Ramadan strategy for Muslim unity (II)

Sheikh Qaribullah said, leaders are supposed to show example to their followers in following Allah’s message and rejecting falsehood. He said Shehu Danfodio stood by the Quran and the sunnah. Shehu Danfodio kept worldly leaders at bay. When the Hausa ruler of Gobir Sarki Bawa Jangwarzo summoned all preachers and tried to woo them he […]

Sheikh Qaribullah said, leaders are supposed to show example to their followers in following Allah’s message and rejecting falsehood. He said Shehu Danfodio stood by the Quran and the sunnah. Shehu Danfodio kept worldly leaders at bay. When the Hausa ruler of Gobir Sarki Bawa Jangwarzo summoned all preachers and tried to woo them he gave them impressive gifts. Sheikh Danfodio rejected the gifts but asked for four things from Sarki Bawa. The first thing he asked for was the freedom to preach and propagate Islam freely, the second thing was freedom for all the people to move around freely, third was reduction of taxation and release of all prisoners jailed for inability to pay taxes. The Sarki granted these requests and that pact enhanced Shehu Usman Danfodio’s Islamic reform movement. Contrary to falsification of history by those who said the jihad was to force conversion to Islam, the jihad was an Islamic purification movement to rid Islam of non Islamic practices and establish a state based on Shariah.
The discussant of Sheikh Qaribullah’s paper was Sheikh Muhammad Isa Talata Mafara who also highlighted the critical aspects of Shehu Usman Danfodio’s legacy. He stressed the fact that  Shehu Danfodio’s Islamic reform spread across West Africa and initiated a complete change in the people’s lives because he was selfsacrificing and pious. He said ‘Shehu Danfodio united us. If we want to unite the Umma today, we should do some soul searching. Are we on the right path? Do we have unshakeable faith in Allah? Are we truthful in our dealings? Do we promote and respect knowledge and self reliance among the people? Is the protection of lives and security of our people our priority? Do we promote human rights and dignity? If we as leaders do not pass this test, we are only paying lip service to Islam; and that is why we are facing monumental challenges on all fronts.
After the presentations, an interactive session followed with participants making observations or raising issues for clarification arising from the presentations. Most of those who spoke lamented the insecurity plaguing the Northern States and particularly in the three states under a state of emergency, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Many expressed sadness at the number of lives that are being lost on a daily basis, loss of property, destruction of villages and the huge number of internally displaced persons who require relief that is yet to reach them. The house was in a pensive mood and decided that prayer was the only panacea left for them to focus on.
After the technical sessions, an elder in Islamic propagation and former Grand Khadi of Niger State, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu-led the participants in a prayer sessions. He said those who preceded us in faith also suffered hardship but they had faith in Allah and prayed to Him. He led the house in prayers that our forebears said when they were under hardship. The prayers were so moving that it brought tears to many eyes.
In his closing remarks, the Secretary of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Dr Khalid Aliyu Abubakar underscored the need for preachers to promote the message of unity in their tafsir sessions during the month of Ramadan. He urged scholars to desist from hate speech, impolite language and innuendos while conducting tafsir. Among the documents circulated to participants was the criterion for qualifying as a tafsir scholar. After read it, I wondered if some of those who conduct tafsir actually know about the requirement.
In the section where we sat, we discussed some of the lapses we had observed during Ramadan when preachers were unable to control their anger and resorted to castigating those who do not share their worldview. It is obvious that in addition to the technical requirement another skill a preacher must acquire is anger management and there are Islamic precepts from the sunnah. Dr Sohaib Sultan cited a hadith ‘Once a young man approached the Prophet Muhammad and asked him for some advice. The Prophet replied, “Do not become angry,” and he repeated this three times. On another occasion the Prophet asked his companions, “Do you know who the strong person is?” His companions replied, “The one who is able to wrestle others down.” The Prophet responded, “No, it is the one who is able to control their anger.” There are so many wisdoms from the Prophet specifically advising against anger — all reflecting the Qur’anic description of the righteous as those who “hold in check their anger” (3:134). The advice is much needed. Indeed, some of the worst actions committed by human beings from killing to domestic abuse — are, at least partly, a result of unbridled anger. For most of us our anger and its potent manifestations tend to be so much more subtle. —from showing someone a cold shoulder to unfriending them on Facebook.
But, the problem with leaving anger unresolved is that it can get the best of us and has the potential to become a monster within us. This monster not only has the potential to lash out against others, but it also has the potential to simply make us inwardly miserable.  So, here are three pieces of advice from Islam’s spiritual sources that may go a long way in managing anger:
First, the Qur’an advises that when Satan stirs us up with anger, the best course of action is to seek refuge in God (41:36). There is recognition in this that anger comes from a dark and fiery place and that the remembrance of God can bring light and coolness to one’s affairs. You can do this by chanting God’s beautiful names, reciting Qur’an, or anything else that helps you remember the Source of Peace (one of the 99 names of God in Islam).
Secondly, the Prophet Muhammad advised that when we feel angry we should perform ablution with cold water. Again, the idea is to cool the body and soul from the heat of anger. All of the outer limbs are renewed and cooled with this practice.  One can only pray that the message of unity underscored at the meeting will reflect positively in our relationship and the style of preaching on the air waves in this season of good will and beyond.