Ramadan and Religious Preaching Challenges: The Cases of Lakurawa and Alkali Zaria -By Abdulkadir Salaudeen

The month of Ramadan is the most spiritualized month for Muslims, more so than any other month in the Islamic calendar. While other months have their unique spiritual rites, Ramadan leads them in terms of awareness, impact, and participation of Muslims (and, in some cases, non-Muslims).

Let’s take Muharram, for instance, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Fasting on its 9th and 10th days is a common practice. But not every Muslim, let alone non-Muslims, is aware of this fasting. Dhul Hijjah is the 12th month — the last month of the Islamic year. Awareness about it and its impact can’t be compared to Ramadan because only an insignificant percentage of Muslims (in any country) participate in this spiritual rite.

In addition, out of the insignificant percentage of pilgrims vis-à-vis the Muslim population, some certain situations may warrant a drastic and significant reduction in the number of intended pilgrims. We saw this during the COVID-19 pandemic. And unless peace is allowed to reign in the Middle East (which is what we fervently pray for), escalation of joint attacks by the US/Israel and counter-attacks by Iran that now target US military bases in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, might be a reason for not performing Hajj.

Could there be a reason why fasting in the month of Ramadan would be suspended globally, or why only a few Muslims would be allowed to fast? I thought hard but couldn’t find a reason. This makes Ramadan a special month. The majority fast. The minority that don’t fast due to illness or other admissibly genuine reasons are so insignificant that they don’t affect the general, spiritually-induced atmosphere that Ramadan is known for.

One of the regular activities in this month is tafsir and general preaching. Tafsir is the interpretation of the Qur’an and its explanation by senior scholars who are qualified because they have dined at the table of scholarship and are subsequently well-fed. They’re called mufassirun (exegetes). But do we still have those we can call mufassirun (deservedly) – considering the fact that every cleric now does tafsir?

To answer the above question, I’ll say ‘yes’. We have them; but they are very few. By ‘very few’, I mean very few in the literal sense. Very minute. Numerically speaking, they are countable – very countable. What we have in huge numbers are preachers – many of whom erroneously think they are exegetes.

The above is just a prelude to the topic. Let me now turn to the topic itself. Preaching challenges aren’t new. Preachers have faced many in the past and will continue to face more. But this Ramadan, I have observed some new challenges. Some are even shocking. I will cite two cases: the case of bandits’ demand in Kebbi State and that of the suspended Alkali Zaria.

When I set out to write this column a few hours ago, my initial title was ‘The Political Economy of Preaching in Nigeria’. Then I quickly advised myself that this isn’t the right medium due to space constraints. Not only that, I will have to do thorough research. I cancelled the topic on paper, but it’s stuck in my memory. I hope to write on the topic one day as research to be published in a journal (if not a book). Any willing collaborator should kindly reach out. (This is by the way).

For the first time, to the best of my knowledge and if my memory serves me well, bandits asked Islamic clerics to deposit millions of naira as clearance to preach. It happened in Utouno village, Ngaski Local Government Area, Kebbi State. Failure by clerics to ‘wet the ground’ for bandits in this blessed month of Ramadan is seen as a sign of disrespect. The suspected bandits, as reported, threatened not to allow any preaching until preachers pay a N100m preaching levy – N100m only. If anyone thinks there’s a functioning government in Nigeria, it’s likely they don’t live in northern Nigeria or haven’t been following news about the North.

When the suspected bandits threatened that failure to comply would attract consequences, people living in the community understood the threat. They knew it was suicidal to think it was an empty threat. They knew that in Kangiwa Local Government Area – in the same Kebbi State – 33 people had just been killed, allegedly by Lakurawa bandits. Thus, it’s a costly joke to think the threat of consequences by the bandits is a joke.

So, we have reached the state where Islamic preachers have to pay to preach in the North, just like farmers have been paying bandits levies to farm. The Muslim-Muslim government is actually doing well. Kudos!

What about the suspension of Sheikh Alkali Abubakar Salihu Zaria by the leadership of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), the Jos faction? His case is different. He wasn’t suspended by bandits for not paying to preach. He was suspended by the association he belongs to because he preached about what he wasn’t paid to preach on. The funny Alkali, who recently insisted on being addressed as Dr Alkali (without a PhD and probably not a candidate of a PhD program anywhere), was deployed to lead the Ramadan exegesis by JIBWIS in a mosque in Damaturu, Yobe State. He was suspended after delivering a sermon criticising northern governors and President Tinubu, among others.

He said, “One of the signs of catastrophes this generation will likely face is the tendency to revere individuals out of fear of their machinations. Look at how states governors fear Tinubu much more than they fear Allah. If you are in APC you are treated like a saint. If you are a member of the opposition, you will be treated like a devil. One will be confronted with trump up charges. Who is Tinubu? You deceived us. You are a deceiver and cheat.” I listened to Alkali, who spoke in Hausa. I give credit for the above translated quote from his lecture to Daily Trust.

Here is my problem with Alkali: how can you bite the fingers that feed you? That is where Alkali went wrong. Though, constitutionally speaking, Alkali did nothing wrong, as far as I’m concerned. He would only be wrong if his criticisms are begging the question and lacking facts. Also, Alkali is a sheikh, as he is being addressed – a sheikh’s duty is to encourage righteousness and forbid evil. That’s exactly what Alkali did, if we assume he’s a sheikh in his own right.

But how can Alkali dare criticize the government or any government as a JIBWIS member? Alkali has two options: he can choose to be ‘enslaved’ under JIBWIS in the name of religion. In that case, he would have to stay away from criticizing the government or freely expressing his thoughts on national issues without JIBWIS approval. Under this first choice, if he has any radical thoughts, he should wait till we have a Christian president (or government), when it would RIDICULOUSLY become HALAL (permissible) to criticize government. Or, on the other hand, he should wait till a Muslim government not supported by JIBWIS is in power to exhibit his critical skills. But Tinubu’s government? No!

The second option is for Alkali to regain his freedom by exiting JIBWIS if he really wants to be an advocate of justice, sympathizer of the masses, inheritor of the Prophet’s legacy, and crusader against injustice and corruption. This is when he will be practicing the real and ideal Islam, where clerics would not be seen conniving with the government to annihilate the masses in the name of a religion that functions as an opium.

Should Alkali choose the second option, his common sense, guided by the light of the Qur’an that frowns on injustice, will be free from being teleguided by some turbaned clerics holding a remote control in the cocoon of their comfort rooms, policing the activities (and painfully, the thinking) of those they have ‘enslaved’ in the name of religion.

The choice is Alkali’s to make. May we witness peace in Nigeria. Ramadan Mubarak.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen 

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com