Being a Paper delivered by Prof. Is-haq Ó. Oloyede, OFR, FNAL, Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB) and Secretary General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) at the Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) B- zone held on 26th December,2021 at the IVC Permanent Site, Ibadan-Lagos Express Way, Imolisa Village, Ogunmakin, Ogun State.
1.0 AL- MUQADIMMAH/PREAMBLE
All praises and adoration are due to Allah alone; the sole creator, sustainer, provider and cherisher of the Universe, who has made us Muslims and has bestowed on us, as his vicegerents on Earth, the responsibility for the good order and welfare of all the earth’s inhabitants.
2.0 May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our noble Prophet, Muhammad (SAW) and indeed, upon all other prophets that preceded him in history.
I say unto you all – As-Salaamu Alaykum Warahmatullah Wabarakaatuh
3.0. It is a great honour to be in the midst of this blessed assembly of distinguished brothers and sisters, who, In sha Allah, represent the future of Islam and humanity.
4.0. I do also consider it a privilege to be invited as a Guest Speaker on this great occasion of the Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) of our dear Society-the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). Nó doubt, the MSSN has remained the pivot of Islamic culture and awareness to our teeming Muslim youths in Nigeria for the past sixty-seven years. Can we really imagine what would have been our fate without the MSSN, particularly in the southern parts of Nigeria? The society has provided a platform to learn more about Islam; to propagate and defend its values and to foster cooperation and understanding within the Ummah also with non- Muslim faith communities in Nigeria.
5.0 We remain eternally grateful to all our founding fathers and mothers who established the MSSN on the 18th April 1954 in Lagos. We celebrate the convener of the inaugural meeting, “Bro.” Tajuddeen Aromasodun. We also, with fond memories, acknowledge all other founding members , including, “brothers” Abdul Lateef Adegbite (First President), Saheed Alade, Sunmola Laguda, Fatai Mabadeje; and “sisters” Zaidat Anibaba and Mabadeje. We thank Allah swt for his bountiful reward on all these personalities who, despite all odds, laid solid foundation upon which we proudly stand today. It is quite heartwarming that all these personalities became accomplished individuals in their respective fields of endeavour, including the academia, public service, legal profession, judiciary as well as other acknowledged professions.
This Is Allah’s promise in the Glorious Qur’an
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُركُم وَيُثَبِّت أَقدامَكُم
O! believers! If you stand up for Allah, He will help you and make your steps firm.47:7
We also remember our highly revered royal father, HRM Oba Musendiku Buraimoh Adeniji Adele (Oba of Lagos, 1949-1964) who hosted the first National Conference of the MSSN in 1955 in Lagos.
6.0 We Pray Allah to continue to shower His Rahma on the souls of the dead among them and also grant those who are still with us good health and rewarding future.
7.0 MSSN is unique and dear to me in many respects because I am a proud MSSN baby having been born few months after the inauguration of the society in 1954. I have been a member since my early years and the ideals of the society have had profound effects on me, Alhamdulillah.
THEME OF THE CONFERENCE ؟ أَنَّىٰ هٰذا How could this be?
8.0 The leadership of the MSSN, B Zone have thoughtfully captured the mood of the Ummah and the state of affairs in Nigeria with this theme-
This can also mean- How did we get here?; Or how have things come to this pretty pass?; Or why have things got this bad?; Which direction is the society heading towards?; What is the future of our successor generation? What kind of society are we bequeathing to them? How do we account for our various acts and omissions. Are we ready to take up responsibility for bringing about a just and humane world order, at least in our immediate political community-Nigeria?
9.0 It appears there is a general consensus today that the contemporary world is immersed in al- Fasaad.
The word Fasaad: فساد generally means -corruption, mischief, disorderliness or in another context, anarchy .
In the Glorious Qur’an, Allah explains the cause of Fasaad:
ظَهَرَ ٱلْفَسَادُ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُوا۟ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ (42الرو)
“Corruption prevails in the land and the sea because of all the evil that the hands of humanity have earned-so that HE may cause them to taste something of that which they have done-so that they may return in penitence to God” (30:41)
Before the creation of Adam, the Angels alluded to the likely propensity of man to engage in Fasaad:
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةًۭ ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِك وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Now, Behold Your Lord said to the angels: I am placing upon the earth a “human successor to steward it. They said: Will you place thereupon one who will spread corruption therein, and who, moreover, will shed blood, while we ever exalt You with all praise and Hallow you?
HE said: Indeed I know what you do not know. (2:30)It is quite reassuring that Allah swt has vouched for His righteous servants who, despite the enveloping effects of Fasaad would keep to the path of righteousness.
In another verse of the glorious Quran, Allah enjoins the believers as follows:
قُلۡ سِيۡرُوۡا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ فَانْظُرُوۡا كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُؕكَانَ اَكۡثَرُهُمۡ مُّشۡرِكِيۡنَ
“Say, o Prophet, to the unbelievers Journey through the earth and see how devastating was the end of those misguided generations who came before you? (31:42)
وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـٰحِهَا وَٱدْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعً
إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَNor shall you spread corruption in the earth, after it has been set aright by Allah. So call upon Him, in fear and hope, Indeed the mercy of God is ever near to those
The Muslim Ummah, across generations, has been described by Allah swt as the best community evolved for mankind because we are mandated to: enjoin what is good; (ii.) forbid what is evil; and (iii) believe in Allah (Qur’an3:110).
Further to above, Allah describes us as one united community and also as “Ummatta Wassata” – a just, balanced and the best nation- for our unique role as advocates for good (ma’aruf) and the suppression of evil (Munkar).
And so it is we have now appointed you Muslims the chosen community of the Midmost Way, to stand as witnesses to the revealed truth before all people and for Muhammad, the messenger of God to be a witness before all of you (.2;143)
10.0 This presentation has been structured into four parts. The first section examines the nature of society bequeathed to us by our forbears. The second part audits the state of affairs of Muslims and non- Muslims in Nigeria today. The third section suggests explanations for the state of affairs. The last deals with recommendations and conclusion.
Long Before Now: Status of Muslims in our Society
11.0 Before the arrival of European slave merchants, missionaries and colonialists on the shores of what is now known as Nigeria, Islam was already well entrenched in Kanem Borno Empire and Sokoto Caliphate, which extended over most of Northern parts of Nigeria as well as parts of Niger, Cameroon, Chad up to Central African Republic. Also, Islam had made significant inroads into Yorubaland through the Trans-Saharan Trade and later, through Muslim Scholars from the Northern parts of Nigeria.
12.0. In the early colonial days, Muslim elite in Yorubaland maintained a solid foothold on the socio-economic and political affairs of their society, despite the unfolding suffocating anti- Muslim socio-political and legal policies of the colonial goverment.
Chief Ahmadu Tijani (the Oluwa of Lagos,) Abibu Oki, Brimah Igbo, Muhammad Shitta-Bey, Timi Abibu Lagunju, Momodu Latoosa,Oba Oyewole (Akinrun of Ikirun), Brimah Kotun and later, his son, Kotun (who became the President of the Muslim Cricket Club of Lagos & President of A cooperative society Olowolagba (1913). We all remember the originator of the Ojude Oba in Ijebu Ode, the highly celebrated Balogun Kuku, who in his own way, popularized Islam in Ijebu land.
13.0. The city of Lagos welcomed the return of its first two Muslims from Hajj Pilgrimage in August 1884. The mood of the city was captured as follows:
“It was a grand occasion for the Mohammedans to see them return, after their departure since 1877. All the Mohammedans went to meet them at Ebute Ero. Many went on horseback; on their way home they visited Imam, and also King Dosumu at his palace. He received them kindly.”
14.0 The period also witnessed the rise of eminent Muslim scholars reputed for the propagation of Islam in this part of the country. These include Sheikh Taj l- Adab, (1885-1923), Sheikh Kamal Deen Al Adaby,( ) Alfa Bisiriyu Apalara (1918-1953), Sheikh Uthman Akanbi Lanase (d.1954), Sheikh Yakubu Al-Mukhtar (Ikirun) and indeed, Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al- Ilory
These scholars and many of their other contemporaries sacrificed their time and resources to acquire Islamic knowledge available at the time and selflessly engaged in Islamic propagation in all nooks and crannies of Yorubaland and its surrounding areas. The motivation was not sheer accumulation or self glorification but service to Allah swt.
15.0 By the middle of the 19th century, Muslims had started feeling the negative impact of the unfolding colonial rule and the attendant cultural influence on their lives. Everywhere in colonized Muslim lands, the strategy employed by the Europeans and their African brethren had been to delegitimise the integrity of Islamic doctrines through false propaganda. Muhammad Qutb, narrating the Egyptian experience, stated as follows:
“Naturally, the policy adopted by the British was one of deriding Islamic laws and principles, of excising the sense of their sanctity from Muslims’ hearts, and of painting Islam in the blackest of colours so as to make them look down upon it and in due course of time discard it totally.”
16.0 In Yorubaland, this same method was applied. The Missionaries, notably, Ajayi Crowther’s CMS engaged in mistranslation of the Quran and other Islamic texts. An example is Emmanuel Moses Lijadu’s Ifa: Imọlẹ Rè ̣̀ Ti Iṣe Ipilè ̣̀ Ìsin Ni Ilẹ Yoruba (Exeter: James Townsend & Sons, 1923). In his foreword to the Book, Bishop C. Phillips of the CMS re-echoed the church’s policy as follows:
“ Tí a kò bá rí ìdí ibi tí agbára oṭ̀á gbé wà, a kò lè ṣẹgun wọn. Bí àwa Kristian ̀kò bá mo ̣̀ ìdí ìsìn àwọn Kèfèrí àti àwọn Ìmàle, a kì yóò lè gbé ìhìnrere Kristi síwájú wọn lí oṇ̀à tí yóò fi ká wọn lára”
“If we do not locate the source of our enemies’ strength, we cannot defeat them. If we Christians do not fathom the foundation of pagan and Islamic devotion, we will not be able to present Christ’s gospel to them in its most appealing form.”
17.0 Ajayi Crowther himself engaged in several works including the christianization of Yoruba Calendar and week days. He mistranslated Christianity to meán “Onigbagbo; Sunday as “Aiku”; Monday “Aje; Tuesday, isegun (resurecction); Wednesday Ojo ru-(Ash Wednesday); Thursday, Ojo bó; Friday -Ojo eti (day of failure)
18.0 The secularisation policy of the British accommodated Christian values and traditions while Islam became the main target. In the landmark case of Bowman v Secular Society ltd[1917]AC.40. The House of Lords examined, in part, the objects of the Secular Society vís a vis the legal foundations of the British society, some of which were :to
i. promote the secularisation of the State, so that religious tests and observances may be banished from the Legislature, and Executive, and the Judiciary; and
ii. promote the abolition of all support, patronage, or favour by the State of any particular form or forms of religion.
The House of Lords held that-
“ It has been repeatedly laid down by the courts that Christianity is part of the laws of the land…” and that this “is quite sufficient reason for holding the law will not help endeavors to undermine it”
19.0 This policy was the main reason why Islamic marriage did not enjoy same recognition under our laws in Nigeria. The British also employed what it called “ Repugnancy Clause” to erode the legal enforceability and judicial recognition of several Islamic principles of Islamic Jurisprudence. The main avenue of enforced indoctrination are schools and public service. Anti- Islamic rhetoric are regularly used to diminish the social worth of Muslims in public spaces. I discussed this in great detail in an earlier paper. (Ishaq O. Oloyede, “The Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (COMYO) in Oyo State,” Islamic Studies 26, no. 1 (1987): 85.
20.0 At the turn of the century, modern Islamic organizations, including the Ansar Úd Deen Society, Nawair Úd Deen Society, Muslim Association of Nigeria, Muslim Congress, Ijebu Ode and the Ansar ul Islam introduced new approaches to Islamic propagation work through the establishment of schools and provision of social services. As far back as 1948, the Muslim congress, Ijebu Ode lodged a formal complaint to the Governor General of institutionalised discrimination and systemic violations of the fundamental rights of Muslims in the Southern Protectorate and the Colony of Lagos. The organisation also submitted a memorandum to the Brooke Commission of Inquiry headed by Mr. Justice Brooke,the Chief Justice of Nigeria. The Memorandum called for the establishment of Muslim courts in the Southern Protectorate and the Colony of Lagos. (see , Akintola, I. 2001. Sharī‘ah in Nigeria: an eschatological desideratum. Ijebu- Ode: Shebiotimo Publication. p.93.)
21.0 Our being Muslims and our knowledge and practice of Islam today came about as a result of the efforts of our great predecessors, against all odds. Those who have historically opposed Islam have remained unrelenting in their schemes. They lie in wait at every turn to take away Islam from us, from our children, from our families and from our nation. Allah refers to this attitude of theirs in several passages in the Quran. For example in Quran 9;31-32, Allah says,
They desire to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths. But Allah does not will other than to perfect His light – even if the disbelievers hate it.
He is the one Who has sent His Messenger Muhammad with the Guidance of the Quran and the Religion of the truth, that He makes it to prevail on its own merit over other religions- even if the idolaters hate it.
22.0 In our daily lives, Muslims have largely and unconsciously yielded and acquiesced to the de-islamisation project which was designed to make Islam a footnote in our public spheres. The Quran alerts us in Surah Baqarah, 2: 105, that-
Those who disbelieve among the people of the scripture- along with the idolaters – wish that nothing good would ever be sent down to you believers from your Lord. But it is Allah who singles out for His mercy whomever He wills. For Allah alone is the possessor of the Magnificent Bounty.
Speech of the Amir in 111th Islamic Vacation Course of the MSSN B-Zone
C. The Current State of Affairs of Muslims in Nigeria
23.0 It is imperative to examine the socio-political Balance Sheet of Nigeria with a view to determining what role is expected of us in the continual reconstruction of our society. Today, the nation is beset with a number of challenges which are directly traceable to poor social engineering as a result of breakdown of family values; coercive secularization and its corrosive effects on music and entertainment industry; drug addiction, immorality, poor education culture, social vices and insecurity. and sisters, permit me to elaborate on some of these challenges: and fundamental rights.
(a). Attitude to Education:
Clearly one of our major areas of deficits today is poor attitude to education, generally which has resulted in low technical skills among our population; low income and diminishing access to formal sector employment in the public service and in corporations as well as other big business entities. It is quite unimaginable that almost 70 years after the establishment of the MSSN, we are still contending with fewer number of Muslim teachers in both Primary and secondary schools even in Muslim majority states of Oyo, Ogun, Ogun and Lagos. Is it a case of lack of manpower or structural denial of access to employment in teaching service or both? The situation in our tertiary institutions in the Southern parts of the country is even worse.
25.0 There has not been any commensurate improvement in the number of Muslim academics in our Universities and other tertiary institutions despite the fact that year in year out, we produce a good number of best graduates every year!
Experience has shown that one of the main objectives of the MSSN to raise critical manpower through quality education of members is not meaningfully on track. The epidemic ríse in cases of examination malpractice has greatly diminished capacity to optimise opportunities offered by increased number of of students in the country.
The Muslim Ummah is especially disadvantaged out by other self inflicted woes in addition to institutionalised and structural discrimination which they are routinely subjected to since the colonial era.
26.0 The organization of schools for Islamic education has remained largely in private hands with its attendant incoherence and chaos. The curricula in the traditional islammiyyah schools are, in some parts, outdated and unsuitable. The products of these schools are generally not recognized by the system and are not employable. Most of them resort to some unwholesome and abhorrent social practices for lack of opportunities for decent and sustainable economic lifestyle. Rather than being ambassadors of Islam, they become a burden to the Deen. Traditional Muslim Scholars are presently embroiled in undue rivalry couched in ideological debates. They have distracted the Ummah from the pursuit of noble and lofty goals. We really have to address the embarrassing verbal exchanges between some Muslim scholars and preachers.
27.0 With respect to the elite, most of them. do not make any conscious plan to provide quality Islamic education for their children. As many practice inter -faith marriages, many of the children, without knowledge and consciousness of Allah, get derailed along the line and this has rendered desolate many elite Muslim homes. who may unfortunately end up as the last set of the Muslims in their lineages.(Subhannallah!).
28.0 The elite send their children, right from early ages, to schools- home and abroad- where no mention of Islam, in positive terms, is practised. The children get indoctrinated with false assumptions and propaganda against Islam. They are made to look down on Islam and its practices with an inferiorising gaze. They do not consider the Quran as something worth their attention and consideration.
29.0 Some elite Muslims would proudly declare that, as “enlightened minds”, they do not prescribe any religion for their children as they are allowed to practice any faith of their choice. How can such children make rational choice without benefit of sound Islamic education in the first instance? and in the face of overpowering anti-Islamic false propaganda being programmed into their minds in schools and through the media? The hypocrisy of such parents become manifest as they take conscious, practical and extraordinary steps to ensure that their children get sound secular education without giving such children any option or say on the matter.
(b). Coercive Secularisation Agenda & The Presumption of Automatic Respect.
30.0 This manifests more clearly in the hostile treatment of Hijabi Muslimah. In the past few months, a number of cases have been recorded in several parts of Nigeria, particularly in the South West. Fundamental rights of Muslims to religious observances, freedom of association are right to non -discrimination are routinely violated.
This discriminatory policy has technically shut out Muslim girls and women from most public sector employment, including the security services- (the Police, the Armed Forces, Customs Services, Immigration, Civil Defence and the Road Safety Corps). This is also largely the case in our banking and financial industry; the media industry and several other important sectors of the economy. Even in Muslim minority countries,women are allowed to use in Hijab in the police and the armed forces, for instance.
These secularization programmes have significantly altered the course of our history and way of life, so much so that many Muslims today only reckon Islam to be just a marginal aspect of their lives rather than being the cardinal point of reference. The non -Muslims assume the role of guardians and custodians of western values which admit no room for Islamic way of life even in independent Nigeria.
31.0 Thus, new generations of Muslims have continued to emerge, with every successor generation becoming generally worse off than the preceding ones, thereby compounding the already bad situation. At present, there are millions of Muslims in Nigeria with nominal adherence to Islamic values and obligations. Of course, such a group will hardly able to pass on Islamic legacies to their offspring.
(c). Media Partisanship
32.0 The media industry in Nigeria is largely unfriendly to Islam. Their agenda, particularly, the private electronic and print media, has consistently been to portray Islam in bad light and are thus not receptive to Islamic perspectives on most national issues. The narrative is to perpetuate a consolidated cultural hegemony that will keep Islam at the periphery of our national life; and to deny Muslims a fair share of attention and public acknowledgement. Their obsession with Islamophobic sentiments is deplorable. The entertainment industry and the advertisement firms have almost generally mischievously used Muslim names to denote failure, hopelessness, backwardness and unseriousness in the public domain.(lucky Emu- Muhammed/Aisha)
33.0 Muslims in government and in other leadership positions are always very unforthcoming in advocating equal space for the Muslims, notwithstanding the fact that our inherited system is skewed against Muslims already, by design. They are too skeptical to speak for Islam and Muslims. Notwithstanding, the leadership of the Ummah in Nigeria have always maintained a moral high ground in dealing with other groups, by advocating for equity and fairness for all- Muslims and non- Muslims
(d) Insecurity
34.0 For over a decade, the security situation in Nigeria has been quite worrisome despite the fact that our security services have deployed their personnel to contain the challenges. A philosopher has stated that the best time to plánt a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now.
The foundation for insecurity was laid several years back. For decades, Nigeria has been home to millíons of out of school children. Some of these army of unemployed and unemployable young men and women, scattered all over the country, have taken to drugs and alcoholism. The spread of anti-social vices and criminality have been quite enveloping all over the country.
35.0 The peculiarly cash and carry ‘Democratic’ culture has compounded the situation. Also, the negative political developments in neighbouring West and Central Africa, as well as the political instability in the Maghreb Region with attendant arms proliferation across the West Africa sub- region. There is still a large swath of territories that can be describe as ungoverned spaces where non-state criminal gangs have continued to ply their trade.
(e) Informal Political Debate and Agitation
36.0 Nigeria has had a number of constitutional conferences leading to promulgation of various constitution for the nation at various times since 1922 when we had Cilfford Constitution; to the Richard Constitution of 1945; to the Macpherson Constitution of 1951; Lyttleton Constitution of 1954; Independence Constitution of 1960; Republican Constitution of 1963; the 1979 Constitution; the aborted 1989 Constitution and the 1999 Constitution.
There have also been some Constitutional conferences convened at different times since the beginning of the 4th Republic in 1999.
One thing is clear, Nigeria is home to many conflict entrepreneurs who profit from political instability.
37.0 Most of the advocates of restructuring hold different vague ideas on the term. Some claim that want a return to regionalism as expressed in the 1963 Constitution; while some others want “true federalism” in form of more states/federating units where they can also lord over as local emperors.
One of the major factors fueling secessionist agitation in Nigeria is the cut- throat competition for power and the seeming sense of loss by those who failed at the polls. The social media has literally become a theatre of war where cyber warriors churn out fake news and dangerous messaging.
WAY FORWARD: OUR KEY OBLIGATIONS
(a) We owe ourselves the primary obligation of self- appraisal. As Allah’s creatures, it is important to make a critical evaluation of our life’s journey; to ask ourselves questions whether we are actually on course. Here is a checklist drawn from the Glorious Quran:
The main reason of our existence is to worship Allah (swt). In Quran 98:5, Allah states that: Though they were not commanded but to worship one God – making the practice of their religion pure and sincere to Him alone, being ever upright of heart- and to duly establish the prayer and to give the Zakat-Charity For that, indeed, is upright religion.
(b). To call upon Allah in all situations and in all circumstances. The Qur’an States:
Now , if my servants ask you , o prophet about Me- then Indeed I am near . I answer the call of the caller when he calls upon Me. Then let them all respond to Me and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided. (2: 186) (underlines ours)
In another verse, Allah similarly reassures us:
O ye who believe, Seek Allah’s help through enduring patience and devotion in prayer. Indeed, Allah is with those who are enduringly patient. (2;153)
(c) Allah recognises our weakness, hence He enjoins us further-
Do you enjoin virtuousness upon other people while forgetting yourselves?…are you not able to understand? (2; 44)
Rather seek Allah’s help through enduring patience and devotions in prayer. And this is indeed a great burden except on those who humble themselves (2;45)
(d) Allah directs us to imbibe the spirit of Tawwakkul in all situations. Even in circumstances where we have recklessly wronged our own souls, we can still seek Allah’s mercy:
O My Servants who have committed sins in great excess against their own souls, never despond of the mercy of Allah. For, indeed, Allah forgives sins, one and all. Indeed it is He alone who is the All –forgiving, the Mercy- Giving.(39:53)
(e) We are also to remain humble and not be arrogant. Allah warns us that –
those who belie our revealed signs and who are arrogant regarding them,- the gates of heaven shall never be opened for them. Nor shall they ever enter the Garden of Paradise, any more than a camel can pass through the eye of the needle (7:40)
(f) Kindness to parents and next of kin- we are enjoined to be dutiful to our parents (17;23) and to be kind to the close relatives and the indigent, but not to squander our wealth on frivolities (17;26). A Muslim is enjoined in the Quran not to keep his hands yoked to his neck out of stinginess nor extend it to the utmost extent in extravagance so that one does not become blameworthy and regretful.(17:29)
If we are unable to give charity, we are advised to say pleasing words:
Yet if you must turn away from those who are needy while you yourself seek mercy and means from your Lord –hoping ardently all the while for His provision so s to give in charity- then you shall say to them a tender word of prayer, to ease their hearts. (17; 28)
(g) Avoidance of major sins, including imbibing alcohol and Zina murder; unlawful usurpation of rights and wealth of the orphans and arrogant postruring- to walk on earth exultantly. (Quran 17: 32-39).
38.0 Obligations to the Generality of the Ummah and Humanity
As most of us here form the nucleus of the Muslim elite,Allah has endowed us with the intellect, knowledge, resources and wealth to fix our challenges and propel the Ummah to greater heights.
Some of the issues requiring immediate attention include-
– Prioritization of education of our youth and morál rebirth;
– Strengthening our capacity for managing ideological differences, by cultivating Adab-l ikthilaaf. To pay attention to our public schools and institutions. To prioritize establishment of technical and Vocational schools from which our young Muslims stand to benefit greatly. Muslims patronize public schools more due to their economic circumstances.
Those of us in Government and Public Service at both the centre and sub-national levels to re-dedicate ourselves to the plight of the masses, majority of whom are Muslims.
– Investment in Islamic Schools, Academies, Mosques etc
– Scientific engagement with Nigerian System to generate acknowledgement and acceptance for Islamic values into our national pool;
– Dedicated focus on reducing poverty and social exclusion of Muslims;
– Visibility in Islamic circles and serving as confident communicators and advocates of Islam.
– To deploy our God given emotional intelligence to assert our rights on equal footings in Nigeria. Those in Banking, Insurance and Telecommunication sectors for instance, should get to work to ensure that Hijab is institutionalized in the their respective industry. We cannot deal with poverty in Muslim families if Muslims girls and women constituting more than a quarter of Nigerian population are at the risk of perpetual institutionalised discrimination which denies them Jobs and other opportunities to earn livelihood in formal sectors. Alhamdulillah it took a young lady, Amasa Firdaous , to bring to an end such discrimination in The Nigerian Law School and to some extent, the judiciary.
– To take interest in the media industry as relates to Islam.
– To optimize opportunities for financial services for the majority of the population of Muslims who are excluded from the existing system.
– To mainstream Islam into all our actions and all our activities.
39.0 Concluding Statement
We have no time to waste to achieve our mandate. Allah asked all of us to
Race one another on the forgiveness of your Lord and to a Garden of Paradise, whose breadth is as breadth of all heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and in his Messengers That is the bounty of Allah. He gives it to whomever He wills For Allah alone is the Possessor of the Magniifcient Bounty
May Allah make it easy for all of us to discharge our responsibilities as ordained by Allah to our families, the Ummah and humanity in general.
Wasalaamu Alaykun warahmatulah Wabarakatuh.
