ALMAJIRI: A MEMO TO THE SULTAN

The conference, even if not novel, has come at a very desirable time as, with the current insecurity ebbing, alhamdu lilLah, we should begin planning to nip any reoccurrence in the bud. However, an item which does not seem to be on the conference agenda, and one which the Sultan himself commented quite recently on, […]

The conference, even if not novel, has come at a very desirable time as, with the current insecurity ebbing, alhamdu lilLah, we should begin planning to nip any reoccurrence in the bud. However, an item which does not seem to be on the conference agenda, and one which the Sultan himself commented quite recently on, is the festering almajiri system, which many believe is the fuel to our fires, and a source of ridicule from others. In order to schedule the Almajiri Phenomenon on the agenda of this security conference, a budding writer, Mubarak Bala (Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria who has just completed NYSC), sent in this Memo for the attention of the Sultan:

Your Eminence, Assalamu Alaikum.
No society will prosper when the elite continue to leave behind the hapless majority. Society terms anyone above the age of forty as wise, but I see no wisdom in my society, none in my nation. For how could there be, in a system that destroys the lives of its children, a staggering 10 million of them (according to the latest statistics), not to talk of those that have ‘graduated’ out of it, and the babies waiting to be yet admitted. Regrettably, almost everyone among the elite has turned a blind eye. Until you spoke, Your Eminence.
When Prophet Lut (the Biblical Lot, alaihis salam) was searching for his peoples’ conscience, he was reported to have rhetorically asked: ‘Alaysa Minkum Rajulun Rasheed!?’ (‘Isn’t there present amongst you a single good man?) Qur’an Hud 11:78. So it is pertinent to ask here, Alaysa minna rajulun rasheed!? (Isn’t there present among us a single good man? (I believe, O Sultan, you are the Rasheed!)
When did a sophisticated system, well intentioned to ensure children memorise the Holy Qur’an and learn to live frugal lives as collateral, divert so dismally? This is not Islam for, if it were, it would be seen to be practiced in Damascus, Makkah, Madinah, Tehran, Basra, Dubai, Jakarta and Lahore. This practice is unique only to black Africa, West Africa to be precise and, where it grinds most, Northern Nigeria and Niger Republic. This lost legion, this unguided corps of 10 million boys as young as 6 to 17, roaming the streets of Kano and Potiskum, Sakkwato and Kontagora, Daura, Yola, Zinder and Zaria.

Alaysa minna rajulun rasheed?
These boys are sent off mostly from the rural areas by their ignorant parents, to the cities towns, without provision or proper clothing, ostensibly to study the Holy Qur’an, under harsh and despicable conditions. They are left to cater for themselves their immediate needs of food, clothing and shelter, toiling in squalor, not to mention zero medical care, safety and most importantly parental guidance and love. When did learning the Qur’an become a city affair? It used to be from the cities to the villages, but today the reverse is the case.
Of course, not be cynical, a lot of good comes out of them. Perhaps, those saved from this grow up to be cobblers, tailors, drivers, handymen, errand boys, some enrol in schools. Some end up super rich despite their ‘shoeless’ backgrounds, a prophecy on itself as a sign of the end of days. They scavenge on our food remnants, left-overs which could have been wasted. They undertake most of the menial jobs in the society, and they provide people with an alms-giving opportunity. But mostly they are a nuisance. And we all know.

Alaysa minna rajulun rasheed?
Now the really heart-wrenching scenario manifests in the younger pupils, in the age range of 6-12. Some are so helpless they appear to be recently weaned. They sleep under no roof but that of the Almighty, giving mosquitos a feast, coming down with malaria and other maladies, giving global pharmacies a reason to continue to exploit us. This is due to the fact that most of them have no blankets, no matter harsh the weather. When it rains, they all pack into unventilated rooms; you wouldn’t want to take a second breath inside. It’s a miracle they seem immune to meningitis.
By God, it is not their fault, these children. In my opinion, it is not the fault of their parents’ (actually fathers and guardians) alone, nay; it is the whole Hausa-Fulani society that is at fault. Their parents do not think; cannot think; they are too dumb to think. To them, it is a ‘religious duty’ to so send these kids away, and doubly a way of running away from the burden of feeding of feeding them. They transfer on others the Allah-ordained responsibility of parenthood. We must help them, force them, to think.

Alaysa minna rajulun rasheed?
The whole of this blame is first on the governments of all levels and all tiers. Followed by our Traditional Rulers, and equally culpable are the elite of the society and our self-appointed regional ‘elders’ and ‘wise men’ whom we only hear of when it comes to power play; on this matter they are mostly absent-minded. Equally culpable are our Ulama’ and the traditional rulers. This is because their reign is perpetual as against the tenures of governments. Most politicians are jittery on such topics due to the sensitivity of the ill-informed society, lest they strike a nerve and people go: “They want to outlaw Qur’anic studies! Another Western Agenda!”
It is very normal in my society, to see an 18 year-old divorcee (a topic for another day), herself illiterate, already a mother of two illiterate children (ba na bokon balle na Muhammadiyya), toiling to eke out a living as maid in the homes of the rich, while her kids are already sent off as almajirai and, if a girl is among, off to talla as a teen hawker. She is never to see the boys again until they reach adolescence, or when they ‘make it’ as bus conductors, shoe shiners, or musicians.

Alaysa minna rajulun rasheed?
Had these boys been left to study the Qur’an at home, their communities would have been more productive especially in the mainstay of the region’s economy, agriculture. The fact is that, the vast majority of them stay back in the city when they come of age. Thus the intensity of joblessness, acaba taxiing, urban-rural population disparity and political thugs would have been more trivial. Back home, they could enroll in evening classes, swapping venues with the morning goers who attend Islamiyya lessons then.
A proposed solution, which has never worked, advises households to take in at least one almajiri, and be responsible for him. This is like adding fuel to a fire! It can never be quenched. The only solution is: Send Them All Back Home! Let every father take to his responsibility towards the family. Let the kids live under the care, provision and security of their parents and society. Of course it is naive to believe it will be a smooth swallow; there may be revolt, there will be resistance. The system had been in our veins for too long. Yet terminating it is inevitable. It must be done, and it is doable .

Alaysa minna rajulun rasheed?  Your Eminince, be the Rasheed!