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Gumi; a fragile Nation; and a factionalized Ummah By Abdullah Musa There is an attraction; or rather there is a governing principle in the Western world, that a people should not be governed using precepts purely from a distant past. They are of the belief that humanity has so much developed into something new and different, such that it is counter-productive to simply see them as an extension of their ancestors. It is for reason that they refuse to be governed by religious codes, but by inferences from the minds of those nearly present or currently at the helm of affairs in their nations. Muslims on the other hand, are those who still want to anchor their present strongly on their past, believing that no any change in humanity would change certain fundamentals with regards to the human person, for instance: o That God is the Creator of all the universe o That He created men and women to worship Him o That in the acts of worship, they are to always use the model of the Prophet of Islam o That also, the life of the Hereafter should be more desirable than the present which despite its glitter, is ephemeral. This profile is utterly simplistic, in that it depicts a kind of harmony as subsisting within Muslim communities, that they are bound by the stated guidelines; far from it. Even though they may observe the acts of worship, they seem to differ in their definitions of contemporary world events: Saudi Arabia differs from Iran; Syria differs from Egypt; Libya is different from Jordan; Sudan is different from Morocco, and so on. It is however the Nigerian context that is the subject of our discussion today. To the Nigerian Muslims, even to non- Muslims, the name Gumi must surely ring a bell. The late Shaykh Abubakar Mahmood Gumi created so many storms in his life; he could not be ignored. He succeeded in setting up a movement that seeks to transform the acts of worship from the Sufi school to that of the Wahabi school of thought. The non-Muslim reader is saved the agony of understanding what the distinguishing features of each are. We may however give one example: to the Wahabi school, no religious practice which is not directly traceable to the Prophet should be permitted; in real fact, it should be fought as if one were fighting an infidel who seeks to destroy Islam. The Sufi school of thought on the other hand, believes that the religion of Islam cannot thrive without a living ‘Shaykh of instruction’. By this they mean someone who is to the Ummah of today, what the Prophet was to his companions: commanding an un-alloyed loyalty. However the doctrine of the leading sects, (Tijjaniyya and Qadiriyya) derives from the teachings of the founders long dead; being kept alive by their blood descendents. Ironically today, the Izala movement set up by Gumi is being championed by his son, who made so many somersaults from medicine, to soldiering, and now to sermonizing. So the tendency of son to succeed father is now no longer peculiar to Tariqa, the paths of the Sufis. The Pope of Rome deems it fit to step out in order to comment on what was earlier considered the exclusive pasture of Caesar; meaning foray into social or political affairs. Islam on the other hand had never made the distinction between what is God’s, and what is purely mundane. Revelation in Islam addressed the political, the sociological; the earthly and also the heavenly affairs. Gumi was thus perfectly in order when he delved into the current political debacle facing Nigeria: the unresolved issue of who actually won the April 2007 elections; the allusion being that the incumbent was a beneficiary of a grand fraud. Two of the main contenders are in court seeking redress, and Gumi asks them to withdraw their cases in favor of national stability. This is where the fragility of the nation comes in. To Gumi’s perception; and that seems to be the perception of many who have voices that are usually heard, Nigeria is not the type of nation that can absorb such political crisis as cancelled or repeat elections. To them an election may be flawed, but once a government and its machinery are in motion, then the citizens are expected to find a seat in order to enjoy the ride, bumpy though it may be. Poor Adamu Adamu! He has an axe to grind with the Wahabi School of thought when it comes to interpreting the religion of Islam. Now a beneficiary of the Wahabi patronage (Dr Ahmad Gumi) is again coming to spoil the political broth, by asking Adamu Adamu’s boss (General Buhari) to forego his claim to the Presidency. If Buhari acquiesces, then Adamu stays as an ordinary citizen; were Buhari to win, then Adamu is surely a PA to the President, or a Special Adviser; whatever, but definitely one in the inner cabinet of the President; for loyalty pays. Would Gumi be in a position to appreciate such? Nigeria is too big to be sacrificed for the ambition of an individual. But the question here seems to border on morality: if we are to contest an election, would it be mandatory for us to accept that if the elections are rigged in favor of any, other than us, we should not go to court? Or if we are already there we must withdraw? We are promised electoral reforms by the incumbent. So does that automatically translate into perfect elections in future? The answers to these rather unpalatable questions are best found from the mouths of those whose views cut ice with the population. I had really wondered to myself long back, whether in this age of ours, a Prophet is feasible. By this I mean an individual who would command the respect of all those who believe, and unify them against the body of disbelievers. Religion is nearly the preserve of all. We all have opinion on what is right and what is wrong. Moreover, we tend to choose what to believe and act upon, and what to mouth only, no action. In short, we are so many tiny lords, with huge unbridled egos. When you come to such realization, you appreciate the predicament of the younger Gumi, who may want to speak with the same near universal authority as that of his late father; albeit to those who are having secular authority. There was a tradition; an inheritance with linkages from Shehu Usmanu Bin Fodio, to Muhammadu Bello, to Sardauna, to Shehu Shagari, and now apparently to Umar Musa Yar’Adua. (Could Yeriman Bakura been the preferred candidate?) It was reported that the senior Gumi was at one point asked to intervene in a personal matter relating to General Buhari, which he Buhari caustically refused the request. Is it any wonder then that the son would not cut ice where the father failed even though it being a different scenario? We are thus at loss as to the general direction of our society, particularly as it relates to who calls the shots, or whose voices must reverberate over that of all others. Without realizing it, we are gradually not being ideologically unified. Sardauna had cause to create through the late Gumi, a counter aqida (Izalatul Bid’a) to that dominated by the then Sarkin Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, (he was heading Tijjaniyya Tariqa) a very capable and equally powerful adversary. Sardauna won the contest, when he had the then Emir impeached and exiled. Who knows, a Buhari Presidency, with Adamu Adamu who has Shia inclination, having access to Buhari’s ear, might have engineered some kind of ideological revolution to water down the grip of the Wahabi doctrine now spreading all over the North like a wild fire? Well, all that is within the realm of speculation. What is certain however is that Nigerians want good governance: whether that should come from a retired General or brother to a retired General, or any other permutation is only relevant to those who stand to benefit directly from such candidates. Another thing that is certain is also Nigerians’ fear of uncertainty. They would rather live with a known problem than to move into a platform of chaos and confusion, the outcome of which they do not know. In this Dr Gumi finds himself on the same wave length as Shaykh Dahiru Usman Bauchi and the likes. What of his sermons where he cautions against prosecuting those who privatized the State treasuries as Governors? He counseled that they should return part of the loot and keep part because they put endeavor into multiplying it. He added salt to injury by saying that if the ‘repentant’ looter fears that the present custodian might re-loot the returned loot, then he should hold it back and go to do good works! Has this new ‘edict been written into EFCC’s books? The sermon was not meant for EFCC; a watchdog is still a dog though honored. It barks and bites at the behest of its master. So the sermon was to Yar’Adua: how could people be doing their best to stabilize your rather ‘three-legged’ stool on the one hand and you on the other are directing your dogs to hound them? Sounds ridiculous, is it not? Governance in Nigeria must be consensual; not logical, not rational. Should we spare a tear for Buhari? Yes, for he refuses to understand that even a Prophet had to learn to operate through consensus till he gained the upper hand. In Nigeria it is consensus all through, sickening though it may be.
Abdullah Musa
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