On banning Hisbah

Sani Garba Mohammed

The banning of Hisbah is not only unfortunate but bad. Hisbah is the vanguard pf implementing Shariah which we are trying to implement in all the strata of our lives. Their coming into being is based on the Qur'anic verses that enjoin us to do good and shun what is bad, as such recruiting some people from among us to do such a work or duties for the Muslim ummah becomes necessary, for no any society can progress without control, hence the need of Hisbah becomes imperative. Among the duties of Hisbah include maintaining the sanity of environment, helping the police to maintain order, promote justice and equality and advice people against acquiring interest, usury, hoarding and speculation etc.

Since the beginning of Hisbah in Kano state, it has been performing wonderfully and creditably to the surprise of many, to the extent that people prefer to take their communal case to them for settlement, as such they become popular within short period of time. This credit that Hisbah corps is getting become envious by many whom were [and still] bent on to see it downfall.Since last year one minister by name call [Dr?] Rabiu Kwankwaso described Hisbah as terrorist organisation, and also a political soldiers for Shekarau to rig election. This article will look at the politics/genesis behind the banning of Hisbah and other things for better understanding of the issue.

Since the forceful ejection of Dr? Rabiu Kwankwaso from government house in 2003, he and his group never hide their desire to create problems for Shekarau government to make it unpopular, they are doing everything possible to discredit the government, the people of the state and even the state economy. They sought to use Yelwan-Shendam crisis spill over to Kano to cause chaos and fracas so that a state of emergency is declared, they did not succeed. They also used fertiliser to blackmail and paint Shekarau's administration in bad light, yet they did not succeed. Not given up, the Kwankwaso people interfere in the issue of Kofar Na'isa plot which already belongs to Kano state by doing everything possible to deny Kano people of the plot to Federal government. Still unsatisfied, they team up with some opposition within ANPP to cause misunderstanding between Shekarau and Buhari. They were also using all available means and media to castigate and blackmail Shekarau administration by provoking and inciting the public with inflammatory remarks capable pf putting the state aflame, yet unsuccessful. According to Abdu Isa [ Daily Triumph, 20 Feb, 2006] "...it was Kwankwaso's connection that saw the invasion of our textile market [kantin kwari] by men of customs and excise department...". "It is" he added "the handiwork of [Dr?] Rabiu Plumber that our entire roads exit from Kano is placed under tight and severe surveillance by men of customs.....aimed at discouraging people from neighbouring states from patronising Kano market, there by crippling the traders and the state economy". In fact they engaged [and still] in many covert and overt moves, known and unknown, just to cause trouble and make Kano ungovernable.

With all their plan being thwarted by Allah, they now come through the backdoor by instigating the Federal government to disband Hisbah corps which they [Kwankwaso and co] are the ones that set it up at committee level ab initio, yet because they are no longer in power and see the kind of concern the present government is giving them [the Hisbah], they see it as a threat to their future political plan [for they are aware with Hisbah around, they will not allow rigging during election which is the only way Kwankwaso and co can return to power, may Allah forbid].

After launching the Hisbah which are over 9000 in number, they were frightened, as such they went to town describing them as terrorist, Shekarau police, yan daba and other bad names which clearly shows their detest and the state of their innermost mind to them. They did not view Hisbah from various perspectives, but limit and narrow their view to politics, which even at that level is jaundice. While religiously setting up of Hisbah is commendable, economically/socially it good [as each member will get something at the end of the month], yet they see these as baseless and irrational.
Though based on the three popular reasons on why Hisbah was banned, which was also reported by Weekly Trust, Feb 18-24, which are: envious of the Nigeria Police to Hisbah, Shekarau's refusal to endorse Third term, Kwankwaso factor, nevertheless, there is also international conspiracy against successful shari'ah implementation in Kano in particular, and Nigeria in general. Why banning only Kano Hisbah and even comparing it with another organisation of different mission and vision.

The two most important factor are Kawnkwaso factor and the international conspiracy in collaboration with federal Government, some munafiq [hypocrite] muslims that are after the downfall of the Shekarau government for their future political plan, which will inevitably crippled and destabilise the path we have taken in starting implementation of Shari'ah.

Whatever is the mission and vision of those who engaged in sabotaging the cause of implementing Sharia'ah in Kano, they should bear in mind that they are failure already, they are challenging Allah not Shekarau, for Hisbah are neither doing Shekarau nor ANPP work, they are doing Allah's work which is continuous in as much as life exist on earth. Shekarau only happens to be the leader of Kano, which he is doing everything possible in helping and providing all the necessary logistics to Hisbah.

We are not in haste to implement all aspect of Shari'ah, we are following it gradually, more so it is people that yearn for it, got it, yet they are not conversant with it operability or otherwise of Shari'ah in a multireligious society and a constitutionally circumscribed state, as such they see the pace of Shari'ah is moving in slow. What these agents of darkness whose thinking is that, immediately Hisbah is ban then we are finished and Shari'ah will die should know is that, the banning further re-emboldened us and make us more courageous and energetic to continue with our struggle. Because it is the nature of Allah to test you in whatever you are doing to see whether or not you will soft pedal on the course you have taken, and he can test you anyway anyhow, your ability to withstand the difficulties or otherwise will determine the level of support he will gives you. This is the situation we found ourselves now, whoever has hand in this issue of banning Hisbah is between him and Allah, our is prayer and more commitment to the cause we believe in and resisting all the attempt to provoke us to react contrary to our Islamic position.

Those who are happy with the banning and are even celebrating, and also expecting Hisbah corps and the public reacts violently were prove wrong, they plan to use use that opportunity had it been people reacts violently and cause chaos, instead, they remain calm and prayerful, and re-dedicated their unalloyed support to Hisbah more than ever before. What even flabbergasted me is that instead, for these agents of darkness score some points [as they plan], Shekarau and Hisbah further becomes popular and many of his critics drops their criticism and rally around him, because now the battle is no longer politics, but religious.

What I want re-inform my fellow Kano state citizens is, nothing good comes easy, as such our struggle would not be an exception. If we referred back ourselves to the time of Prophet Muhammad [SAW] and after, no any Islamic struggle that does not face internal opposition, hatred, sabotage, envy, conspiracy etc within and outside, and if we think ours will be different, then we are all jokers. This issue of Hisbah ban is among the countless conspiracy that were plan after all those plan before did not yield any dividend.

And if we soft pedal in this struggle because of this banning, then we should expect more disasters real and imagine which will be intractable, because Allah cannot be played with [by standing to practise Shari'ah and back out]. Also no matter how long it will take us in the supreme court, we should continue with the case, and whoever must emerge as next governor in Kano state after Shekarau either in 2007 or 2011, must continue from where Shekarau stops, or else we shall not allow to form any government.For, this struggle does not start with Shekarau and will not stop with him, and if we stops, then our travails from Allah as I said is disastrous. Also whoever must emerge as governor must be person of impeccable character with unalloyed support to Islamic revivalism, so that those that are desperately seeking to becomes governors in future [who have bad records] be stops forthwith. This is the only way our Sharia'ah shall continue to the level that its impact will be felt, for now we are at foundation level, which it is only our commitment that will sustain it.

Now that the banning of Hisbah failed to give these agents of darkness their desired result, they now goes to the media [courtesy of Shekarau's tolerance to allow everybody to say his views no matter what], precisely freedom Radio which they are using in pouring their venomous attack on Shekarau and others. This is more so, couple with the position of some of the stations top management over their irreconcilable difference with Shekarau based on their personal ego centrism. All of them should know that their war is a failure, for the more they use a political programme to abuse Shekarau the more others respond to his defense, as such the earlier they know the reality the better.

Our prayer is may Allah help us to resist and withstand all the test we shall face [no matter the difficulty and the long road to cover] in our struggle toward implementing Shari'ah as much [or little] as we can.

Long life Shari'ah in Kano state.
Long life Kano state.
Long life Nigeria
Wassalam