| Urhobo Historical Society |
Between Sanusi Lamido Sanusi And Ja'far Mahmud Adam :
A Commentary on Fatimah Sulaiman's Response
By Muhammad Shakir
The
moment I saw the title of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi's latest article at the
gamji
website I knew what to expect. By the time I came to the last word I
said "Ah!
Sanusi Lamido has stirred the hornet's nest again and he should get
ready for
for the stings." This morning I logged on and saw Fatimah Sulaiman's
response.
The first sting! It didn't fail my expectation. Sanusi had taken
a
popular and revered Islamic preacher head-on and must be put in his
place. Fatimah, as a devout student of the mallam, took
Sanusi to
the cleaners as she praised her mentor.
My
aim in this article is to give my own analysis of Sanusi's position,
take up
some of the issues raised by Fatimah and make a conclusion.
If
indeed I understood Sanusi properly and got the drift of Fatimah’s
response I
have to say that she didn’t address the central issue contained in the
article
even though she raised important fresh issues. Sanusi’s main task was
to "deconstruct the origins of his perverted (i. e. Ja'far's )
morally empty
conception of what is a true sense of Muslim of Fulani identity". That
is, he meant to employ the post-modern critical tool called
deconstructionism
to expose the fallacy of Ja'far's position. What position? The
position
of "those who feel the need to build up identities out of biological
accidents, fate, providence or serendipity and attach moral
worth
to ambivalent facts". Sanusi also set out to assert that "we do
not
subscribe to an identity divorced of moral content". Her saying
that "calling on the Sheikh's background to discredit him has proven
that Sanusi is
an illiterate in Islamic History" suggests that she was being
simplistic
or didn't know what Sanusi was talking about. I think what is more
obvious is
that he was offering a perspective on contextualizing some of the
things a
person says given their background. We all walk around with our
prejudices, pains and fears and they all inevitably colour our
understanding of
the world no matter what name we eventually give to the system we have
have
built it upon. Our duty is to recognize them and be on our guard. No
two
students of Islam even though they read exactly the same texts will
have the
same outlook, the subjective and experiential component always comes to
the
surface. Check out the differences between Abubakar Gumi and his
students Lawal
Abubakar and Sunusi Gumbi even on some rather fundamental issues.
We all
know that no thought system or philosophy, no matter how rational
or
objective it appears, can be totally divorced from the subjective
experiences or events in the formative years of the life of its
proponent. Put another way, one's outlook on life,
regardless
of which group-label one bears, is subconsciously influenced by
so many
subliminal factors not least significant events in one's psychological
biography. This means that we would be making a big mistake to
think that
an Islamic scholar's opinions and judgements derive only from the
sacred texts
– Qur'an and sunnah. What we must hasten to add is that this is
in no way
to cast aspersions on the person of the scholar or doubt their
sincerity.
It's quite obvious that the extreme tenor of the matyr Sayyid Qutb's Fi
Zilaalil Qur'an and the Milestones stems from the
treachery
and cruelty he and others suffered in the hands of the godless
and
tyrannical Egyptian authorities. That's why some of his most
articulate
critics can be found in the ranks of The Brotherhood. They drank
from the
same source afterall. , why the sharp difference? We cannot simply say
he had
more iman, knowledge or intellect than they. We couldn’t
know the
former anyway. Just look at how easy it is for a scholar in the
US or
even Nigeria, in their relative comfort, to denounce
'suicide
bombers' in Palestine (of course backed by Islamic texts) and the
scholar who
witnesses the daily realities of existence in that most troubled place
(who
also justifies his support for the method by invoking Qur'an and
Sunnah).
Many observers are convinced that the agnostic temper of Darwin's
philosophy is
directly attributable to the pathetic death of his beloved
daughter. So
many scholars, Muslim and Christian, also affirm that had
the
medieval Catholic Church been less bigoted, less dismissive of
science
and less senselessly inquisitorial of men of science etc Europe and its
seeds
in the new world wouldn't have been so suspicious of of religion.
It was
an attitude that was born of a peculiar history not an inexorable
unanymous
conclusion of humanity. So to hold that "extremism is a route to
recognition and vertical mobility'" isn't such an atrocious analysis.
However
the whole corpus of Sanusi's writings tends to suggest there is more to
it than
meets the eye. I think, behind the façade of this
particular
analysis lurks a profound disdain for people Sanusi has severally
tagged 'fundamentalists', 'religious bigots', 'mullahs' and
'extremists'. In his condescending 'interventions' his contempt
comes up
thinly –veiled. I think terms of that vintage are more properly
left in
the employ of unsympathetic critics of a generation of Muslims
grappling
with the onslaught of westernisation. Can we comfortably exonerate
Sanusi's
phrase, in referring to Ja'far, "an up-rooted,
ruddeless
exile" of aristocratic condescension? Can we clear him of disdain and
contempt
for the person of Mallam Ja'far? What of the expression "a Kano
based
religious demagogue". Sanusi has spoiled an otherwise insightful
and
interesting analysis with his characteristic hauteur.
Now,
to come to Mallama Fatimah’s comparative juxtaposition of Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi
and Ja'far Mahmud Adam in terms of their direct service to Islam or
benefit to
Muslims. The difference is clear. Even Sanusi, if
begrudgingly, concedes this when he said “Ja'far may claim to
be
the living defender of the Prophet's sunna…". I am
more
inclined to think that Ja'far is acclaimed to be rather than claims to
be, at least in Northern Nigeria. Only God Himself knows
how many
people Mallam has taught the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet at
Gadon-Kaya, Dorayi, Triumph, Beirut Road and so many
fora
within and outside the borders of Nigeria. Many also have entered
the
fold of Islam via the proselytizing activities of Izalatul Bid'ah Wa
Ikamatus
Sunnah of which Ja’far is a pillar. I personally have benefited
from
Mallam's erudition, eloquent delivery and didactic prowess as
much as
Sanusi Lamido has kindled in me a critical approach especially in
contemporary
Islamic discourse. I would not miss Mallam Ja'far's weekly Tafsir
sessions
at Beirut Road (which he delivers in his captivating, elegant but
succinct Hausa) for the whole world. But I wasn't an uncritical
student. Many of my friends can testify to this. The Mallam
raised
for me so many questions even as he answered a lot more.
And
what of Mallam Sanusi Lamido? No doubt he has been outstanding in
stimulating
debate on vital topical issues but a man immersed in usury is hardly
the most
desirable role model and cannot be an effective advocate of Islamic
values. I eagerly await the banker's explanation of his cosy
romance with
riba. But we must give kudos to people like
him for
exposing the hypocrisy of the so-called leaders of Northern Nigeria who
whip up
religious, sectional and ethnic sentiments to self-serving
ends,
those who exploit their fellow Muslims and ‘Northerners' riding on the
crest of 'the northern identity' and Muslim unity and solidarity.
Mallama
Fatimah accuses Sanusi of lying on a number of statements. Let's
examine
them. She said "Sanusi however blatantly lied when he said the
Maiduguri
businessman is a patron of Sheikh Ja'far". Sanusi should
substantiate
that himself. As for the second one that "Sanusi again lied and
discredited himself by identifying the sheikh with a religious
sect.
Sheikh Ja'far never identified himself with any sect and says
so"
(italics mine), it is simply not true. God is my witness
that, some years back, I heard with my two ears when the
mallam
declared that "mune 'ya'yan Izala" meaning "we are the children of
Izala". And it would take hard-headed casuistry to claim that
Izala is
not a sect. I would also like to refer Mallama Fatimah to the
preachings
of the pre-Saudi phase of Mallam Ja'far's career especially those ones
at 'Masallacin Triumph'. Then he typified a hot-headed Izala
demagogue. No doubt since he returned from his Saudi sojourn he
has been
more tolerant, more compassionate. But that his adversarial
stance
towards Shi'ites and Sufis continues is just a matter of degrees.
The
form has only been gentler, more scholarly. Even though the
Izala
of Kano now prefer to be known as Ahl-us-Sunnah wal Jama'ah and have
actually
followed it up it up with actually being more expansive and
civil, it
would definitely be standing the truth on its head to say they they
never
claimed to be a sect, Izala. They have shifted from
the
excesses of former days to more enlightened and more beneficial
activities in
contradistinction to the ever-trivial and ever-bickering Izala groups
of many
other parts of the country.
Further,
Fatimah says that "Sanusi must understand that he cannot speak on the
deen
until he studies the deen. He cannot study controversial
philosophical
books and claim he has enough knowledge to speak on religious
matters".
While it is true that Sanusi relies on philosophy to marshall his
arguments
it’s only a person ignorant of Sanusi's biography would claim that he’s
ignorant of the deen. He actually did four years of Islamic
Studies in
the Sudan after obtaining his BSc Econs from ABU. Prior to that
he
had, in the traditional way, studied the primary and
secondary
Maliki texts, mostly under the tutelage of his learned
relatives.
We can only add that a person so educated would be more competent in
handling
contemporary Islamic discourse.
Finally
the sister says "Another gross deficiency in analysis on the part of
Sanusi
became evident when he branded the Sheikh a racist". Racism is a
serious
charge to be laid at the door-step of anyone and Sanusi certainly
didn't use
the term all he says is that "he glorifies tribalism". What is
glaring is
that it would take the most clever attorney to clear the Shaikh of
ethnocentric
chauvinism in the statement attributed to him that "They don't have the
identity of the religion they belong to. They equally don't have
the
identity of the tribe they belong. President Obasanjo has
his
Yoruba identity and Christianity as a religion which he overzealously
protects; Sardauna had a northern identity and that of Islam which
he overzealously
protected; Awolowo had his Yoruba identity…Ojukwu had his Ibo
identity
…Every person who knows what he is doing must have such an
identity". Now
tsakani da Allah what does the mallam seem to be suggesting by overzealously
protecting one's tribal (and religious) identity. May be it
was the
devil of translation.
CONCLUSIONS
In
a world in which what we see on the surface, even if it bears the
label
of religion, is the result of so many factors and
motivations. We
cannot take things for granted. We have to develop an
intellectual
sieve to filter what scholars give us. Don't get me wrong I
repeat this
is not to set out to question the intentions of anybody. My point
is not
to miss Sanusi's point. We should be on our guard when
traditional
scholars take up contentious contemporary issues such as
'identity', 'democracy', 'pluralism', genetics and
complicated scientific
issues that they are not trained to handle, as much as we must
beware of
secularists and liberalists masquerading as Islamic reformers.
Sanusi
Lamido Sanusi is playing a vital role in stimulating dialogue on
contemporary
Islamic matters and nudging us to consider things we hitherto accepted
unquestioningly but he could do so without condescension. He
should climb
down from his high horse to make contribution and not 'intervention'
not least
because the word assumes superiority and connotes finality.
Finality is
not exactly a feature of dialogue. He should be more
compassionate to
those 'less intellectually endowed' than he.
Traditional
scholars exemplified by Mallam Ja’far could also be more useful by
broadening
their horizons with the modern subjects of sociology, political
science, space technology, reproductive health,
psychology
etc as we do not live in an intellectually closed system.
Ma'assalaam.
02/05/2005
Essex
England.