Ramadan Tafsir: Ummah’s current challenges (I)

The 30 days’ fasting period is a time for additional acts of worship and seeking the pleasure of Allah.  Muslims worldwide therefore allocate time to perform extra prayers in congregation tarawih and organize tafsir reading and discussion of the interpretation of the Quran at their various mosques. The tafsir sessions were also aired on electronic […]

The 30 days’ fasting period is a time for additional acts of worship and seeking the pleasure of Allah.  Muslims worldwide therefore allocate time to perform extra prayers in congregation tarawih and organize tafsir reading and discussion of the interpretation of the Quran at their various mosques. The tafsir sessions were also aired on electronic media to spread the message to all who stand to benefit from it. The airwaves were completely taken over by the tafsir sessions sponsored by citizens and groups.
 I take a particular interest in the tafsir sessions because the imams and other learned people who undertake the reading and interpretation of the Quran situate it in our context and applying the Qur’anic solution to current issues.  I monitored some of the tafsir sessions, most of them presented in Hausa. The highlights will be translated and presented to readers.
On 1 August 2013 Dr Ahmad Mahmud Gumi in his tafsir session at the Sultan Bello mosque in Kaduna contributed to the current debate about democracy and Islam and the pathetic situation of Muslims worldwide. He said “the debate about compatibility of Islam and democracy is not new. Some Muslims in Nigeria insist that we must stick to the political system of the early era of Islam in Madina using only the Quran and sunnah as the political frame work – salafism. They say democracy which was introduced by the colonial administrators is un-Islamic but we are in an era where we have to be dynamic and devise new strategies while retaining our Islamic focus.   
We have to learn from the experience of Muslims in Egypt who under the Ikwan used to tow the same line. When they realized that their best option was to explore democracy and use it to get what they wanted they joined the democratic process in Egypt, teamed up with non-Muslims and for the past 60 years struggled to win elections. Now that they have won, Zionist supporters from the West working with saboteurs among Muslims are doing their best to remove them from power! The current crisis in Egypt is about preventing Muslims from using Islamic ideals to guide their lives. It has happened before when pro-Islamic parties won elections in Algeria and a military coup was organized to prevent them from taking over power.
“We have to watch out for Jews who wear the garb of Muslims but are insensitive to the sufferings of the ummah. They use religion to confuse people and use the Quran to misguide gullible citizens.
“The Jews did the same thing to Prophet Isa [Jesus the Messiah (AS)] who was calling on the Jews, the lost house of Israel, to reform. He used the Torah as the law. The Jews wanted to pit him against the authority knowing that the Romans who were in power were not respecters of the Torah. The Jews brought a woman who had committed adultery before Prophet Isa and asked him what to do. The punishment for adultery in the Torah is stoning to death.
As a Prophet who was urging them to return to Allah’s law as contained in the Torah if he did not use the Torah he himself would have jettisoned Allah’s law. If on the other hand he applied the Torah, they will pit him against the Romans for disregarding their law. Prophet Isa (AS) saw through their trap and told them that the one who was sinless among them should cast the first stone and they all disappeared.
“Still on the issue of democracy, one of you here said Sheikh Ibn Baz, the Saudi-based cleric who is known for his rulings (fatwa) on contemporary issues said democracy is not compatible with Islam. The learned Sheikh operates under a monarchy so what do you expect him to say?
“Of course there are aspects of democracy that are faulty. When the majority carries the vote and the majority has jettisoned Allah’s law and they will team up to legalize what Allah has forbidden such as adultery, sodomy and gay marriage. If there are God fearing people in their midst and they contest election, they will not vote for them because they will try and stop them from going astray. That will establish tranny of the majority all in the name of democracy. Muslims living in such hostile environment have a responsibility to initiate reform.
However our situation is different here in Nigeria where Muslims are the majority but are currently being marginalized in various sectors by a vocal and well organized group. The hostility of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is disturbing. It will protest any military posting that is fair to all. Meanwhile Muslims are being marginalized in military institutions such as the Nigerian Defence Academy and CAN is not criticizing this. Instead it is supporting the government to continue to oppress us. That is the price we are paying for electing a minority to rule the nation. When we gain power, we as Muslims will not oppress anyone but we want CAN to stop all the scheming and stop creating the impression that we have equal number of Muslims and Christians in this country.  The North West and North East zones are predominantly Muslim and South West is 50 percent Muslims. If we organize we can mobilize 40 million Muslim votes. That way things will change and we should take our fate in our hands by being proactive instead of reactive.
Democracy is our only option and we have to use it to initiate change, ensure justice and peace. First we must call on government to remove the soldiers from our streets ahead of the next elections so that voters will not be intimidated.”
Dr Ahmed Gummi then provided a solution by urging all Muslims to register for the 2015 elections and ensure block voting for a good candidate that will correct injustices being meted out to the people. He then called on Muslims “to return to Allah and observe the limits set by Him. We are suffering today because of our erring ways. Allah made those who have no compassion for us to preside over our affairs.”  As a parting shot, Dr Ahmad Gummi said “I am aware of the complaint from CAN that my preaching this year is explosive and will cause disunity. All I am saying is the truth and disunity set in when Christians led by Major Chukwumah Nzeogwu organized the 1966 coup and killed our leaders.’’