By Kamoru Sodiq, Osun
Fellow Brethren, please, permit me to open this contribution with a question. “who hate Prophet Muhammad (SAW) here?” Nobody! That shows everyone loves sunnah because the prophet represents sunnah. This now brings me to the issue of today. Say what you will, I think, our youths here are saying they are ready and want to practice sunnah inside out, save their rigid and unrepentant positions. Truth is, if they are not ready to listen to others, no one will listen to them and their sunnah can never fly. They have unflinching zeal to learn the knowledge of Islam. I know and I can openly see the storms they are combating particularly, since the beginning of these melodramas in recent time.
Anyway, my point is, nobody should be crucified on the ground of subscribing to sunnah at this time and age! At least, we are all tenants here, no one is a landlord. Even, in this life we are just birds of passage, we must return home. May we return safe and sound. But we must always remember the day our biography will be read before the unknown audience. Muslims can hold opinion but he must never wish his fellow Muslims evil or lying around to gun him down by hook by crook. The prophet sternly warns in an authentic hadith that “abusing Muslim is impiety and fighting Muslim is disbelieving.” On no account, we must not set up ourselves in flames on the altar of hearsays.
Whatever the sins and aberrations of our people maybe, please, let manage them, show love and sanction where necessary. I believe, no amount of sin is unforgiving before Allah. Sins and mistakes are just normal human characteristics. No one can walk this life unblemished. But the arrogancy to repent and standoffishness to forgive is what dooms a society. We must never be too big to forgive or repent since our goal is societal reformation. No community can succeed in an atmosphere of unrests. Let us always compare the price of war-war to the cost of peace-peace before singing “thunder can break.” I don’t know why people waste lifes and resources on egos and frivolities before returning to the negotiation table. Why is that we usually prefer force over persuasion despite the failure of force on several occasions.
No one will sleep with his two eyes closed until and unless we come to terms on how best to settle our differences. The environment here is too red hot. Everyone is stopping at nothing to beat the other black and blue. I don’t think it is appropriate to cut ourselves into sizes before realizing we ralate to one another. Please, enough of blackmailing and misrepresentation. Let embrace this season of new dawn and come together for good for better. Whatever reasons stoking crisis and scuttling reconciliation should be revisited and re-examined. If for nothing, for the sake of peace and progress.
And this is not novel in our religion. We have all read about the “Hudhaybiyyah Accord,” where the prophet demonstrated uncanny maturity. He backeddown his most noble title of “the messenger of Allah” in the name of peace and tranquility. The reason is this, part of the agreement was that, the disbelievers contended they don’t accept him as “the messenger of Allah,” and in that light, they will never enter into written agreement with him with that title. You know what the prophet did? He told them to remove it. Subhanallah! Is the prophet not wise nor faithful enough to have done this? Far from it.The logic is this, he saw what people could not see, tomorrow and did what people would not do, magnanimity. That was it. The prophet crossed the Rubbicon and remained gallant.
I think we must take our lesson here. I was told on reliable authorities how unsunnatic the Mssn we are tearing today was conceived and birthed as a baby of circumstance by few visionary, selfless and blessed memories in 1954, with the sole aim of liberating Muslim students from the shackles and chains of evangelism that plagued their days. Alhamdulilah, they fought and won the trial, thereby open the floodgate of opportunities for us subsequent generations to milk western education without any imposition or conversion to Christianity. May Allah accept them all and reward them in bounties.
Now, it is time for us to run our race and work for future generations. We have inherited the structure, ours is to fine tune and rebrand the system. I think we must not render the labour of our past heros in vain. Critics can throw tantrums. I believe, as Muslims, we must not deceive ourselves. We have subscribed wholly to the terms and conditions of Allah and his messenger. If sincerely, we believe in Allah and love his messenger, then, we must be ready to leave our old ways and whims for the sake of Allah.
Let me establish here loud and clear, following the sunnah (path) of the prophet is not conditional nor negotiable. Q 3: 31 says ” say: if you really love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins…” Another Q 4: 80 says “He who obeys the messenger, has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you as a watcher over them.” Also, the love of the prophet supersedes every love. Q 33:6 says ” the prophet is closer (beloved) to the believers than their ownselves…” I will never drum support for innovations and heresies in religion. Islam is under the two shades of Quran and sunnah, anything outside that is at the owner’s risk. Simple!
For me, age -whether young or old- is an uncommon grace and glory from Allah that should never be rubbished or misused by anyone. In fact, the prophet specifically talks about old age and his stupendous merits. I’m pleading with our Babas to please, assist us and forgive us all our sins. Without them, we are going nowhere and history would not forgive us for failing. Without them, there is no one to call our elders. Without them, there is no one to call our fathers. To all parties, please, let stop sulking over the past and move on into greater hieghts for the general good of our community. After all, we are all great Ife!
ASIDE:
My people, I’m serious here. I read with heavy heart articles written by our two alumus. The respected Ibraheem Balogun and Aboo Aamir Al-Atharee. Putting their narrations aside, let sound this warning, if truly our brothers want progress, they must shun in all ramifications, disparaging expressions and unguided utterances no matter the provocations and frustrations. I once read that too much of anger beclouds reasoning but then, they should rescue our situation and help us build a decent community.
We appreciate the way they are going down memory lane but instead of bombing the castle of peace, they ought to be a unifying force and a bridge for genuine reconciliation. From what I’m seeing, it seems our brothers on campus now are willing to shame devil and sin no more. But they can’t just act out of their own volition.
They are caught in the impossible realm of whether to accept or try harder, only the elders can release them from that gilded cage. Well, I will say, “And to forego is nearest to taqwa (piety). And do not forget liberality between yourselves…” Q 2: 237. As it is now, everything is collapsing except individual egos and whims. We must beg our people that are managing nothing but destroying everything to please have a rethink and listen to our pleas. I say emphatically, nothing will change unless we change our retrogressive ways. Our time to change is now.
I pray it is not too late to attain that tall dreams.
Kamoru Sodiq
kamorusideeq@gmail.com
