On Scholars, Imams, Mallams and the need for the ‘not so common’, common sense .
My earliest experience of the power religious leaders held over their followers was in primary 5.
We had these extra lessons because some of us were trying to get into Federal boarding schools (at least till the Government at the time decided that they wanted to cancel Jss1-3 and go with primary 7,8,9 instead. And so they cancelled the federal exams) School was 8am -2pm I think, and lessons were 3pm -4/5, quite sketchy.
As a child born into a Muslim home, Islamiya was an integral part of my upbringing. There was one within the area that started at 4pm and ended at 6pm on weekdays. This meant that for those of us in primary 5 &6, finishing lessons, getting home, praying, eating and dressing for Islamiya had us as perpetual late comers (or goers, 🤔)
We got beaten for our late coming, a lot. A handful of us then decided to speak to the Mallam, hoping that once he understood our plight, he would let us have this late coming year while preparing for our exams
Now, we used to have these two exceptional Mallams; Mallam Suraj and Mallam Suleiman (had this mad crush on Mal. Suleiman then... Me and fine men = 5 & 6) but they left to further their education or something, I don’t know. Then we had Mallam Abdullahi and Mallam Masud.
Mallam Masud was a strict fellow. Mal. Abdullahi was very friendly, and it was because of his friendliness that we approached him.
Mallam Abdullahi listened to us, wished us well in our exams, and we thought we had solved our problem. It came quite shocking when he dedicated the whole of that evening to preach to the students as a whole, the importance of Islamiya. He said, clearly, that if we wanted to make heaven, we would stop chasing after worldly things so much. He said that if only we knew how the Islamiya was our only path to redemption, we would leave our lessons and come to Islamiya. He told us that if anyone tried to stop us, we need only tell them that they can never understand, because we were believers and they were not... And so on and so on..
I remember leaving Islamiya feeling like a true believer, my path was clear; I did not need western education... Those bloody westerners, trying to take over our religion and stop us from learning.
Next day (and I will never forget this day) I estimated that it would take me about 30 minutes to get home from school and run to Islamiya (home was a walkable distance from school) I carried my bag and stood up in the middle of an English lesson...
Mrs Ose, the teacher, turned to question me. I told her I was going home. At first, she thought perhaps something was off, maybe I was ill or something. I told her I was perfect, I was running late for Islamiya, and I couldn’t wait.
She then got upset or maybe there was surprise at my audacity in the mix too. She asked me if I knew what I was doing and I told her that I did, but that she would never understand because, you know, she is an unbeliever. I told her very clearly, that Islamiya was more important than her lessons. She was quiet as I left.
I felt very proud of myself. Got home in time and lied that the lesson won't hold that day, left for Islamiya and I was not late. I was certain Mal. Abdullahi would be so proud.
I was young, I was dumb and I forgot one key detail; Mrs. Ose was not only my teacher, she was my mum's friend and our neighbor. Her house was behind ours... She had access to my mum, very open access to our house.
Picture this; a child you make your special paté for, give sallah money to, send biscuits to and teach, looks you in the face and calls you an unbeliever while having the nerve to walk out of your ongoing class... Mrs. Ose must have been livid! She reported me to my mother.
Now, on any other day, dad would have refused getting beaten by anyone (especially me) but that day, I came back from Islamiya (I had even forgotten what went down in school) to collect beating.
Mum beat shege from my body, Subhanallah! My God, she beat me (wish you people started the non- violent parenting campaign in good time) Sigh. The only other time they beat me like this was when instead of waiting for dad to pick me from school, I followed Itohan (my neigbor and school mate) and her family to buy ice cream before going home, at a time when there were fears of kidnaps, killings and dumping bodies in ABU dam. They thought I had been kidnapped (in retrospect, Zaria always had this once in a while kidnap/assassination of thing going for it)
But as it is with the parents I had, beaten or not, they had to give you a lecture. They needed you to know what you did wrong, arrive at why it was wrong, understand that you had to be corrected, and take steps to make amends. So, they sat me down and talked sense into my head, had me apologise to Mrs. Ose.
They became wary of Mal. Abdullahi. And because mum has always been so drawn to the life of the Prophet, she tried to teach me how the Prophet’s approach was always to promote peace and foster kindness. She then took it upon herself to ask us everyday after Islamiya, what we learnt, or if there were any interesting things that happened in Islamiya.
Like the time Mal. Abdullahi said we could pretend to be 18, tie a baby on our backs and go and vote so that a Muslim will lead Kaduna. It was Mum who lectured me on the importance of obeying electoral laws and convinced me that I didn't have to vote as an underage. Or the time he almost convinced us that niqab was a compulsory piece of clothing.
Mum became very wary of Mal. Abdullahi. I think other parents noticed his problematic takes too, because Mal. Abdullahi stopped teaching us all of a sudden. He let as suddenly as he came (later, we would hear rumours of molestations and rapes and how maybe, just maybe, Mal. Abdullahi was not as pious as we thought he was)
There was also that one time he said we shouldn't look down on the thugs smoking and drinking around, because according to him, when real jihad comes, they will be the ones to make us victorious, to finish the unbelievers... And other such problematic views.
We were young, we were teenagers just trying to create our own personalities. The oldest of us couldn't have been up to 14 years old. See how exposed we were? How easy we were to reach? To manipulate? How easy it was to screw with and misinterpret Islam to us?
I have been vary wary of self proclaimed and even people-proclaimed religious people. I know how much power they wield and how easy it is for them to forget that they are human and so, fallible and capable of mistakes... to 'lead' people without introspection and constant reflection. It scares me. It scares me a lot.
I imagine that if I didn’t have mum to guide me, I might have become a hostile, uncouth and unreasonable person, blinded by what I would have thought was Islam. And daily, we see , especially thanks to social media, the result of blind belief, blind fellowship... the almost ridiculous religious takes, if they weren't so outrageous and alarming.
Of course this is not to say that there aren't exceptions; like the Mai Unguwa of Gwamaja who doubles as their Imam and has worked with women to promote child spacing, family planning and women empowerment as well as preach against indiscriminate polygamy.
The problem is, for every one of those like the Mai Unguwa, there are dozens of those like the many ‘scholars’ who some months back spoke against abaya. Religious leaders who once again put the lives of girls and women in joepardy by having them harassed for wearing abaya...
And it is He who has spread the earth wide and placed on it firm mountains and running waters, and created thereon two sexes of every [kind of] plant; [and it is He who] causes the night to cover the day. Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for people who think
Ar-Rad.
"People who think", " people who ponder", "people who take thought"
We, Muslims, come from a foundation of thinkers and scientists and mathematicians but have now reduced ourselves to sheep, following blindly the line of injustice, wickedness… living without empathy, kindness, mindfulness or the narrowest of zeal to think for ourselves.
We take things that humans like us say, and swallow it; hook, line and sinker. And of course, blame the west, blame modernization, blame globalization, blame everything but ourselves for our backwardness and sheer, sheer foolishness.
Otherwise, how can a well learned Muslim say that 'women shouldn't drive because it gives them orgasms' or that 'older women shouldn't marry because they can't reproduce and have no more purpose"
And how come these incredulous takes are always targeted at education and women liberation? The very foundation of human existence? why partake in crippling half our population, crippling our youth (our future) and then pretend that we are the best people in the world because some scholar, somewhere says things must be in a certain way?
Well, this is not a jab at your favorite religious leaders abeg, don't come and beat me, my hand is not inside.
I am just saying, according to scholars doesn't really always mean according to Islam. Before taking rulings and fatwas, reflect, think, see if your actions align with the peacefulness and thoughtfulness of the Prophet and his companions. Think, that if you stand before Allah today, you will be able to defend your action, inactions and speech, knowing full well that there will be no ‘Mallam’ to intercede on your behalf.
P.S Can you guess where those Masjids are located? The fourth one is in Abuja, Nigeria.
according to scholars doesn’t really always mean according to Islam.
