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Sheikh Abubakar Gummi: 13 Years After By Garba Isa As though it happened only last year. . But the hard fact is Sheikh Mahmud Abubakar Gummi the well known Kaduna based Islamic scholar died 13 years ago on Friday September 11 1992 in a London hospital. While he lived, the Sheikh was a rallying figure to the Ummah especially during some of its trying moments. His life was an embodiment of worship to Allah The Most High and a service to humanity. He was not obsessed with materialism, a cancer with afflicts even some of the our most revered religious leaders today. When Gummi died at the age of 70 years in 1992, his death was described as" the end of an era". John Paden (1986) recalled that during the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello's first pilgrimage to Mecca in 1955, Gumi served as translator for the Sardauna "since King Saud does not speak English" (p. 281) . Gumi was a teacher in the famous School for Arabic Studies (SAS) in the 50's. In addition to Arabic and Islamic Studies, Gummi encouraged young men and women to acquire Western form of education. Gummi in concert with the late Sardauna, formed the Jama'atul Nasril Islam (JNI) in 1962. The Sultan Bello mosque which went through major rebuilding before Gummi's death, was the JNI's nerve center in its formative years. When the JNI idea was mooted, Gummi and others "met in Abubakar Imam's house. . . . (they) built the Sultan Bello Primary School. Gummi's garage in Unguwar Sarki became the school" (p. 561) . Gummi was a former Nigeria's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a former member of the Judicial Service Commission, a former Grand Khadi of the then Northern States of Nigeria (until he retired from service in 1975) and a former chairman of the defunct National Pilgrims Board. He was also the Chairman of the National Teachers Institute (NTI) Kaduna. The magnificent Sultan Bello mosque venue of the late Gummi's Da'awah programmes greatly misses the Sheikh particularly his Ramadan and regular Tafsir and Ahadith sessions. A decade or so after succeeding Gummi, one of his well known associate scholars and a man of humour, Sheikh Lawal Abubakar, also died- may Allah SWT reward them with His Paradise, Ameen. An enduring legacy of the JNI is the weekly Fatwa programme run by the articulate ustaz Ibrahim Tahir on Radio Nigeria Kaduna Hausa service on Thursdays and Fridays. The JNI is often fared with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in terms of agitation, that is to say the least a misrepresentation of this organisation largely run by traditional rulers. The late Gummi was an embodiment of peace whose often blunt views were picked upon by the enemies of his to imply a hostile personality; his views on Muslims and political leadership or their marginalisation in the Federal Civil service and Armed forces would certainly have earned him a "Jokolian" treatment from our Democratic Know-all, to say the least. Gummi's appeal for peaceful co-existence were so loud as to earn him the wrath of some of his disciples who believed he has "compromised" too much. When he went to receive the coveted King Faisal Award for Service to Islam in 1987, a wide spectrum of the society followed him to Saudi Arabia to receive it. He was a member of the Saudi based Muslim World League (Raabidah) . His influence led to the placement of several Nigerian students in Saudi Arabian institutions notably the Islamic University of Madina. When some decades ago a group of scholars met in Jos to form the Izala movement, they called it "Izalatul Bidi'a" but Gummi added "Wa Iqamutul-Sunna". Although a defector leader of Izala, the late Sheikh would at times had disagreement with the excesses of some of its leaders or follower. Gummi was such an open scholar that some radical disciples would accuse him of "Apostasy" based on a terrible misunderstanding of his interpretations or viewpoints and he would quickly utter the Kalimat Shahada signaling his "return to Islam" simply to appease the agitate followers. Gummi's often unpalatable view or advocacy of a "Muslim President" is based on the game of number view of democracy since the country is more than 60% Muslims. But what the Sheikh should have added was that politics is also a game of "Give and Take". One hope the OBJ's of this country are listening. The greatest tribute to the late Gummi who died 13years ago, is to continue with and build on all his good works and continue to pray to God The Most High, to reward him and all others who dedicate their service to Him with Paradise, Ameen.
Garba Isa Yeekuwa Communications, Kano
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