Islam in Nigeria, through 50 years of Independence
أمير وعبدهby Joseph Kenny, O.P.
For International Conference on
Islam in Nigeria since Independence (1960-2010)
University of Ibadan
22-23 June 2010It was the morning of `Īd al-aḍḥā. Abduh arrived early at the prayer ground. Along came Amir. Seeing Abduh, he rushed over. "As-salamu `alaykum! It's such a long time. Come over this afternoon. We are having a little sallah party. There we can talk.
The two got together that afternoon. Amir commented, "That was a wonderful worship this morning."
Abduh: "Yes, you could sense how near we were to God, how near to one another - one in mind and heart."
Amir: "Of course, isn't that what the Qur'an (56) refers to in the passage:
وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ (١٠) أُولَئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ (الواقعة ١١)
As for those who lead in the race, they are the ones brought near."
Abduh: "Now that you have brought up the Qur'an, Amir, what is your favorite passage?"
Amir: "Well, that's hard to say, because the Qur'an is full of beautiful passages, but I keep coming back to this line in Srat at-Tawba (19):
وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ... (التوبة ٧١)
The believing men and women are in league with one another, they command what is respectable and forbid what is detestable.
That is why I am called Amir. I believe God called me to promote justice, goodness, education and prosperity in our country, Nigeria. What is your favourite verse?"
Abduh: "Mine is in Sūra Āl `Imran (3):
إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ (آل عمران ٥١)
God, he is my Lord and your Lord; so serve him. That is the straight path."
That is why I am called Abduh, meaning "his servant" or "worshipper". God is first in my life. I believe he called me to promote his worship, and promote the true religion until it triumphs over all.[1] Shi ke nan"
Amir: "Just religion? What about education?"
Abduh: "You know education isn't everything. People waste their time pursuing degrees, while people out there are on their way to hell, because nobody instructs them about God. Besides, Imam al-Ghazali said: وكان العلم بالقرآن العلم كله - Qur'anic knowledge is all knowledge.[2]"
Amir: "Are you trying to defend Boko Haram?"
Abduh: "Of course not. Education in all branches of knowledge is vital. But it is a فرض الكفاية, a communitarian obligation. Religion, I insist, comes first. The Boko Haram people are extremists, a disgrace to Islam and to Nigeria. I don't even regard them as Muslims."
Amir: "But they don't regard you as a Muslim, because you don't join them. Who is to say you are right and they are wrong. You merely exchange takfīrs and quote Qur'an verses that seem to buttress your position."
Abduh: "I don't need to remind you how important consensus is. People can twist the Qur'an to fit any idea that comes into their mind. There is a majority mainstream agreement about the fundaments of Islam. Isn't there a Hadith that says, 'My people will never agree on error'?" And the vast majority of Muslims agree that Boko Haram ideology and the violence they practice are wrong.
Amir: "That is wonderful. But I still have a problem. The Guardian referred to an unnamed poll that says '99% of Nigerians condemn Abdalmuttalib's attempt to blow up an airliner'. I worry about the 1%. Do you know how many 1% of Nigerians are? - A million and a half people! If even 50,000 Nigerian Muslims support Abdalmuttalib or Boko Haram, is that not cause for worry? What are they not capable of doing?"
Abduh: "Sure, they are a danger. Muslim leaders have supported Government efforts to stop their excesses. But the real challenge for us is to educate them to see reason. We did not have this problem in the past. It comes from outside inspiration. Many Nigerian youth have taken Ben Laden as their hero. Don't you think that justifies calling Nigeria a terrorist state?"
Amir: "I agree with your conclusion, but not with your reasoning. You say we are a terrorist state because of so many Nigerians who would be ready to imitate Abdalmuttalib. Abdalmuttalib was radicalized in Britain, not in Nigeria. The vast majority of Nigerian Muslims, and his own Father, do not condone such behavior at all, neither does the Nigerian Government. And they are ready to oppose it by all means. But we are a terrorist state. Chief Bisi Akande says (Guardian Sunday 17 Jan 2010, p. 23): 'While we are not terrorists to the outside world, we kill people for power, for money, for votes and so on. That is terrorism... We are dangerous to ourselves, to humanity and the country. That is terrorism. Why are we worried that they labelled us a terrorist country?'"
Abduh: "True, Amir. Just think of the inter-religious riots in the North, repeated year after year since Independence. Jos was the scene of the latest. What is driving this violence, and what can we do about it?"
Amir: "I've heard so many interpretations. The most convincing, it seems to me, is that religious conflict in Jos is a cover for ethnic conflict. The local people see the Hausa-Fulani expanding, and are afraid they will take over Plateau State."
Abduh: "Then what does it mean to be a Nigerian, if you cannot settle anywhere you wish in the Federation?"
Amir: "A good point, but tell me, is there any state in the Federation that does not discriminate between the indigenous and outsiders? It is just that the problem is more acute in Plateau."
Abduh: "Then, why do they attack places of worship, burn mosques and churches?"
Amir: "Well, there may be another dimension to the problem. Many years have passed since Yusufu Bala Usman wrote his Manipulation of religion in Nigeria, 1977-1987.[3] He blames politicians for exploiting religious sentiments to create crises when it serves their political aims. We are back to the issue of 'sacred cows', never named and never shamed. They have arms, training camps, and can send fighters anywhere they choose."
Abduh: "Apart from that, Amir, are we Muslims not under siege in the whole world, with our back to the wall? Is it any wonder that our youth react violently when there is so much provocation?"
Amir: "True, Muslims do experience some hostility around the world, but let's have a wider look. Fifty years back, we could blame all our woes on the colonial power. Now we see the ordeal our sons of the soil have put us through. I dare say the bulk of Muslim travails come from other Muslims, by neglect or by oppression. And, as for violent reaction, why should Muslim youths, over cartoons in Denmark, attack churches in Maiduguri and kill Rev. Fr. Michael Kwali Gajere, slaughtering him on the altar of his own church? I fail to see it as a spontaneous reaction. I believe it was organized."
Abduh: "Attacking churches and killing clergymen, no Muslim can approve of. Listen to the Qur'an (22):
... وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَلَيَنْصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ (الحج ٤٠)
On the other hand, we have to restrict Christians from converting our people, and do our best to see that one day all Nigerians embrace Islam. The problem is that Christians have the very opposite aim, to turn all Nigerians into Christians. That is why they are fighting each other."
Amir: "Yes, Abduh, but we must never forget the Qur'an injunction (2:256): لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ. Some say this is abrogated by the آية القتال (9:69),[4] but I cannot subscribe to that. People must embrace a religion freely and willingly, and not because of some bribe or threat. When it comes to spreading the Faith, Islam is in total agreement with the Christian policy expressed by Pope John-Paul II: "We propose, we do not impose."[5]
Abduh: "But we know that once you are a Muslim, you are always a Muslim. You have no right to cast aside truth for falsehood. That is why Mālikī law prescribes the death penalty for someone who leaves Islam."[6]
Amir: "It is true, Abduh, that anyone who knowingly casts aside the truth will have to answer to God, but must he answer to man? Who appointed any man the judge of the hearts of other men, to say that they are sincere or insincere? And if someone is not convinced of the truth of his religion, must those who are convinced force him to comply, to pretend? Will such a person be an asset to the Muslim community, or rather a liability, and an impediment to its progress? On this point, Muhammad Talbi argues, Mālikī law is at variance with the Qur'an.[7] And he presents evidence that the ḥadīth that supports it (Bukhārī IX, 19 etc.) is forged.
Abduh: "I'm not sure about that, but let's talk about convinced Muslims. We know that some of them, especially among the youth, can be lax and careless about their religion. The institution of Shari`a in some of the Northern states has sanitized the situation. They now go to the mosque and keep away from what is ḥarām. Don't you think that is a big improvement?"
Amir: "Let's not forget, Abduh, that the core of any religious practice is نية, the right intention. If someone does صلاة simply out of shame, because someone is taking attendance, his prayer is useless. I am not saying we should just abandon everybody to do what they like. We are our brothers' keepers, and we should encourage them to be up and doing in their religious practice. But we must absolutely develop a sense of freedom, so that they practice because they choose to do so, not because someone is looking over their shoulder. This reminds me of a Baptist boy I once met, the son of a pastor. He was attending University of Ilorin. I asked him why he did not go to the Baptist University. He answered: 'I am an adult, and I go to church because I decide to. I cannot accept any policing of my religious life.'"
Abduh: "It is an enormous challenge to inculcate religious values in youth today. That is why an enabling environment is important, a society where the government excludes evil influences that could corrupt their faith and morals. That is what a Shari`a state can provide."
Amir: "Yes, we need to expose the youth to literature and programs that will have a positive impact on their lives. Parents, schools and religious societies can provide this. But if we bring in the government, there are two problems. The first is the fact that the youth can access anything they want through Internet. If freedom means so much to them, government prohibition will only embolden them to get the forbidden fruit. Secondly, we are Nigerians, and we know how corrupt politicians can be. Do we want to entrust our sacred religion to the dirty hands of politicians who just use religion to get votes?"
Abduh: "It would be a shame if the administrators of Shari`a did not administer it equitably."
Amir: "Besides that, Abduh, oppressive Islamic regimes not only provoke resentment among the people, but also make some of them turn their resentment against Islam itself, which the government claims to embody. My impression is that Muslims in the freedom of the United States are more committed to their Faith and more faithfully practice the dictates of their religion than Muslims in countries policed by the ubiquitous محتسب."
Abduh: "I still think freedom is dangerous. But I have one final argument for the retention of state Shari`a. If the state does not administer Shari`a, what does it administer but English law, which is nothing but Christian law?"
Amir: "Muslims sometimes complain that Nigerian law is Christian law in disguise, while Christians complain that Shari`a law, such as restriction on alcohol, spills over on them. But do not Muslim laws converge with Christian laws on many points? I believe there is a wide range of law that both communities could agree on."
Abduh: "You may find agreement in broad principles, but there is a wealth of detail in Shari`a which simply does not exist in Christian law."
Amir: "Some of that detail Muslims can follow on their own, without reference to government, such as family law and inheritance, dress and decorum. Other details which are controversial, such as amputations or giving a woman's testimony half the value of a man's, are subject to ijtihād, and may be found to have only exceptional applicability."
Abduh: "Maybe so, but one problem with formulating a law common to Muslims and Christians is the fact that the wording of Muslim law comes straight from the Qur'an and Ḥadīth. However, Christian common law does not use the words of the Bible, and seems to be an unholy mixture of Christian ideas with the ancient law of pagan Rome or Greece."
Amir: "That's a good observation. For the past four or five hundred years, Christian constitutions and law hardly refer to the Bible at all. They refer either to ancient philosophers, such as Plato or Aristotle, who were pagans, or modern Enlightenment philosophers, such as Hume, Locke, Machiavelli, Mill, Montesquieu, Rousseau and others, who repudiated the Church and its doctrines. They wanted to confine themselves to the sole authority of pure reason."
Abduh: "Doesn't that open the flood gates of atheism and moral perversity?
Amir: "That has happened in most countries of Christian tradition. For instance, in defiance of the Church, they allow and fund abortion on demand, they legalize same-sex marriages, and they allow doctors to assist people, especially the sick and aged, to commit suicide. But in other respects, they have much more freedom, justice, fair opportunity and consequently prosperity, than can be found elsewhere, such as our own Nigeria."
Abduh: "I can see that many things work better there than in Nigeria. Is it possible to appropriate the secret of their success without exposing ourselves to the sick perversions going on there?"
Amir: "When we talk of borrowing the secrets of success, we are only recuperating what belongs to us by right. When the prophet said اطلبوا العلم ولو بالصين (Seek knowledge, even in China),[8] he was not telling us to swallow everything the Chinese thought or did. They had their vices as well as their virtues. Grab what is good, and leave what is perverse. What we cannot do is bury our heads in the sand and isolate ourselves from what others are thinking."
Abduh: "Our religion is a good filter to keep us from absorbing ideas hostile to our religion, especially from Enlightenment philosophers. But even then, we find that they contradict one another and their thought remains very confusing. No wonder most Muslims avoid philosophy."
Amir: "I would say that is true of most of the Arab world and northern Nigeria. But it is not true of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranians regard philosophy as part of their Persian heritage, and there is a national Iranian Institute of Philosophy, which sponsors conferences and has many publications. They have discovered, as the President of that Institute openly declared to the President of the Republic, that the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas is an excellent key for making sense of philosophy, unlocking its secrets and putting it together in an orderly perennial system that is capable of accommodating all the true discoveries of science."
Abduh: "Maybe that is why that country is so progressive, not only in fine arts, music and literature, but also in science and technology, even though its political system has problems. In this country, all government projects are in shambles: schools, roads, water supply, refineries, NTA, you name it. To find quality, you have to go to the private sector."
Amir: "We all know that Christian missions spearheaded education in this country. It took a while before Muslims in the south began to wake up and catch up. In the North they are still far behind. We need religious education. But beyond that, our youth need the expertise to excel in all sectors of our society. We now have a number of private Muslim schools and universities, but we can do better. We need more institutions that produce graduates of world-class competency."
Abduh: "You are right. Our nation is in a sorry state. We have the resources, we have the means to jumpstart its development. What is holding us back from that jihad?
[1] هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ (التوبة ٣٣)
[2] إحياء علوم الدين, Book 1, chapter 3.
[3] Kaduna: Vanguard Publishers, 1987.
[4] E.g. محمد بن يوسف السنوسي: شرح العقيدة الوسطى. Cf. www.josephkenny.joyeurs.com/Isltheology/Sanusi.htm.
[5] "Christian truth by its nature is to be proposed, never imposed, and has as its solid point of reference a deep respect for the 'sanctuary of conscience' (Redemptoris Missio, 39; cf. Redemptor Hominis, 12; Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, 3)." —Homily, Sunday, 10 September 2000.
[6] See ابن أبي زيد القيرواني: الرسالة, 31.19, at www.josephkenny.joyeurs.com/RISALA.htm.
[7] See his "Religious liberty: a Muslim perspective," Document 6 in Joseph Kenny, Views on Christian-Muslim relations. See www.josephkenny.joyeurs.com/views/default.htm.
[8] Widely quoted, but not in the canonical Ḥadīth collections. Its authenticity is disputed. See discussion of it by محمد زياد بن عمر التكلة, http://majles.alukah.net/showthread.php?s=765f4930ffdcab9a14a2f34898434bb1&t=1774. A similar ḥadīth is: طلب العلم فريضة على كل مسلم ومسلمة (Seeking knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim man and woman), صحيح ابن ماجة; on its authenticity see http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-Arabic-Ask_Scholar/FatwaA/FatwaA&cid=1141277482886.