Gumi's Partisan Fatwa: A Teacher's View

By

Baba El-Yakubu

byjibril@gmail.com

 

Have ever wondered who may belong to the coveted class of Ulamah? They are knowledgeable Muslims who suppose to guides the rest and be the heirs of the prophets? Knowledge is a necessary requirement. But it is not sufficient. There is something else. Perhaps, this is a missing link that led to the Gumi's controversial Fatwa on the April Elections. He condemned Buhari and Atiku for insisting that the electoral tribunal is the only arbiter that determines the validity of the election. He told a Weekly Trust reporter that Islamically, the duo "are incompetent to rule because any Muslim who opposes the teaching of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is incapable of being a leader". According to him, the teaching is "once a leader is given allegiance by some people, Islam demands that he should be obeyed". This has been generating comments – some supporting, some condemning and one critic called it a 'satanic opinion'. I would not like to give credit to a Satan for premeditated position that has been repeatedly canvassed. As a practicing teacher, I will attempt to elucidate why Gumi prefers this position rather other available options.

 

If you read thus far; you must have some experience with teachers. Their primary calling is to educate and impart knowledge. They transform an individual from what he is to some specific target. The transformation involves something similar to a way destiny of a piece of metal is changed to either a nail or a coin. One intended to be fixed in one place forever; while the other is to be in perpetual exchanges from one hand to another. For example, the objective of education may be to prepare one person to be able to type and another to be able to create typewriter. So, setting the objectives is an important part of the business. This is because it determines the nature of the interaction between the teacher and the pupil. In addition, a person educated using one set of objectives may not independently be able to transcend to a higher set.

 

This inability to transcend is what I called a missing link that put Gumi in an avoidable controversy. To appreciate this, we need to have a closer look at the objectives of education. One set I prefer is that of Benjamin Blooms. He contended that outcome of any educational transformation are attainable in three distinct areas or domains. For our purpose, I take a domain that contains objectives related to acquisition and application of knowledge and understanding (irrespective of whether it is religious or secular environment). If realized; it may make an individual to operate in lower or higher cognitive (i.e. thinking) domain. Lower domain means that after the transformation, the person may merely know, understand and apply what he imbibes from the teacher. In addition to these, the higher domain includes ability to analyze, synthesize, evaluate and judge. That is beyond merely applying what is known, the person should be able to break what is known into simpler parts and put them back in a different fashion based on current reality. While doing this, he must also bear in mind that whatever fashion he develops; it must conform to the present and possibly also future styles. The point is, to be in a position to guide others, in addition to knowledge, there is a need for an ability to evaluate and judge rationally.

 

This brings us back to Gumi's attempt to guide the Nigerian Muslims on a way forward regarding the April Elections. I don't want belabor the points that have been well discussed by others (see for example articles 1, 2, 3 and 4 below). His thesis is based on the fact that Islam abhors withdrawal of allegiance to a leader once he has been recognized and accepted by the ummah. This assertion has many problems. Gumi seems to start his Islamic history from Ummayyad dynasty. The idea of sweeping issues under the carpet in order to supposedly maintain peace was promoted by supporters of Mu'awiyya Ibn AbuSafyan (RA) when he usurped power from fourth caliph - Ali Ibn AbuTalib (RA). Mu'awiyya - an adept power monger - controlled all options. He linked peace with accepting him as the supreme leader and linked brutal war with any attempt to wrestle power from him. We know what happened at Battle of Siffin during First Muslim civil war. So, the scholars based on the reality of Umayyad brutality; accepted the lesser evil. Gumi wrongly approximated this as a fit-all universal teaching of Muhammad (SAW).

 

Besides, if we move a little back in time, we know the Abubakr's declaration when he accepted to be a caliph.  Despite overwhelming allegiance, he maintained that the allegiance was valid on the condition that he remained on the right path. This means that allegiance is only valid under Islamic system and when the leader is on the right path. Do we have these conditions in today's Nigeria? Gumi's attempt to apply an Islamic tradition to Nigeria seems to lack a proper rational analysis of the current situation. In fact, even on the surface, his position has another problem. He fails to analyze the situation and establish whether or not YarAdua has the overwhelming allegiances that may necessitate forcing others to accept him for peaceful coexistence. Is it possible that he prefers YarAdua and simply uses Islam to dismiss Buhari's case? Whatever the answer is, his Partisan Fatwa seems to have originated from lower domain of his learning ability. He fails to go beyond the ordinary.

 

This failure may be associated with his background and present learning environment. After his basic education, he opted for medical study (that is why he is doctor Gumi). Later, he changed his mind and went to military school (probably, that is why he is blunt). Unfortunately, the objectives of the two trainings are based mainly on lower cognitive domain. They are understandably regimented and procedural in nature. To make the matter worst, Gumi studies Islam in Saudi Arabia; a country where education is used as a propaganda tool rather than a means of librating the minds of the citizens. Isn't it an irony that a country founded on the radical Islamic views of Muhammad Ibn AbdulWahad has rigged its education system to prevent the possibility of another radical like him? As Gumi concludes his PhD thesis; there are questions he would not be allowed to ask. There are Islamic literatures that he would not be allowed to take into Saudi Arabia. In fact, there are certain Islamic topics that are no-go areas in Saudi universities. Based on this, unless he makes strenuous personal effort, his thinking will always be in lower domain. There are certain important possibilities that his mind cannot see. Due to habituation, there are certain lines that his thoughts cannot follow.

 

Compare Gumi's with Rev Hassan Kukah's line of thought as demonstrated in latter's last Monday's Daily Trust article titled "The Buhari angst and return of Bayajida". He raised important questions regarding Buhari's quest for justice. He argued that Buhari is playing by the rule of the game and whatever is the outcome of the legal battle, democracy will be strengthened. This will be in no small measure due to his courage and believe in the rule of law. Instead of using controversial concepts such as "allegiance to a leader"; Kukah based his argument on concrete and universally accepted concepts - truth, justice and democratic values. He even reminded us that the "Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (PBUH) did not go to Medina on a picnic". He was driven from his ancestral city due to his demand for justice. Kukah advised those calling for withdrawal of the legal case against April Elections to have a "deep re-examination of their conscience". He concluded that Buhari's "diligent commitment to the rule of law despite all the odds is a major building bloc for a democratic society. By holding on to his principles, history will be fair to him in assessing his contribution to our quest for a just, fair and democratic Nigeria. At the end, he maintained that his opinion was not based on personal concerns; but on a quest for truth. Can you see fundamental differences between the two lines of thoughts?

 

As a teacher, I remain hopeful that Gumi will improve and be a better reservoir of Islamic heritage and its diligent propagator. I admire his enthusiasm and faith about Nigeria. Many in his position wouldn't sacrifice the comfort of Makkah to go and monitor elections in Nigeria. However, for him to be a successful guide to the Muslims and an unbiased interpreter of Allah's commands, he must make effort to be dispassionate. To be in the coveted class of Ulamah; he needs to be able to look at the reality as it is not as he wants it to be and rationally evaluate the situation before giving opinions. Despite what the world has become, in his line of business, credibility is still a number one quality.

 

1.   http://www/gamji.com/haruna/haruna224.htm1.

2.   http://www/gamji.com/article6000/NEWS7461.htm2.

3.   http://www/gamji.com/article6000/NEWS7462.htm3.

4.   http://www/gamji.com/article6000/NEWS7465.htm4.