace to all and sundry. Thus, hijab as an adopted dress for Muslim women could not have been discriminatory as it used to be before the advent of Islam.

    Despite its adoption as an Islamic dress, the type of hijab designed and worn in some Muslim countries is not necessarily mandatory on all Muslim women. What is mandatory is decent dressing that keeps chastity and maintains fidelity. Every nation has its language and culture. Islam does not reject a particular language or culture except it contradicts any of its fundamental tenets. That is why Muslim women who wear either Burqah or Khimar are in the minority worldwide. A woman who does not wear Burqah or Khimar cannot be declared persona-non grata in Islam. As far as dressing in Islam is concerned, decency is the general norm.

     

    Implications of Banning Hijab

    Hijab, like any other decent dress is a matter of human right which no government can unilaterally ban. But if anything in Islam constitutes danger to human lives and constitutes threat to peace in a society, such a thing could be banned or suspended for the purpose of peace. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) showed a good example of this when he sacrificed a whole pillar of Islam (Hajj) for the purpose of peace in 628 CE. Six years after he was forced to migrate from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE, he decided to go on pilgrimage in Makkah following inspiration to perform Hajj that year.

     

    The Prophet’s Example

    Thus, accompanied by 1400 Muslim men and women who were fully dressed in Hajj regalia, the Prophet set out on pilgrimage in March 628 CE. The congregation had taken along with them all their needs including the rams they would slaughter. He had thought that the Meccans would respect the sacredness of the month and honour pilgrimage as customary in Makkah. But that assumption did not work.

    On getting information about the Prophet’s trip to Makkah for pilgrimage, the Meccans quickly assembled and sent a delegation to meet the him and his entourage on their way to Makkah to tell them that they would not be allowed to enter the city.

    Most of the Prophet’s companions were infuriated by that message from the Meccans and urged the Prophet to promptly declare a war. But the Prophet turned down such a request and rather asked the Meccans to come up for a treaty that would facilitate peace. Thus, each side set up a peace committee and they jointly resolved to put the treaty into writing.

    In the process of writing the treaty, the Meccans objected to any reference to the name of Muhammad (SAW) as a‘Prophetof Allah’. The Prophet’s Companions countered the objection and insisted on preceding Muhammad’s name with the word Prophet. But again, the Prophet calmed down his companions and agreed to the demand of the Meccans.

     

    The Clauses of the Treaty

    The contents of the treaty signed by the leaders were as follows:

    1. Both parties would cease hostilities for a period of ten years.
    2. The parties would not interfere with the free movement of one another.
    3. The Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah upon him) would return that year, but the Muslims would be permitted to enter Makkah the following year.
    4. Any Muslim man coming from the Quraysh to join the Muslims would be sent back, but any man going from the Muslims to Quraysh would not be sent back.
    5. Any tribes other than the Quraysh that wished to enter an alliance with Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah upon him) were free to do so, and any that wished to enter an alliance with the Quraysh were free to do so.

    By the contents of that treaty, the Muslims were prevented from performing that year’s Hajj which was to be the Prophet’s first Hajj. That showed the value of peace in Islam.But eventually, the treaty turned out to be a victory for Islam as it became an unprecedented catalyst for the propagation the religion.

     

    Conclusion

    If Prophet Muhammad (SAW) could go so far to ventilate the atmosphere for peace why can’t the Muslims of today follow suit?

    I am a Muslim who believes strongly in the use of Hijab by Muslim women. But considering the thousands of lives so far lost in Nigeria through the abuse of Islamic dress by some devilish elements one would think that Nigerian Muslims should show understanding and co-operate with the authorities on any reasonable measure that will stem the spate of killings without disrupting their mode of worship. Banning hijab is not the same as banning the practice of Islam. Life is sacred. And to worship, one needs to be alive. God bless Nigeria.

  • Don’t judge Islam with some Muslims’ misbehaviour, says don

    A senior lecturer at the department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof. Abdul – Hafiz Oladosu, has urged world leaders not to judge Islam from negative attitude of some Muslims.

    He spoke at the opening of the 100th edition of annual Islamic Vacation Course, IVC organised by Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria,  (MSSN), Southern Zone at the IVC permanent site, kilometre 30, Lagos /Ibadan Express way.

    Oladosu said the misbehaviour of some Muslims should not be used as a basis for judging what Islam really stands for.

    He said: ‘’It’s not Islam that should be held responsible for the misbehaviour of Muslims. The same way you don’t hold a car responsible when it has an accident. You need to question the driver and owner of the car.  Allah gave the religion of Islam to the Muslims. It is we the Muslims that we are misrepresenting the gift from Allah.  The world should try to read about Islam and not about Muslims. ‘’ he said

    He urged Muslims to find their way back  to the teachings of Islam so as not to allow the public to stigmatize Islam as a religion of trouble maker rather than religion of peace.

    The don also explained that the West could not be exonerated from the rising insecurity in the world.

    “ The gun and the bullet being used by ISIS is not manufactured in Iraq. It’s the West that produced the weapons being used by ignorant Muslims who believed that it is when they use it that they can achieve certain aims.  The West should stop this hypocritical posture. “

    National President of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Mallam Muhammad Jameel, urged the Federal Government  to disregard the banning of Islamic dress in the name of security as such would lead to denial of fundamental right to practice one’s religion.

  • Muslims, we have to critically review our understanding of Islam

    Word fall short to truly express my deep sadness and revolt in the face of the carnage perpetrated by terrorist groups such as the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

    I share profound frustration with a billion-and-a-half Muslims around the world at the fact that such groups commit terrorism while dressing up their perverted ideologies as religion. We Muslims have a special responsibility to not only join hands with fellow human beings to save our world from the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism, but also to help repair the tarnished image of our faith.

    It is easy to proclaim a certain identity in the abstract with words and symbols. The sincerity of such claims, however, can only be measured by comparing our actions with the core values of our self-proclaimed identities. The true test of belief is not slogans or dressing up in a certain way; the true test of our beliefs is in living up to core principles shared by all major world faiths such as upholding the sanctity of life and respecting the dignity of all humans.

    We must categorically condemn the ideology propagated by terrorists and instead promote a pluralistic mindset with clarity and confidence. After all, before our ethnic, national or religious identity comes our common humanity, which suffers a setback each time a barbaric act is committed. French citizens who lost their lives in Paris, Shiite Muslim Lebanese citizens who lost their lives in Beirut a day earlier and scores of Sunni Muslims in Iraq who lost their lives at the hands of the same terrorists are first and foremost human beings. Our civilization will not progress until we treat the suffering of humans regardless of their religious or ethnic identity as equally tragic in our empathy and respond with the same determination.

    Muslims must also reject and avoid conspiracy theories, which have so far only helped us avoid facing our social problems. Instead, we must tackle the real questions: Do our communities provide recruitment grounds for groups with totalitarian mindsets due to unrecognized authoritarianism within ourselves, domestic physical abuse, neglect of youth and lack of balanced education? Did our failure to establish basic human rights and freedoms, supremacy of the rule of law and pluralist mindsets in our communities lead those who are struggling to seek alternative paths?

    The recent tragedy in Paris is yet another reminder for both theologians and ordinary Muslims to strongly reject and condemn barbaric acts perpetrated in the name of our religion. However, at this juncture, rejection and condemnation are not enough; terrorist recruitment within Muslim communities must be fought and countered by an effective collaboration of state authorities, religious leaders and civil society actors. We must organize community-wide efforts to address all factors that aid terrorist recruitment.

    Ways of expressing support and dissent within democratic means

    We need to work with our community to set up the necessary framework for identifying at-risk youth, preventing them from seeking self-destructive paths, assisting families with counseling and other support services. We must promote a proactive, positive government engagement so that engaged Muslim citizens can sit at the table where counterterrorism measures are planned and share their ideas. Our youth should be taught ways of expressing support and dissent within democratic means. Incorporating democratic values into school curricula early on is crucial for inculcating a culture of democracy in young minds.

    In the aftermath of such tragedies, historically strong reactions have surfaced. Anti-Muslim and anti-religious sentiment as well as security-driven treatment of Muslim citizens by governments would be counter-productive. The Muslim citizens of Europe want to live in peace and tranquility. Despite the negative climate, they should strive to engage more with their local and national governments to help work toward more inclusive policies that better integrate their community into the larger society.

    It is also important for us Muslims to critically review our understanding and practice of Islam in light of the conditions and requirements of our age and the clarifications provided by our collective historic experiences. This does not mean a rupture from the cumulative Islamic tradition but rather, an intelligent questioning so we can confirm the true teachings of the Quran and the Prophetic tradition that our Muslim predecessors attempted to reveal.

    We must proactively marginalize decontextualized reading of our religious sources that have been employed in the service of perverted ideologies. Muslim thinkers and intellectuals should encourage a holistic approach and reconsider jurisprudential verdicts of the Middle Ages that were issued under perpetual conflict where religious affiliation often coincided with political affiliation. Having core beliefs should be distinguished from dogmatism. It is possible, indeed absolutely necessary, to revive the spirit of freedom of thought that gave birth to a renaissance of Islam while staying true to the ethos of the religion. Only in such an atmosphere can Muslims effectively combat incivility and violent extremism.

    In the aftermath of the recent events I am witnessing, with chagrin, the revival of the thesis of the clash of civilizations. I do not know whether those who first put out such a hypothesis did so out of vision or desire. What is certain is that today, the revival of this rhetoric simply serves the recruitment efforts of the terrorist networks. I want to state clearly that what we are witnessing is not a clash of civilizations but rather the clash of humanity with barbarity in our common civilization.

    Our responsibility as Muslim citizens is to be part of the solution despite our grievances. If we want to defend the life and civil liberties of Muslims around the world and the peace and tranquility of every human regardless of their faith, we must act now to tackle the violent extremism problem in all its dimensions: political, economic, social and religious. By setting virtuous examples through our lives, by discrediting and marginalizing the extremist interpretations of religious sources, by staying vigilant toward their impact on our youth, and by incorporating democratic values early in education, we can counter violence and terrorism as well as totalitarian ideologies that lead to them.

     

    • This article by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen was first published in Le Monde
  • Ambode urges Muslims to pray for peace of Nigeria

    Ambode urges Muslims to pray for peace of Nigeria

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday called on Muslims in the nation to offer special prayers for greater peace, unity and continuous progress of Nigeria, as they join their counterparts across the world to celebrate Eid El Maulud, which is the birth of Prophet Muhammad.

    The Governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, enjoined Muslims to follow the exemplary leadership of the Holy Prophet by promoting peaceful co-existence among the various segments of the society.

    While imploring Nigerians to shun ethnic, political and religious differences and work towards building a safer and better Nigeria, Governor Ambode said the celebration of the birth of the Prophet should renew the faith and bond of unity among Nigerians as one people and one nation irrespective of diversity.

    “On the occasion of the commemoration of the birth of the holy Prophet, it is imperative to reflect on his teachings and uphold his legacies of unity, integrity, peaceful coexistence and love for one’s neighbour, which are indispensable in our quest for meaningful development and the profitable management of our diversity,” he said.

    Ambode also urged Muslim to internalize the virtues of honesty, selflessness, charity, tolerance, good neighbourliness, justice, equity and fairness which the Mohammad preached, saying such will go a long way to engender national development.

    “I want to seize this occasion to urge all Nigerians to commit and rededicate themselves to making greater effort to imbibe these qualities and values as they celebrate the Prophet’s birth.

    “I therefore wish all our Muslim brothers and sisters in Nigeria and Lagos in particular a happy Eid-el-Maulud,” he said.

  • Photo: Protest in Iran over Shi’ite attack

    Photo: Protest in Iran over Shi’ite attack

    Iran Protest
    A large number of Iranians gather in front of Nigeria embassy in Tehran to protest Nigerian Army attack on Shiite Muslims

     

    Iran Shiite Protest
    A large number of Iranians gather in front of Nigeria embassy in Tehran to protest Nigerian Army attack on Shiite Muslims

     

    Iranian protester gathering in front of Nigeria embassy in Tehran set fire on UK & Israeli flags
    Iranian protester gathering in front of Nigeria embassy in Tehran set fire on UK & Israeli flags

     

    A large number of Iranians gather in front of Nigeria embassy in Tehran to protest Nigerian Army attack on Shiite muslims
    A large number of Iranians gather in front of Nigeria embassy in Tehran to protest Nigerian Army attack on Shiite Muslims

     

    Iranian protester gathering in front of Nigeria embassy in Tehran set fire on UK & Israeli flags
    Iranian protester gathering in front of Nigeria embassy in Tehran set fire on UK & Israeli flags
  • APC chieftain donates food items to Muslims

    APC chieftain donates food items to Muslims

    A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Alhaji Jamiu Ekungba has donated rams and bags of rice worth millions of Naira to Muslim members in the 18 local government areas of Ondo State.

    He said the gesture was to help Muslim families to have fruitful celebration during the just-concluded Eid-el Adha festival.

    Ekungba said the gesture was a way of giving back to the society which he said he has benefited from.

    The BOT member, who is also a governorship aspirant of the party, however, assured residents of bright future.

    Ekungba stated that there was no hiding place for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in Ondo State as all its antics and persuasive strategies are now known to the people.

    He said the Labour Party-turned PDP can no longer deceive the people in next year’s governorship election.

    The APC chieftain also said the future of Nigeria is now secure under the present APC-administration.

    He said: “Every Nigerian that is reasonable, that loves the country has seen the direction we are going under APC than the PDP.”

    He noted that indigenes of Ondo State have no option than to look for a party that will restructure and rebuild the state for development to thrive.

    Ekungba, who said the APC remains the only party that could salvage the people from the purposeless government of the PDP, urged the APC to ensure that it does not only present a credible candidate but also a candidate that understands the economy of the state.

    He lamented that the state has no reason to be bankrupt, saying an oil-producing state such as Ondo should be financially buoyant.

    “The chances of the APC in the coming election are very bright; we thank God that he has made it obvious to everybody that Labour Party-turned PDP government has nowhere to hide again.

    “Every antics and strategies of cajoling our people have become clear to everybody. Nobody can be deceived again in Ondo State.

    “That is why we are urging the APC to ensure that it does not just present a very credible candidate, but must also have a candidate that understands the economy of the state.

    “It is unimaginable that the state is bankrupt; an oil-producing state cannot pay salary. So, we must present somebody who understands the economy and who will be able to restore its glory,” Ekungba said.

  • Photo : Intending pilgrims fly to Saudi Arabia

    Photo : Intending pilgrims fly to Saudi Arabia

    FIRST BATCH OF INTENDING WOMEN PILGRIMS FROM GOMBE STATE BOARDING THEIR FLIGHT TO SAUDI ARABIA AT LAWANTI AIRPORT IN GOMBE ON THURSDAY EVENING.
    FIRST BATCH OF INTENDING WOMEN PILGRIMS FROM GOMBE STATE BOARDING THEIR FLIGHT TO SAUDI ARABIA AT LAWANTI AIRPORT IN GOMBE ON THURSDAY EVENING.
  • Hajj: Buhari accepts Muslim leaders’ offer of service

    Hajj: Buhari accepts Muslim leaders’ offer of service

    President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the voluntary offer of service to 2015 Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia by the leadership of the Muslim community under the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III.

    This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu.

    The president noted that the Muslim community would partner with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria’s Ad-hoc Committees to cater for the general welfare of pilgrims for the duration of the pilgrimage.

    The Sultan is represented by a committee of Emirs under the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sunusi II.

    The statement said the president also noted that the offer did not contradict his directive that Federal Government’s Delegation for the 2015 Hajj be suspended in line with the cost-saving measures of his administration.

    “In accepting this voluntary offer of service, the President made it clear that there will be no government funds involved in the mission by the respected Emir.

    “Government will also not name any members into the Emir’s delegation

    “The President assured that all measures had been taken to ensure that the well-being of Nigerians on the holy pilgrimage is well managed by the various ad-hoc committees.’’

    It named the committees as medical, accommodation, transport, logistics, information and publicity, aviation, tour operators and security.

    “They are generally to assist the Commission in ensuring hitch-free Hajj operation.’’

    The statement quoted the President as commending the Emir for adding this responsibility to his own personal Hajj plans.