At the start of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS) insurgency in Borno State in 2009, peace-loving Islamic clerics would give fatwas and preachings, urging people not to accept the ideology of JAS, better known as Boko Haram – but, instead of dampening the rising kindling of violence, their words inflamed the insurgents to target, attack and kill them.
This was brought home at a high-level, two-day seminar organised by the Indimi Islamic Trust Centre for Islamic clerics, the theme of which was The Role of Fatwa in Sustaining Peace and Stability. The seminar was held on Monday and Tuesday, May 30 and 31, at the Muhammad Indimi International Conference Centre at the University of Maiduguri.
Mohammed Alhaji Abubakar, the chairman of the Indimi Islamic Trust Centre, told RNI that the seminar was purposely organised for Islamic clerics to brainstorm on peace-building and its sustainability through effective fatwas, preaching and religious education.
“The aim of the seminar was to educate and enlighten Islamic clerics, such as imams, scholars, teachers and preachers, to pave the way to sustainable peace and stability by adhering to the due processes, guidelines and conditions of giving fatwa, a legal opinion, decree or ruling issued by a mufti or other Islamic lawyer.
“Fatwa, in Islam refers to a formal ruling or interpretation on a point of Islamic law, Shariah, given by a qualified legal scholar or Muslim leader or Islamic clerics known as muftis. Fatwas are usually issued or given in response to questions from individuals or Islamic courts.”
Abubakar said the conditions and the guidelines in conducting a fatwa included: An Islamic cleric had to be qualified and knowledgeable enough to give fatwa; they had to know the consequences of fatwas; they had to focus on creating sustainable peace and unity by giving the public a fatwa; they should know the kind of people to whom they are addressing the fatwa; they had to establish the level of an individual’s knowledge, especially students and scholars, before handing down a fatwa; and they had to refrain from giving a fatwa that would create violence.
“Any Islamic cleric who is not qualified or does not follow the due processes, conditions and guidelines in giving fatwa could end up jeopardising peace by creating disunity, chaos, conflicts and instability. This was why we invited the Islamic clerics to the seminar to ensure they comprehend the concept of fatwa, as well as the consequences of giving a wrong or negative fatwa.
“Everyone knows the consequences and effects of the Boko Haram crisis, not only in Borno State but also the entire northeast of Nigeria, where many people were killed and displaced, losing property worth millions. These atrocities happened as a result of giving a wrong fatwa to people who did not have enough knowledge about Islam, particularly young people. That’s why, when crisis began, those involved were mostly the youth.”
He said peace-loving Islamic clerics had tried to prevent young people from accepting the JAS’ ideology but they had ended up becoming one of the targets of the insurgency, with many preachers being attacked and killed.
“Now people have learnt lessons from the Boko Haram crisis. Islamic clerics, community and traditional leaders, youth and society in general have experienced the horrors of the past 13 years of the insurgency. Now we just want peace and stability. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of the government, traditional and the religious institutions to educate and enlighten the public, especially the youth about the dangers of violence. By do so, they will help people to understand the importance of peaceful coexistence and unity. That is the way to bring about sustainable peace and stability, not only in Borno State but also in Nigeria as a whole.”
Borno State governor Babagana Umara Zulum highlighted the importance of organising the conference, saying that there was no better time than now for holding such a seminar in the state.
He emphasised the need for understanding the meaning and proper use of fatwas, which could only be cited by an Islamic scholar – a qualified jurist – about aspects of Islamic law.
Zulum committed to working with stakeholders to draw up a unified framework to guide the conduct of fatwa by Islamic scholars to tackle indoctrination, adding that the framework would be a guide on fatwa not only in Borno State, but also in the entire country. He said he had already established the Borno State preaching service board to work on this.
He assured the organisers that the Borno State government was eager to receive the outcomes of the seminar’s communique and would give its support, including tabling relevant recommendations to the Northeast Governors’ Forum.
The seminar was attended by top government officials, prominent Islamic clerics, including Sani Umar Rijiyar Lemu from Kano, Sheikh Modu Mustapha, Zulum’s special adviser on religious affairs, among other prominent scholars within and outside Borno State.
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
