Ali Abubakar Sadiq
Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, may his soul rest in peace, is like a father to me considering he was a very close friend of my late father; they shared the same name and hailed from the same region, one from Gumi and the other from Furfuri in old Sokoto State. May their souls rest in peace.
In 1989, I traveled to Kaduna where I met Sheikh Abubakar Gumi in his home on Modibbo Adama street. After introducing myself, since he didn’t know me personally, I sought his assistance to serve as a guarantor for me on an application form for a foreign University. He promptly did so, without asking whether I belonged to the Izala sect or not (I am sect-less since then), as is obtainable now with clerics from the sect. After praying for my father and blessing me, I took my leave, and it was the first and last time I saw him.
As for Gumi Junior, I have never met him in life. Though in 2002, when I happened to observe the entire month of Ramadan in Kaduna, I used to listen every day to his Tafsir on the Radio. Being curious and questing for knowledge, I also listened alongside him to clerics like Dahiru Bauchi and Malam Dan Almajiri from the Tijjaniyya sect. Sometimes I listened to the few Shi’ite scholars on the radio and, of course, Dangungu, from the Quranists (who happens to be a former disciple of Sheikh Gumi before leaving the Izala to form the Quranists sect). That Ramadan had been a turning point in my perception and philosophy because it forced me to distance myself from all sects for two reasons: one, it became clear to me that all our clerics promote divisions and hatred between Muslims by insisting theirs is the only right way. Secondly, each of those scholars will fascinate you with his philosophy and depth of knowledge of the religion that favors his own side of the story.
But by the end of that Ramadan, I specifically stopped listening to Ahmad Gumi because of the vituperations against Sufi sects as “Innovators” and Shi’ites as “Non-Muslims”. I never, in my wildest imagination, thought there would come a time I will pen my pen in defense of Ahmad Gumi because there is no way I envisioned him sidestepping the polemics he so much proselytizes. Dahiru Bauchi and Dan Almajiri were also steeped deep in their promotion of “Shaihunnai”, “Auliya’s” especially Ibrahim Nyass. As for Dangungu, his vehement opposition to anything hadith truly puts me off as from my experience, I know hadiths were the beacon for me that led me to the path of scholarship, though I later believe the hadith needed scrutiny from other sources, most are not willing to accept. Sheikh Zakzaky and other Shiite scholars were consumed by the “Ahly Bait” and their Tafsir is more like a lecture towards a certain utopia I am not really comfortable with.
Back to the main subject, Abubakar Gumi with the help of Sardaunan Sokoto were the ones who introduced the Izala sect into Nigeria. Even though before the Izala movement there were conflicts between other sects, it is Izala that precipitated strong inter-religious confrontations in the North. I remember in the 70s when we were in boarding school, being raised from a family that does “Kabalu” in prayer, at school out of fear of stigma, whenever going to mosque I used my “Babbar Riga” to hide my “Kabalu” as it was the exception not the norm in those days. One unlucky day for me, someone close to me noticed the bulge under my Babbar Riga as I prayed, and he immediately tried to force my hands down and a struggle ensued that exposed my “Kabalu” mode to other students, and I was stigmatized for it. Today Kabalu is the norm in the north, why? Simply because of knowledge and tolerance.
Without a doubt, Abubakar Gumi is one of the greatest scholars Africa has produced, and we expect the mercy of God to be with him, moreover, considering his moral character that sometimes seems angelic. We can remember the issue of Isyaka Rabi’u’s Zakkat of 2 million he initially refused to accept sighting it should have been distributed in Kano, his residence rather than Kaduna. We also remember the 250 thousand Riyals (today’s 75 million Naira) he received with the King Abdulazeez award, which he distributed from Jedda to Kaduna without holding a riyal for himself or his family. Could any Izala scholar do that today? Considering how the Izala clerics today are like political campaign managers? Or the worst as Kano Izala scholars paid a homage visit to Ganduje when he was accused of the Dollar video, saying they expect God to exonerate him as Aisha was exonerated from adultery charge! Subhanallah!
Gumi displayed tolerance, a quality that is glaringly absent in later-day Izala clerics. I remembered a time when Gumi was accused of becoming an unbeliever too during his tafsir, and he quickly said alright and renewed his “Kalimat Shahada”. He once said, “To vote is more important than praying,” a philosophical discourse that is above the common man’s intellect, and he was chastised for it. He encouraged people to engage in the banking sectors as he debunked the “Usury” connotation, citing the verse for the allowance of eating carrion during necessity. It is clear that Gumi is a forward-thinking person full of philosophical intellect, who envisioned the kinetic power of politics and the banking system in the future of northern society as well as tolerance that would surely bring about cohesion among the Ummah. Unfortunately, the Izala he introduced was overtaken by the backward-thinking disciples, that cherish above all else the arrested medieval thinking of the Salaf, disdaining any attempt to introduce dynamism, a reason why Boko Haram festers in the northeast and fundamentalist apologetics everywhere in the north.
Saudi Arabia, the citadel and exporter of Wahhabism, recently is putting brakes on the extreme stances of the “Mudawwafs” like the ban on women driving, traveling alone, or even their voices are like private parts, killing as punishment for many offenses, etc. foments the fundamentalists attitude that usually resulted in terrorism. Here in Nigeria, whether we realize it or not, over a decade of fire-brand sermons of Late Sheikh Jafar in Maiduguri every Ramadan, was the instigator of fundamentalist elements in the likes of Muhammad Yusuf that degenerates into Boko Haram. And wherever you go, whether it is ISWAP in the Sahel, ISIS in the Middle East, or Al Shabab in East Africa, it is rogues from the teachings of Wahhabism that metamorphose into that terror organization.
God bless Ahmad Gumi, for now realizing the negativity of the intolerance they used to preach has been the bane of the Muslim umma in the North and unless we re-introduce our lost tolerance, problems will continue to consume us, one and all. Therefore, whoever believes in God must lend a hand in supporting Gumi towards this thorny path, which we must tread upon to reach the promise land. We are all aware God has warned
Q6:159 ” Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects – you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allah ; then He will inform them about what they used to do.”
But you will find Izala scholars like the Late Jafar claiming it is better for one to be an “Innovator” than be “Sect-less” like us. And some of them even go to the extreme of calling an innovator no better or even worse than an unbeliever.
Ahmad Gumi has renewed himself with the clarion call of God in
Q3:103 ” And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided”
Alas! The extreme elements in Izala has now turned against him for the courage to remind all and sundry. Lest we forget none of the so-called sects we aligned ourselves with, I repeat none, was in existence during the prophet’s time or that of the three Khulafa’u Rashidun. Even Shiites and Kharijites emerged during the reign of Ali Bn Abu Talib. You are free to follow any sect you want but know that the Prophet didn’t know or approved it, the only thing he would testify to is being a Muslim or not.
Is it not instructional how the vast number of Muslim, second to only Christianity, controlling vast territories and wealth, with the second largest organization (OIC) after the UN only, yet we are nothing in International Affairs but a toothless bulldog? Look at how our brothers in Palestine are being massacred on a daily basis and we can do nothing because we are not united. Had it been the Muslim world is united, I swear to God in 24 hours we have the muscles to stop the on-going genocide in Gaza. In fact, only the six gulp states can do it with a simple oil embargo threat, not even carried out. But Saudi, Egypt Jordan are all complicit, one way or the other in the conflict. In the recent past, as onlookers, we watched how Libya, Iraq, Syria and Yemen are destroyed as Palestine is added to the list.
Closer home, the North, in the last decade and half is almost brought down on its knees, despite having the largest population, land and water resources, number of governors and federal legislators by the combined calamities of Boko Haram, Banditry and Kidnap and looting by officials. Our clerics has turned political errand boys, thus no one can truly tell truth to power let alone defend the masses. Unless we jettison our artificial difference and embraces what unifies us as a people with one culture and religion, the worst is yet to come.
Finally, I will doff my hat again for the brave and courageous attitude of Ahmad Gumi in recent days, and pray to God to strengthened him with other conscientious clerics both within Izala and beyond to embrace the noble and clarion call of God “Wa A’atasimu bi hablillah jami’a”.
God bless Ahmad Gumi for now realizing the negativity of the intolerance they used to preach, which has been the bane of the Muslim umma in the North. Unless we reintroduce our lost tolerance, problems will continue to consume us, one and all. Therefore, whoever believes in God must lend a hand in supporting Gumi on this thorny path we must tread to reach the promised land. We are all aware God has warned in Q6:159, “Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects – you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allah; then He will inform them about what they used to do.”
But you will find Izala scholars like the Late Jafar claiming it is better for one to be an “Innovator” than be “Sect-less” like us. And some of them even go to the extreme of calling an innovator no better or even worse than an unbeliever.
Ahmad Gumi has renewed himself with the clarion call of God in Q3:103, “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.”
Alas! The extreme elements in Izala have now turned against him for the courage to remind all and sundry. Lest we forget, none of the so-called sects we aligned ourselves with, I repeat none, was in existence during the prophet’s time or that of the three Khulafa’u Rashidun. Even Shiites and Kharijites emerged during the reign of Ali Bn Abu Talib. You are free to follow any sect you want, but know that the Prophet didn’t know or approve it; the only thing he would testify to is being a Muslim or not.
Is it not instructional how the vast number of Muslims, second only to Christianity, controlling vast territories and wealth, with the second-largest organization (OIC) after the UN, yet we are nothing in International Affairs but a toothless bulldog? Look at how our brothers in Palestine are being massacred on a daily basis, and we can do nothing because we are not united. Had the Muslim world been united, I swear to God, in 24 hours, we would have the muscles to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza. In fact, only the six Gulf states can do it with a simple oil embargo threat, not even carried out. But Saudi, Egypt, Jordan are all complicit, one way or the other in the conflict. In the recent past, as onlookers, we watched how Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen are destroyed as Palestine is added to the list.
Closer home, the North, in the last decade and a half, is almost brought down on its knees, despite having the largest population, land and water resources, number of governors, and federal legislators by the combined calamities of Boko Haram, Banditry, Kidnap, and looting by officials. Our clerics have turned into political errand boys, thus no one can truly tell the truth to power, let alone defend the masses. Unless we jettison our artificial differences and embrace what unifies us as a people with one culture and religion, the worst is yet to come.
Finally, I will doff my hat again for the brave and courageous attitude of Ahmad Gumi in recent days and pray to God to strengthen him with other conscientious clerics both within Izala and beyond to embrace the noble and clarion call of God “Wa A’atasimu bi hablillah jami’a”.
