“A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO POLITICIANS”

In his Opening Message, Chairman of the Centre’s Majlis-ash-Shura (Consultative Council) Shaikh Abu Maimunah Ahmad Bello, banker and Islamic scholar, delivered a Special Sermon to Nigerian politicians, after which he delivered his own paper – nay, a book, all of 77 pages – on the topic ‘The Nigerian Project: Some Interventions From Islam’. The Conference […]

In his Opening Message, Chairman of the Centre’s Majlis-ash-Shura (Consultative Council) Shaikh Abu Maimunah Ahmad Bello, banker and Islamic scholar, delivered a Special Sermon to Nigerian politicians, after which he delivered his own paper – nay, a book, all of 77 pages – on the topic ‘The Nigerian Project: Some Interventions From Islam’. The Conference also issued a Communique containing participants observations and recommendations for the nation. (For the 77-page tome, a philosophically-heavy and thought-provoking piece, you may get a copy directly from the author at [email protected].) This week, we share excerpts from Shaikh Ahmad’s Opening Message, plus some resolutions of the Conference Communique. Both are intended as a wakeup call for Nigerian politicians. First, the Shaikh’s Sermon:
[I begin] with the name of Allāh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. I greet you all with the Universal, Blessed Greeting Code, As-salāmu ‘Alaykum. That is some Arabic for our distinguished audience. I will take its translation from the Revised King’s James Version of the Bible, for the benefit of our Christian brothers and sisters here present: “And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, “Peace be to this house.”  [KJV-R (Webster) Luke 10:5]; and also “And as they thus spoke, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith to them, “Peace be to you.” [KJV-R (Webster) Luke 24:36].
I have done this deliberately in order to emphasise a common tradition in mutual greetings that Muslims and Christians share, which translations tend to hide or, at least, obscure. In Arabic, the language that Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] spoke, the word for peace is salaam. In Hebrew, a cognate language to Arabic and the language that Jesus Christ [peace be upon him] spoke, the word for peace is shalom.
Having invoked Allāh’s peace on you, let me welcome you all, on behalf of the Ummah Al-Islām and its registered name, the National Islāmic Centre to this one-day National Conference on the State of the Nation. Its subtheme is “Good Governance and Nation Building: Challenges & Opportunities.”
The timing of the Conference could not have been more auspicious than now; likewise, the choice of the theme could not have been more appropriate than this, when we view them both from the state of the Nigerian nation today, which is what it is because we have truly relegated Religion to the narrow precincts of the Mosque and the Church and hypocritically embraced the dirty, corrupt and corrupting philosophy of secularism in the conduct of our public affairs and public institutions.
Thus, in practical effect, the call to and advocacy for secularism is no more than an irreverent noise and a satanic promotion of venal, thieving, self-seeking, and unpatriotic conduct of the Nigerian state.
What exactly is secularism? The Encarta Dictionaries have given two meanings of the word as follows: Exclusion of religion from public affairs: the belief that religion and religious bodies should have no part in political or civic affairs or in running public institutions, especially schools; and Rejection of religion: the rejection of religion or its exclusion from a philosophical or moral system.
Any honest observer of the way we conduct and order our public activities would admit that Religion has not been, indeed cannot be, totally dismissed, as the advocates of secularism would be less than honest to admit. Likewise, any intelligent reader of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 would fail to reconcile the call to secularism with the preamble to the Constitution, which, in part, reads as follows: “We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having firmly and solemnly resolved, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God,…”
Islām has brought to the world the concept of caliph, as distinct from the tradition of kings that humanity has been used to in the realm of state governance. But, how does a caliph differ from a king? This was exactly the question put by Islam’s Second Caliph ‘Umar bin Khattāb [may Allah be pleased with him], the Commander of the Faithful, to his friends Talhah, Az-Zubayr, Ka’ab, and Salmān [may Allah be please with them all]. Talhah and Az-Zubayr declined to respond. However, Salmān responded: “The caliph is one: Who is just with the citizens; Who shares out the wealth of the nation between them fairly; Who treats them with compassion as one treats members of his family; and Who governs by the Book of Allāh.”
Thereupon, Ka’ab, in agreement, remarked: “I had thought no one in the ‘palace’ knew what distinguishes the caliph from a king but I. However, Allāh, the Almighty and the Majestic, has filled the heart of Salmān with wisdom, knowledge, and justice!”
Zādhān has also reported from Salmān that ‘Umar had once asked him, “Am I a king or a caliph?” And Salmān said to him. “If you generate revenue from the lands as much as a dirham, or more or less than that, and you spend it in an undeserving manner, then you are a king!” ‘Umar took due notice of that!
The Noble Qur’ān has a very insightful assessment of “kings”. Here is what it says about them: “Verily, whenever kings enter a country, they corrupt it, and turn the noblest of its people into the most abject. And this is the way they (always] behave.” [Al-Naml, The Ant 27:34].
I will leave you, based on the above criteria to decide on: Whether or not we have kings or caliphs running the Nigerian State! And what challenges and opportunities of good governance face us, as a people. Thank you very much.
That was Shaikh Ahmad Bello.
At the end of the Conference, participants observed that: It is sad and worrisome that in the Year of our Centenary, Nigerians still appear to be struggling to pursue a standard value system acceptable to us all; and that we are yet to evolve a stable national identity that can encapsulate our peculiarities while underlining the ethos and values that are common to all of us.
The participants also observed that: after more than 50 years of independence, after a bloody and regrettable civil war, after countless constitutional conferences, we are still faced by countless obstacles that distract the process of national growth and development; and that all indices used in the evaluation of good governance have shown that the Nigerian State has almost collapsed.
The participants therefore recommended that: enhanced energies be targeted towards helping to rebuild values and commitment to the motherland; that rule of law and war against corruption must be seen as key landmarks for any good governance and responsible leadership; and that Nigerians, as religious people, should be resolute in imbibing exemplary piety, sincerity and sacrifice, and be determined to enthrone good leaders especially now that we are approaching an election year.
The participants further recommended that: the Nigerian Constitution should re-emphasise the role of Religion as an important factor in constructing and sustaining the multi-cultural and diverse Nigerian nation; and that the proposed National Dialogue appears to be just a distraction on the way to the 2015 election. T therefore it should be postponed till AFTER 2015.