THE PROPAGATION METHODS OF THE RELIGION OF ISLAM REFERENCE TO NIGERIA (PART 1 OF 5)

THE PROPAGATION METHODS OF THE RELIGION OF ISLAM REFERENCE TO NIGERIA

(PART 1 OF 5)

ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA

http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com

https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana

emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com; abba.abana@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY 20th AUGUST 2019 CE and 18th DHUL HIJJA 1440 AH

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BismillahWalhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-RahmatullahiWa-Barakatuhu.

Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalahu alaihi Wa salam) is His slave and Messenger.

PREAMBLE

Why preferences are given to western education instead of Islamic education in Nigeria?

This topic is generative if expanded. In the last few decades in Nigeria, we had diverse preachers. Christian faith used to penetrate even to homes of Muslims on Sunday (group met me personally) in the name of preaching while Muslims don’t approach that way.

However, the Ulamas or scholars in dissimilar locations have one format of teaching and preaching in the Masjid after morning or between Magrib and Ishai prayers sometimes. Equally we had perpetual sermon or Khutbah delivered on Friday Masjid and two Eids across the nation.

The Muslim traditional preaching also has Aqeedah methods where disparities arose in executing Sunnah and explanations of the general methodology except one goes to High Islamic Colleges or university to read theology and methodology of Dawah practices.

Within the same locality one would encounter differentiations due to Sects or methods Imams used ie Tijjaniyya, Isma’eelis, Qadyanies etc. Such continued in Nigeria until Dawah teams of Jama’tu Izalatu Bid’ah Ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), Nigeria came on board. JIBWIS is assumed to be the highest Dawah team network in Nigeria across all the states of Federation (in 36 states and Federal Capital Territory). The impacts are seen during Ramadan for Tarawaeeh Prayers/Tafseer.

We have currently many students who studied in Islamic universities outside Nigeria (at expensive training costs) directly financed or awarded scholarships by either foreign bodies or certain institutions or states.

Take Iran for example, where they train/award scholarships (Shia students) to Nigeria students in the name of religion but on reaching there in Iran the course could be changed to Engineering or Sciences etc. These seemed a hidden agenda to be placed in government working class on completion while students sent out to Saudi Arabia or Malaysia or Cairo will come back with Islamic studies Degrees or Masters or PhD certificate when they finish and come back home.

Hardly have they got jobs in the federal ministries because of specific courses studied? Thus majority of our children/students who come from Cairo or Saudi Arabia end up in judiciary, teaching, Pilgrims Welfare Boards, The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) etc. However, those who studied in Iran will come with Engineering or Sciences certificate and get employments easily in federal ministries on diversified curriculum vitae. Now ask?

One day they (Shia graduates) will be everywhere and our graduates who studied Islamic studies would be few to compete for key positions up to level of Permanent Secretary in public sector. Where are we?

2.0 WHAT IS AQEEDAH?

Many people are not at home with the words Aqeedah and differences with Sects of religion. Although the word ‘aqeedah is not directly mentioned in the divine revelations, ‘Aqeedah is a matter of knowledge, which the Muslim is obliged to believe in his heart, because Allah (Subhanahu Wa Taala) has told him about these matters in His Book or through the Revelation to His Messenger (Sallalahu Alaihi Wa Salaam).

Variants of word ‘aqeedah have been mentioned in the Qur’an (aqadat, aqadtu, Uqood). Moreover, the Muslim scholars have discussed the issues of this branch of knowledge and written books under the heading of Al- ‘Aqaa’id to refute the sects of innovation, and the innovators who appeared, from time from time, including the like of Khawaarij, the Raafidah, the Qadariyyah, the Murji’ah the Jahmiyyah and the Mu’tazilah.

In summary, ‘Aqeedah (belief) is the counterpart of Shari’ah, because Islam is composed of both ‘aqeedah and shari’ah. Hence, ‘Aqeedah is the firm belief (i’tiqaad) that one’s heart is strongly attached to and which is settled and fixed in the heart without any wavering or doubt approaching it. 

From Sharh Lam’ah al-I’tiqaad by Ibn al-Uthaymeen, and al-‘Aqeedah fi-Allaah, by ‘Umar al-Ashqar); Aqeedah refers to those matters which are believed in, with certainty and conviction, in one’s heart and soul. They are not tainted with any doubt or uncertainty.

The Arabic word ‘aqeedah stems from the root ‘aqada, which conveys meanings of certainty, affirmation, confirmation, etc. In the Qur’aan, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Allaah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths (bimaa ‘aqqadtum al-aymaan)…"[Holy Quran Chapter al-Maa’idah 5:89]

The verb paraphrased here as "deliberate oaths" is ‘aqqada/ta’qeed, which refers to when one has determination in the heart. It may be said in Arabic, ‘aqada’l-habl (the rope was tied), i.e., it was pulled tight together. The word i’tiqaad (belief) is also derived from this root, and has the meaning of tying up and making strong. The phrase a’taqadtu kadhaa (I believe such and such) means: I am convinced of it in my heart; this is a rational conviction.

In Islam, ‘Aqeedah is the matter of knowledge. The Muslim must believe in his heart and have faith and conviction, with no doubts or misgivings, because Allaah has told him about ‘aqeedah in His Book and via His Revelations to His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).The principles of ‘Aqeedah are those which Allaah has commanded us to believe in, as mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

"The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allaah, His Angels, His Books and His Messengers. They say, ‘We make no distinction between one and another of His Messengers’ – and they say, ‘We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).’" [Holy Quran Chapter al-Baqarah 2:285]

- and as defined by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the famous hadeeth which describes how Jibreel came to him and asked him about Islam etc.: "Eemaan (faith) is to believe in Allaah, His angels, His Books, the meeting with Him on the Last Day, His Messengers, and the Day of Resurrection."

So in Islam, ‘Aqeedah refers to the matters which are known from the Qur’aan and sound ahaadeeth, and which the Muslim must believe in his heart, in acknowledgement of the truth of Allaah and His Messenger.

3.0 ISLAMIC EDUCATION PROBLEMS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

To help Islam; we bring to the knowledge of Ummah how Islamic schools suffered in the past (pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial) and request Muslims to find out from those very close to Primary/Secondary teaching line to throw more light for our understanding of the ongoing Primary/Secondary curriculum whether is correcting the abnormalities or not. Secondly why some Islamic schools in the North charge very high school fees while others charge low? Are those charging very high school fees also produce best results in WAEC, NECO and JAMB etc?

The past Problems of Islamic Schools, the Ulama, and the State in the Educational Development of Northern Nigeria in order to bring some of our youth to this picture as follows:

1. Islamic schools in Nigeria had undergone transformations i.e. pre-colonial era, the colonial era and the post-colonial era.

2. Subsequently struggle for survival as they encountered missionary and colonial incursions.

3. From a position of monopolistic control over spiritual knowledge to one of competition

UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA ref. (http://universitiesofnigeria.com/many-universities-nigeria/)

There are roughly 121 Universities in Nigeria.

1) 38 State Universities consist of:

a) 32 State (Conventional) Universities and

b) 6 State Universities of Technology.

2) 47 Private Universities, spread over the nation

3) 36 Federal Universities in Nigeria consists of:

a) 27 Federal (Conventional) Universities,

b) 3 Federal Universities of Agriculture and

c) 6 Federal Universities of Technology.

Out of these universities inclusive of Private, how many do you think fully operate Islamic education that could be compared to international Islamic universities abroad? We are aware of full pledged Faculties/departments of Islamic studies in few universities!

NIGERIA OVER 167 MILLION POPULATION (http://www.population.gov.ng/index.php/84-news/latest/106-nigeria-over-167-million-population-implications-and-challenges):

Nigeria has a population of 167 million, of whom 45 per cent are below 15 years, and its growth rate is 3.2 per cent and the world is likely 7 billion persons. Nigeria is now the sixth most populated nation in the world after China, India, USA, Indonesia and Brazil which is according to UNFPA reports.

According to a 2001's report of The World Factbook by CIA ref. (https://www.google.com.ng/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1BLWB_enNG563NG563&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=population+of+muslim+and+christian+in+nigeria), about 50% of Nigeria's population is 50% Muslim, 40% are Christians and 10% adhere to local religions.

Nigeria is a country with a high population (167 Million) (2014 Nigerian National Population Commission.) has various ethnic groups. Religion often coincides with the ethnic group, but not always. Basically most Hausa-Fulanis in the north are Muslims, and most Ibos in the south-East are Christians. Yorubas in the south-west are both Muslims and Christians with Muslims in the majority and there is a fair amount of inter-marriage within themselves.

Northern Nigeria, where Islamic schools are prevalent, has endured a long list of developmental challenges including the following:

1) A low level of educational attainment which places it at a competitive disadvantage in its relationship with Southern Nigeria.

2) Both the state and a section of the Ulama realize that a reform of Islamic schools is vital to the development of Northern Nigeria, a long period of isolation and the weak position of Nigeria’s educational bureaucracy have made the finding of a common operational framework difficult.

3) Nigeria has a large concentration of children who are not attending school despite a decade of investment in a programme of mass education, the Universal Basic Education (UBE), launched in September 1999.

4) The Federal Ministry of Education (FME 2009) admits that 10.5 million children (or 30% of the primary school-age) do not have access to primary education, but this figure masks widespread disparities between the nation’s six geopolitical zones.

5) In the North-East and North-West zones, commonly referred to as the ‘core north’, over 50% of the children do not attend school compared with less than 20% in the South-East and South-South (ref. National Population Commission, NPC, & IFC Macro 2009).

6) The core north has a predominantly Muslim population and its long history of contact with Islam shaped its socio-economic and political framework long before colonization by the British.

7) The introduction of Christianity, western education and colonial state structures by missionaries and colonialists threatened an established social order that derived legitimacy from its linkages with Islam.

8) The public school system, erected by the colonial state and sustained by the post-colonial elite, had to contend with a persistent religious parallel in the form of Islamic schools.

9) Three variants of Islamic schools (Islamiyya, Madrassa and Traditional Qur’anic Schools) evolved among Hausa people in the core north. The aim is to analyse the complex pattern of co-operation, competition and avoidance that characterizes the relationship between the Ulamas and the state in the educational arena.

10) In Nigeria, there are problems with the Muslims, which are fast becoming overtaking by the new self-awareness and the recent new dimensions introduced to Islam. Imagine where Muslim leaves Islam for Christianity, this is no longer happening except in Nigeria and other third world Countries etc.

References/sources are listed at Part 5 of 5, of this article