Still on Death Sentence on Tijjaniya Sect Member in Kano
By Rauf Musa
AREWA AGENDA – It’s no longer news that an Upper Shari’a Court sitting at Hausawa Filin Hockey in Kano metropolis has sentenced 22-year-old Yahaya Sharif to death by hanging.
Sharif, a Tijjaniya musician residing at Sharifai quarters was tried for blasphemy against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Saw) in a song clip that went viral on WhatsApp.
Already, this judgement has set the tone for divergent opinions with objective and subjective interpretations. To many, a judgement is served, to most others, of the Tijjaniya sect especially, it is a travesty of justice.
While it is not clear whether the convict would appeal the judgment, what is clear however, is that we are likely to see many more of such cases with the way religious sects conduct their activities in the ancient city.
To begin with, the Tijjaniya, which has the largest followership, due to lack of strong and centralised leadership and the infiltration of scammers who diabolically use the religion for personal ends, has over time become infested with bands of fake and fanatical-psuedo-mysticians called Yan Hakika who, in their language and conduct equate themselves to Allah (Swa) and elevate their Sheikhs especially Sheikh Ibrahim Niass (Rahimahullah) above anyone created by Allah not even the Prophet Muhammad (Saw).
Hakika in real sense, is a spiritual-cum-mystical oddysey one embarks in form of prayers and supplications to attain Allah’s elevated position in spiritual and mystical realms.
But some of these fake Yan Hakika dwell more on hedonism, concupusense and any societal evils one can think up. It clearly shows that we’ve not seek Allah’s spiritual realm.
I’ve interviewed many Tijjaniya followers on why do they lose their minds and went beserk at the mention of Shiekh Niass and don’t do that when Prophet Muhammad (Saaw) was called, their answers will just be ‘you won’t understand’ .
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When confronted, their Sheikhs would tell you it’s parts of over-zealousness of followers, but in secret, some of these Sheikhs were the ones encouraging this deviations.
Then there are those – followers of Qadiriyya and some pockets of Shia apologists who always counter the excesses of the unwarranted canonisations and elevated excesses of Sheikh Niass by these deviants.
These two opposing camps would, if a serious action is not taken, give rise to the new emerging conflict that will result to a serious bloodletting worse than Boko Haram in the metropolitan Kano.
At least I’ve recently witnessed the near clash of these two camps in our area during Sallah celebrations. Each group with not less 40 armed youths prowling at distance of not less than 100 metres between themselves.
What saved the day was the Vigilante Group of our area who insisted that one group must finish his Majalisi early and be made to follow a totally different route as their exit.
The Afakallahu ban is not effective and won’t work. And the current administration in the state if left alone to bring solution won’t do anything – politics has made Ganduje a scapegoat and literally a lame duck governor.
The Emirate Council, Kano Elders, State Govt in conjunctions with Nigerian Police must summon all the known Sects Sheikhs in Kano to avail their followers about utterances and conducts.
This new vagaries being exhibiting by Tijjaniya followers of nowadays is alien to the one we know when growing up in the 80s.
Each Unguwa should create community Vigilante Committee to collaborate with police and state government in order to monitor the activities of youths dwelling in that Unguwa.
State government should liaise with Military authorities for onward conscripting some of the boys at least there is ample trouble in North East or North west to engage in.
Rauf Musa writes from Abuja
Arewa Agenda is a Publication of Young Writers from Northern Nigeria towards Peaceful Coexistence and National Development through positive narratives.
