Ramadan: Between the Muslims and the Pseudo Clerics -By Abdulkadir Salaudeen

Time seems to run faster than usual nowadays. By tomorrow (Saturday) or a day after (Sunday), Muslims all over the world would start Ramadan fasting which begining is signaled and heralded by the appearance of the crescent. The date for the commencement of Ramadan cannot be fixed. But intelligent and informed guess could be made about its commencement by Islamic scholars who busy themselves with studying and taking records of the moon as it waxes and wanes. 

I am aware that some clerics who claim to be authority in Islam do fix date for the commencement of Ramadan. This is sheer ignorance. Following these kinds of clerics only gives wings to pseudo clericalism. One should be wary of these categories of clerics. They have abandoned the scripture and the age-long Islamic tradition, as clear as they are, to embrace some so-called scientific calculations which they barely understand. They end up confusing the uninformed Muslims on when to start and end Ramadan fasting (one of the pillars of Islam).

Ramadan is the month of spirituality. Many Muslims seek spiritual elevation in this noble month. To be elevated spiritualy in the month of Ramadan, one needs only to be dutiful to Allah. To attain some degree of spiritual height, one needs, among other things, to increase acts of worship and acts of generosity. One needs to be kind to a fault. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was generally generous, he was said to be more generous in the month of Ramadan.

To maximize rewards in this month, one should increase righteous deeds and shun wickedness and miserliness. It is wickedness to hike prices of essential commodities, fruits, and staple because of Ramadan. It is miserliness to feed to one’s fill but be less concerned about one’s poor neighbors. This is the month to spend; not to save. This is the month to distribute and give freely what had been amassed; it is not the month to amass what can hardly go round. Misers are great losers in this month as every act of generosity is geometrically rewarded.

As I mentioned above, we must be wary of pseudo clerics. They are vampires who fully operational in this month. This is the month they sap people dryly and parasite on the innocent and their wealth. For clarity, pseudo clerics hardly give out in this month but expect to be given. The instruction is to give to the poor and the needy. Don’t be deceived, there isn’t any religious obligation upon you to give to the clerics except if they are poor or are in need. You can only be generous to clerics who render essential services like teaching the Qur’an and other religious books, leading prayers as responsible and God-fearing imams, and giving religious talks (sermons) especially in the month of Ramadan. 

Please! please!! and please!!! Don’t have anything to do with pseudo clerics as we approach Ramadan. Avoid them, even after Ramadan. I mean avoid them entirely and indefinitely. Know them and avoid them. They are injurious to one’s spiritual growth. If you don’t know them, please endeavor to know them. As I mentioned above, they are gluttonous—always ready to take but never willing to give—and very ostentatious. They are jobless people, not because the country is plagued with joblessness but because they are not employable and are not willing to be trained to be employable. They should be on the government watchlist as I wrote in my previous column; “They are very dangerous people in our midst notwithstanding their innocent outlook as they garb themselves in clerical attire.”

These “clerics”, when you see them, run! One of  them, Abdulrahman Bello, made the news headline about two weeks ago. He hypnotized his victims and raped her. Not done, he dismembered her and threw her family and concerned Nigerians into a melancholic mood. Bello and his accomplices are not alone. There are many of them. They flaunt wealth with no visible source of income. They speak in the name of God but are actually poisonous tools of Satan. They are very fetishistic even in their interpretation of the scripture. They are devil incarnates and are found everywhere. They gained more followers in the month of Ramadan. So, be careful!

They present “religious” talks on different media and in several fora. Their preachings are majorly centered on prosperity. They will tell you,  you cannot make it in life when you are too Godly. You need to dine with Satan with a long spoon to attain success. Thereafter, they will urge, you may seek God’s forgiveness. They will tell you the witches and wizards in your village are behind your predicaments because they follow you to wherever you go. They will frighten you that though God exists, but there are powerful people—owners of the world—who should be feared than God.

In fact, they are post-truth clerics. “Post-truth” is a concept that describes modern  political communication as full of untruths. Therefore, post-truth clerics are those that spread misinformation and manipulate religious facts and scripture to negatively influence people’s belief for self enrichment. These pseudo clerics are post-truth religious leaders who present farce as fact. They skew facts to bewitch their gullible audience. They dish out narratives that are not found in books except perhaps in their so-called esoteric books that are readable only by them.

To identify them, just ask them for reference for whatever claim they make. In their usual response to being challenged to provide reference, this may be said to you as reference: “You need to dine with elders, not all clothes are spread out in the sun.” This is a possible reference if they try to be polite. If they are arrogant, their response to being asked reference for their strange claims and fictions would be to shout you down. “You are stupid”, “you are mannerless”, you are uncouth”, “how dare you challenge an authority like me”, “do you know how fathers in this land” are some of the usual responses to being asked references. This is unscholarly. It is charlatanry.

Open your eyes. Don’t be a prey to charlatans who claim to be men of God. Don’t subject yourself to mental slavery in the name of religion by listening to this devilish clerics. When you hear them or see them, run! There is nothing esoteric in Islam. Islam is very easy to learn. Even at scholarly level, all you need to do is to devout your time to study hard. This may be time consuming but it is, at the same time, interesting. Anyone, Muslims or non-Muslims, can study Islam and understand it. The concept of esoteric knowledge given to some special people does not exist in Islam. Any cleric who claims to have a special knowledge that cannot be known by anyone but only him is a devil. Run away from him before you are bewitched.

These so-called clerics prioritize ideology over truth. They detest factual accuracy. Rhetorical and emotional appeals are the most potent tools they use to gaslight their audience. Run away from them. When you begin to admire them more than you admire God, when you begin to obey them more than you obey God, and when you begin to fear them more than you fear God, know that you are in trouble. When you start experiencing the above, you are already a pawn in their game. Do not also be deceived by the crowds they attract in their Ramadan public lectures. Be intelligent and vigilant; for, they are everywhere.

As I welcome you and myself to the month of Ramadan, use your time wisely. Recite the Qur’an often. Endeavor to complete the Qur’an as many times as possible. Attend tafsir (Qur’an interpretation sessions) where questions are entertained by interpreters/scholars who are not only self-effacing and pious but well grounded in knowledge. Let’s seek Allah’s forgiveness as we try to forgive others. 

Finally, I warn you again as I have warned myself. Avoid the assembly of pseudo clerics. We are in the post-truth era. Shine your eyes. May Allah grant us success, accept our acts of worship, and bless Nigeria. I congratulate Muslims all over the world as we embrace Ramadan. Ramadan Kareem!

Abdulkadir Salaudeen 

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com