Femi Abass

This is the month of Ramadan, the ‘Dean’ of all lunar months. It comes into the world once in a year. Its arrival is always with fanfare. Its splendour is shrouded in the divine blessing that often heralds its readiness to come.

Unlike all other months of the year, Ramadan keeps humanity in a curious suspense even as it sends a harbinger ahead of its coming. That harbinger is the crescent of hope, which millions of Muslims globally await before commencing the annual obligatory fast in the month.

From its name alone, Ramadan can be called the key with which to open the door to eternal pleasure. Ramadan is the solid ground upon which the formidable edifice of Islam is built. It is the month in which Islam came into the world of mankind through the revelation of the Qur’an. Yet, it did not become a pillar of Islam until 12 years later in Madinah in 624 AH. That was two years after Hijrah, the Prophet’s forceful migration frpm Makkah to Madinah..

Without the revelation of the Qur’an which started in the sacred month of Ramadan in 610AH, perhaps the world would have remained oblivious of the five pillars of Islam today.

Ramadan is the great light that comes annually to illuminate the dark world of man and to wake up the snoring humanity from deep sleep. Ramadan is a major yardstick with which to measure discipline in the life of Muslims individually and collectively.

To wake up in the night and observe spiritual genuflexions (Nawafil); to take an early breakfast (Sahur) before dawn and abstain from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse as well as other pleasurable activities of life throughout the days of Ramadan is a collection of obligations which only the spiritual phenomenon called Ramadan can impose on man as an act of discipline.

It is only with Ramadan that the hardest heart can be   softened and the wildest animal instinct in man can be tamed. No other pillar of Islam preaches patience, endurance, tolerance, sympathy and social welfare as effectively as Ramadan does. Ramadan is the month that levels the ground under the feet of the rich and the poor alike.

Without this month in the life of a Muslim, the world would have been meaningless spiritually. Welcome on board of this cruising spiritual Yacht that is once again commencing a spiritual voyage on the pacific ocean of discipline towards the ‘Cape of Good Hope’. Ramadan Karim!

   By Femi Abbas

WHEN never the month of Ramadan comes around, its first port of call is Tarawih. That is the famous supererogatory Salat that entertains Muslim congregations with special hospitality in virtually all Mosques across nations in the evenings of the month.

Tarawih is a special Salat observed voluntarily, according to Sunnah, only in the month of Ramadan. It contains many genuflexions (raka‘at) ranging from six to twenty depending on the choice of its observers. Despite its significant role in Ramadan, Tarawih was not observed congregationally at the inception of Islam. When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) first introduced it as an attribute of Ramadan in Madinah, he started observing it for the first few days, every evening, after Salatul ‘Isha’i.

But some of his companions soon joined him to observe it congregationally. However, when the Prophet observed that Tarawih, a supererogatory Salat, was gradually being turned into another obligatory, congregational Salat, he stopped observing it in the Mosque to avoid turning it into another Salat of obligatory status.

At that point, his companions wanted to know his reason for stopping the observance of Tarawih in the Mosque and he told them that he did not want it to be misconceived for another obligatory Salat. Thus, the congregational observance of Tarawih came to an end. Thence, it became a Salat for individuals mostly in their private homes.

However, shortly after the demise of Abubakr Siddiq, the first Khalif, Umar Bn Khattab who became the second Caliph   walked into the Mosque one evening and met a crowd of Muslims observing Tarawih. Each of them was reciting the verses of the Qur’an aloud to the disturbance of others. Umar then asked all of them to stop reciting those verses and asked them about the Salat they were observing. When they told them it was Tarawih, he ordered them to queue up as a norm for observing congregational Salat according to Sunnah. He then asked for the most knowledgeable person among them and told him to lead the rest in observing Tarawih congrgationally while he watched with delightful admiration.

After the completion of the Salat, Umar said satisfactorily that “I have established a beautiful tradition”. From thence, congregational observance of Tarawih became a tradition which is today enthusiastically observed throughout the world by Muslims in the month of Ramadan.

Tarawih is one of the two spiritual attributes preceding daily Ramadan fasting. The second is Sahur. But the latter is weightier than the former because of its entailed statutory status. Please read about Sahur tomorrow in sha’Allah. Ramadan Karim!

• email: femabbas756@gmail.com Tel: 0811708536 (Text only)

By Femi Abbas

Reading any book has a purpose and a method. No good reader will ever read a book without taking note of its author, its publisher and its date of publication. And to read any new book, the very first point of call is its contents page which tells you the topics and the subjects you will read about in it. One of the major purposes of Tarawih is to serve as a reminder of the contents of the Quran.

The word Qur’an means continuous recitation. It is so called because of its inimitable origin which makes it a compelling daily reading throughout the world, across nations and ages. It contains the unsurpassable words of Allah not only in the grandeur of its diction and splendour of its rendition but also in the depth of its meaning, substance and profundity.

The revelation of the Glorious Book called the Qur’an to mankind through an unlettered desert Arab, Muhammad (SAW), the son of Abdullah and Aminah, began in 610 CE. It lasted 22 years and three months (10 years in Makkah and12 years plus three months in Madinah). The book contains 114 chapters and 6236 verses (not 6666 verses often quoted by most Imams and Alfas in Nigeria. Of these 114 chapters, 86 were revealed in Makkah and 28 in Madinah. But the 28 chapters revealed in Madinah constitute two thirds of the entire Book. And this is because the Makkah chapters are short and rhythmically poetic while those of Madinah are long and prose-like.

Although the Qur’an was revealed orally, its writing began almost immediately the revelations started. The writing was however done on primitive materials like planks of wood, animal hides, back of trees and other materials of the like which were then readily available. It was shortly after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), that those writings were collated and rendered into a book form. However, one of the wonders of rendering the Qur’an into a written form is the classification of those revelations into chapters and verses by the Prophet himself despite his illiteracy.

The Qur’an’s main appeal is to man’s intellect, feelings and imagination. But it also gives insight into some natural phenomena like sphericity and revolution of the earth (Q. 39:5), the formation of rain (Q. 30:48); the fertilization of the wind (Q. 15:22); the revolution of the sun, the moon and the planets in their fixed orbit (Q. 36:29-38); the aquatic origin of all creatures (Q. 21:30); the duality of the sex of plants and other creatures (Q. 36:35); the collective life of animals (Q.6:38); the mode of life of the bees (Q. 16:69) and the successive phases of the child in the mother’s womb (Q. 22:5 & 23:14). Yet, the purpose of this Glorious Book is not to teach history, astronomy, philosophy or sciences. That is the Qur’an for you, a book that is incomparably divine through all ages and times. Whoever needs to read the Qur’an must know its features as stated above. Otherwise, just reading the Qur’an may be like swimming in a pool without any knowledge of its deapth. Ramadan Karim!eading any book has a purpose and a method. No good reader will ever read a book without taking note of its author, its publisher and its date of publication. And to read any new book, the very first point of call is its contents page which tells you the topics and the subjects you will read about in it. One of the major purposes of Tarawih is to serve as a reminder of the contents of the Quran.

The word Qur’an means continuous recitation. It is so called because of its inimitable origin which makes it a compelling daily reading throughout the world, across nations and ages. It contains the unsurpassable words of Allah not only in the grandeur of its diction and splendour of its rendition but also in the depth of its meaning, substance and profundity.

The revelation of the Glorious Book called the Qur’an to mankind through an unlettered desert Arab, Muhammad (SAW), the son of Abdullah and Aminah, began in 610 CE. It lasted 22 years and three months (10 years in Makkah and12 years plus three months in Madinah). The book contains 114 chapters and 6236 verses (not 6666 verses often quoted by most Imams and Alfas in Nigeria. Of these 114 chapters, 86 were revealed in Makkah and 28 in Madinah. But the 28 chapters revealed in Madinah constitute two thirds of the entire Book. And this is because the Makkah chapters are short and rhythmically poetic while those of Madinah are long and prose-like.

Although the Qur’an was revealed orally, its writing began almost immediately the revelations started. The writing was however done on primitive materials like planks of wood, animal hides, back of trees and other materials of the like which were then readily available. It was shortly after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), that those writings were collated and rendered into a book form. However, one of the wonders of rendering the Qur’an into a written form is the classification of those revelations into chapters and verses by the Prophet himself despite his illiteracy.

The Qur’an’s main appeal is to man’s intellect, feelings and imagination. But it also gives insight into some natural phenomena like sphericity and revolution of the earth (Q. 39:5), the formation of rain (Q. 30:48); the fertilization of the wind (Q. 15:22); the revolution of the sun, the moon and the planets in their fixed orbit (Q. 36:29-38); the aquatic origin of all creatures (Q. 21:30); the duality of the sex of plants and other creatures (Q. 36:35); the collective life of animals (Q.6:38); the mode of life of the bees (Q. 16:69) and the successive phases of the child in the mother’s womb (Q. 22:5 & 23:14). Yet, the purpose of this Glorious Book is not to teach history, astronomy, philosophy or sciences. That is the Qur’an for you, a book that is incomparably divine through all ages and times. Whoever needs to read the Qur’an must know its features as stated above. Otherwise, just reading the Qur’an may be like swimming in a pool without any knowledge of its deapth.

Ramadan Karim!

Femi Abbas

For the first few days in Ramadan, every year, there is tendency for some Muslims to forget that they are fasting and thus break their fasts inadvertently during the day.

Naturally, the possibility of eating or drinking accidentally due to sheer forgetfulness in the early days of Ramadan is apt. This often occurs to Muslims who hardly fast outside the month of Ramadan.

If it happens to you, there should be nothing to worry about. As soon as you remember, just recondition yourself to the regulations of Ramadan and continue your fast.

Do not tell anybody. Let it remain a secret between you and your Lord. It does not matter whether you remember while eating and drinking or thereafter.

In Islam, actions are judged according to intentions. And who else judges both actions and intentions other than Allah, the All-seer and All- knower.

Even in the five obligatory Salats observed daily by all genuine Muslims, provisions are made for rectification of errors committed through forgetfulness.

Read Also: Buhari won’t let Kano down, says Presidency

This is done in terms of ‘Sujudus-Sahwi’. But like in Salat, the forgetfulness in Ramadan involves neither drunkenness nor sexual intercourse nor cheating of any kind.

As a Muslim, you are not supposed to eat any forbidden food or drink any intoxicant in the first place, Ramadan or no Ramadan. To be drunk, therefore, in Ramadan, under the pretext of forgetfulness is a confirmation of hypocrisy or infidelity.

As for sexual intercourse which should only occur legitimately between a husband and his wife, it is impossible to be done out of forgetfulness. At least if the husband cannot remember Ramadan, the wife should. Sexual intercourse cannot be done unconsciously.

But if intercourse occurs in your dream and you suddenly wake up to discover that you are already wet, all you need to do is to clean up with Janabah (purification) bath.

And, then, you continue your fast. Fasting, especially in Ramadan, is a means of rejuvenating spiritual consciousness and renewal of good intention.

Anyone who   breaks his/her fast in error due to forgetfulness should immediately repent and abstain from any situation that can cause its repetition. Allah is forgiving and merciful.

By Femi Abbas

When the sacred religion called Islam emerged through Prophet Muhammad (SAW) over 1,400 years ago, it was with certain fundamental norms that were meant to guide humanity towards all   virtuous acts in life. One of the most formidable pillars of that divine religion is fasting in the month of Ramadan. With it, all genuine Muslims are supposed to fortress themselves against any satanic recklessness that could turn them into wild beasts.

Qur’anic revelations

Now, we are in the sacred lunar month in which the revelation of the Qur’an began in 610 C.E. It was in this divine month that the last divine constitution with which to liberate mankind from the shackles of Satan was revealed. The real spiritual essence of Ramadan is to show mankind the right path to Paradise through a phenomenal transit called the world.

This allegorical month is a special school in which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was both the pioneer student and the pioneer teacher at the same time. All other students who passed through this school or are still passing through it are heirs to those   forerunners in the name of shepherds.

Duties of Shepherds

The duty of the heirs to the above mentioned forerunners is to serve as shepherds for the wandering flocks of the universe. It is this duty that confirms man as Allah’s vicegerent on earth. Anyone who is in a position to serve as a shepherd but does otherwise has surely contravened the rules of his or her Creator.

Ironically, most of those we perceive as shepherds in our society are worse than the presumed ‘lost sheep’ they are supposed to guide aright. For those who know and appreciate it, the opportunity of rebirth provided by this sacred month has no duplicate. It is like a ‘once in a while’ train which every commuter should endeavour not to miss. Missing it is like missing a lifelong destiny of fortune. But will the recalcitrant ones among the so-called Alfas heed the warning?

A Season of jamboree

With the arrival of Ramadan in the world last year, just like in the previous years, a scene of jamboree took over most radio and television stations, especially in the Southwest of Nigeria. Many pseudo Alfas who had become redundant before Ramadan quickly dusted their gowns and turbans for the purpose of sharing in the annual largess which they believed that the sacred month had brought for them. Such pseudo Alfas who might have taken advantage of some ignorant ‘money bags’ in the society by asking them to sponsor Ramadan preaching on radio and television stations swarmed the airwaves like bees in a hive. With little or no knowledge at all, those pretenders posed like scholars and dished out rubbish by arrogating to themselves the knowledge which they evidently did not possess. Their displayed symbols of scholarship included big gowns, big turbans, untidy beards and irrelevant long rosaries.

Clerics or Charlatans

One of the characteristics of charlatans, who pose as clerics, is to spend the first 10 minutes or thereabout in singing the praises of their sponsors and in chanting some irrelevant slogans even as they relay some fabricated, primordial stories with neither genuine roots nor any relevant bearing with Islam. Their trade in stock is to seek fraudulent recognition for themselves by showing their faces on television stations or by airing their voices on radio stations just to be accorded the status of Alfas. Such are people who have no Islamic knowledge and do not see the need for seeking it. Rather than guiding the multitudes of uninformed Muslims aright, which is the primary duty of qualified, genuine Muslim clerics, they further mislead them. Of course, no one can give what he does not have.

To this category of so-called Alfas, all that matters is the money they want to make through their deceptive appearances as well as the cheap fame they want to gain as a boost to their fraudulent gimmicks.

That is why such people resort to public verbal attacks on one another with little consideration for decorum which Islam recommends affirmatively.

And, through such shameful deeds, the charlatans invariably create an   impression   that Ramadan is an annual festive booty celebrated with fanfare in a jamboree.

Faulty Recitation

The most embarrassing aspect of their action is not only the faulty recitation of the Qur’anic Verses but also the shameless misinterpretation which they give to those Verses. This, on its own, is not just an abuse of Ramadan but also a flagrant abuse of the Qur’an. That is how the charlatans turn the sacred month into a gross abuse of Islamic religion. What those charlatans do not understand is that the Qur’an, in its original form, is not just any book that any charlatan can dust up once in a year as a means of fetching money for selves but a Sacred Book on which account will be given.

Unnecessary Controversy

Meanwhile, there is a raging controversy among Muslim scholars over the first and last revelations in the Qur’an. Much as this controversy is unwarranted, it may be necessary to clear the coast here (without laying any claim to authority) if only for the purpose of authenticating history.

It is almost a consensus that the first revealed chapter in the Qur’an is Suratul ‘Alaq (Chapter of the Clot). But the very first Qur’anic words that reached Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in form of revelationthrough Angel Jibril was ‘BASMALAH’ (ie Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim) meaning: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, which precedes every chapter in the Qur’an except one Suratut-Tawbah.

As a Messenger of Allah to another Messenger of Allah, Angel Jubril couldn’t have commanded Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to read anything without doing so in the name of Allah who sent him with the message.

Thus, Suratul ‘Alaq, as preceded by ‘BASMALAH’, could only have been the first revealed chapter but not the first revelation. And that is logical.

As for the last revelation in the Qur’an majority of Nigerian Muslim scholars believe that it is chapter 5, verse 3 of the Qur’an which says: “Today, I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favour on you. And, I am pleased with Islam for you as religion”.

That verse of the Qur’an that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) at ‘Arafah while performing his only but  farewell Hajj couldn’t have been the last revelation. It was revealed about 81 days before the demise of the Prophet (SAW). And there was another revelation, thereafter, which came about nine days before the Prophet fell terminally sick. This can be found in Qur’an 2: 281 which says: “And fear the day when you shall all return to Allah; the day when every soul shall be requited according to its desert and none shall be wronged”.

How not to recite Suratul Fatihah

The issue of Basmalah mentioned above is a reminder of the status of Suratul Fatihah and how not to recite it.

Suratul Fatihah is not just one of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an, it is also the very first chaper of of that Sacred Book. This Surah was named the opening chapter because of the indispensable role it plays not only in the observance of Salat but also in the faith of a Muslim.

Unlike all other chapters of the Sacred Book, Suratl Fatihah was revealed twice to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) within the 22 years that the whole Qur’an was revealed. Revealing the chapter twice (once in Makkah and once in Madinah) was a divine emphasis on the specialty of its importance in the practice of Islam. This is the Surah that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) codenamed ‘Mother of the Glorious Book’ (ie: the Qur’an) because of its strategic position in the Sacred Book which makes it the summary of the whole Qur’an. It is the only chaper in the Qur’an that sustains the authenticity of Salat and confirms its acceptability to the Almighty Allah.  Any Salat without recitation of Suratul Fatihah in full is null and void.

The Jurisprudential Role of Basmalah 

The word Basmalah is, connotatively, the acronym of ‘Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim’ which is the first of the seven verses of Suratul Fatihah.

Suratul Fatihah is the only chapter of the Qur’an that has ‘Bamalah’ (Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim) as one of its verses. This means that recitation of Basmalah as part of that chapter is as compulsory on Salat as the recitation of the whole Chapter itself. If the rule of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh) demands that the recitation should be aloud, as in the case of Salatus-Subh and Maghrib and Isha’i, the recitation of Basmalah must also be aloud. If, on the other hand, the recitation should be silent as in the case of  Salatud-Dhuhr and ‘Asr, the recitation of Basmalah too, must be silent. There should be no half way about it.

To all other chapters of the Qur’an, Basmalah is not classified as a verse. It is just a prefix that an observer of Salat may decide to read or not to read after Suratul Fatihah. That Suratul Fatihah  contains seven verses and the very first of those verses is Basmalah cannot be taken for granted. Only Allah knows why He revealed it as such and He alone has the final authority on the rules of its recitation. Suratul Fatihah itself is divinely classified into three segments.

The first Segment consists of the first three verses that emblazon and glorify Allah. The second segment consists of two verses by which an observer of Salat or reciter of the Surah, makes two fundamental promises to Allah. One of those two promises is to worship Him (Allah) alone (without associating anything with Him) and the other is to seek only His divine (Alla’s) help and not that of any other entity (Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka nasta’in).

The third segment of that chapter contains prayer with which to seek Allah’s divine guidance towards the right path as toed by the previous rightly guided people and not the path of those who, by going astray, have incurred the wrath of Allah.

The Message and the Messenger

Ramadan is a month of correction of errors and that of affirmation of right. On most occasions, when religion becomes an issue, the message is often weightier than the messenger.  Today, most Imams, scholars and individual Muslims do recite Suratul Fatihah, while on Salat, to the exclusion of Basmalah which is the very first verse of that obligatory chapter. This means that in their own wisdom, that Surah should contain six verses rather than the seven verses that Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Implication

The implication of this is that by refusing to recite Basmalah statutorily as part of Suratul Fatihah, the reciter has either beheaded that chapter against the rule of its revelation or he/she has edited the contents of Allah’s revelation to mankind. But, if we may ask a question here, who is that mortal being that is wiser than the immortal Supreme Entity that revealed Suratul Fatihah on purpose?

This is a weighty question that requires a straight forward answer without any rationalized argument as a justification for deviation from Allah’s own Sunnah. The Almighty Allah Who revealed Suratul Fatihah twice with seven verses, including Basmalah, had a reason for doing so. And, no mortal being can claim any wisdom as reason for reducing the seven verses of that chapter to six on the basis of mere rationalization. Islam is such a dynamic religion that cannot be reduced to the level of dogmatism by which some other religions are characterized. In other words, Islam cannot be turned into a religion in which the clerics are considered more important than the revealed words of God. If Allah had wanted the recitation of Basmalah on Salat to be a matter of choice, He would have separated it from Suraul Fatihat as He did with other chapters in the Qur’an. Therefore, whoever must recite Suratul Fatihat on Salat, must recite it completely without removing a verse from it. Thus, in order not to lead the followers astray, let presumed leaders of Islam do the right thing as prescribed by Islamic jurisprudence.  Ramadan Karim!

Clarification

The earlier verse was an accentuation of Hajj as the last pillar of Islam. And that was why it came on Arafah Day. The latter is a reminder of man’s final destination and the account of his worldly activities. These and many more are what readers of the Qur’an should know inside out. But the big question is this: who will teach them when the supposed teachers have sold out to money and ignorance? To Muslims who are conscious of their spiritual affinity and retain their conscience for the day they will meet their Creator and account for their deeds on earth ‘The Message’ says RAMADAN KARIM!

 Femi Abbas

Nigeria is a home of temptations. The agents of Satan are many and ubiquitous. They are most active in the sacred month of Ramadan. You will meet them in the neighbourhood, in offices, in commuter buses, in the markets and on the roads. Like Satanic rainbow, they come in various colours carrying with them, all sorts of tempting arsenals. Some of them are men. Most are women.

Their temptations come in different forms and shapes. Some will make jest of you in a provocative way. Some will deliberately bring food to your presence and start eating right in front of you. Some will pretend not to be aware that you are fasting and, therefore, offer you prohibited drinks. Some women will tempt you with the most sensitive contours of their bodies. The powders on their faces and other cosmetic materials with which some of them are decorated alone are enough to disarm you spiritually if you are not a formidable Muslim. Their antics are many. But your resistance to all these is the most vital ingredient for the acceptance of your fast by Allah. This is a situation in which Muslims are expected to close their eyes and their minds at the same time. They should close their eyes to any eyesore and close their minds to all spiritual irritants.

In no Islamic society can such temptations be experienced. In any sane Muslim society, it is a punishable offence to deliberately tempt or provoke fasting Muslims in the month of Ramadan. As a matter of fact, all food vendors and restaurants are statutorily prohibited from operating in the days of Ramadan. They can only trade in the nights. And of course, there is nothing like alcohol or nudism in such societies even outside the sacred month.

Resistance to temptation in Ramadan is a function of two things: high level of discipline and strong faith in Allah. Any Muslim who lacks these two is surely bereft of the necessary armour against temptation. Ramadan in the life of a Muslim is like a delicious food given to a hungry man. If he handles it carelessly, it may end up in the belly of a goat. Satan is always on standby to snatch any reward accruing to pious Muslims from good deeds. To avoid becoming a victim of satanic machination therefore, do not be careless with Allah’s bounties for you in this sacred month. Ramadan Karim!

By Femi Abbas

From the beginning of Ramadan, every year, Muslims congregate in various Mosques or Learning Centres where the exposition of the Qur’an (Tafsir) is rendered by learned Muslim scholars. This is in accordance with the Prophetic tradition which encourages better understanding of the Qur’an.

Linguistically, Tafsir means exposition. But technically, it means the comprehensive analysis of the Qur’an, spiritually, linguistically, logically and semantically.

In other words, Tafsir is the comprehensive exposition of the contents of the Qur’an, as usually done by learned Muslim scholars especially during the month of Ramadan throughout the Muslim world.

Because of the coded language of the Qur’anic revelation, it became necessary for the verses of that sacred Book to be decoded for the purpose of thorough understanding by the Muslim Ummah when the Prophet was alive.

And the example of this was laid by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself to the great delight of his companions.

From the explanation above, it therefore becomes clear that the revelations of the Qur’anic chapters and verses were the immediate causes of intellectual research in Islam.

For instance, Arabic, the original language of the Qur’an, had no grammar prior to the revelations of the divine message. The grammar of that language evolved only from the contents of the Qur’an.

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With time, the challenge which the Qur’an threw to humanity in all spheres of life led to serious competition among scholars.

Thus, each time a revelation came, the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were always eager to know why and how of every what. And this led to their very close association with the Prophet who paved the way for them towards that intellectual research.

Although the formal study of Tafsir as an independent intellectual discipline did not begin until many years after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he (the Prophet) nevertheless, started its process.

He did not only educate his companions about the exoteric and esoteric meanings of the revealed verses of the Qur’an, he also explained their application to the daily life of man as well as the implications of same.

It was the prophet who decoded most of the coded areas of the Qur’an for proper understanding of the ordinary Muslims.

Through his utterances and actions which were later to be known as Hadith and Sunnah, the contents of the Qur’an became more and more understandable to the Muslims even as further researches continue today.

Thus, after the prophet’s demise, Hadith and Sunnah together became an independent subject of research paving man’s way to higher firmaments in civilization.

And this has helped, in no small measure, to expand the scope of Tafsir. It is from Qur’anic researches that, all new discoveries and new frontiers in knowledge became adapted to the study of Tafsir until Tafsir itself became an estuary through which every stream of knowledge was passed to mankind.

But what problems does Tafsir face in the contemporary time? Read the answer to this question in this column tomorrow in sha’Allah. Ramadan Karim!.

Femi Abbas

It is understandable that most of the Tafsir books available in the world today are in Arabic language. The language of the revelation of the Qur’an is Arabic. Most of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who interacted closely with him and were privileged to deeply understand the interpretation of the Qur’an were Arabs. Arabic itself as a language is exceptionally rich literarily and semantically. For centuries after the revelation of the Qur’an, it was mostly the Arabs who assumed authority on its interpretation. Others, like the Persians (Iranians), the Indians and the Turks who tried to compete with the Arabs in the field of Tafsir, could only do so in Arabic language which they first had to learn as a second language. Thus, from the very beginning, Arabic had been the authoritative language of Tafsir.

Therefore, in those days, whoever wanted to attain real scholarship in the field of Tafsir ought to have mastered Arabic language. But the anomaly in this becomes very conspicuous when one remembers that over four fifth of the world’s Muslims today are non-Arabic speakers.

This seems to have created some hurdles for humanity in understanding the practical meaning of the Qur’an and in appreciating its real essence.

There is nothing like being literate in one’s mother tongue. The Arabs have demonstrated this abundantly through Tafsir. But since Tafsir of the Qur’an is not meant for the Arabs alone, shouldn’t there be a means of making it available to majority of Muslims in the languages understandable to them?

That is one major question which the global Muslim leadership was unable to answer for centuries but which technology has come to answer succinctly especially through the means of computer and internet. Any Muslim scholar who is not computer literate today is therefore an illiterate who may not be strictly qualified to be called a scholar.

In this computer age, the world needs the Qur’an more than ever before. And it is only Tafsir that can justify that need. Muslims and non-Muslims alike should be able to read the interpretations of the Qur’an in languages other than Arabic. Read more on Tafsir tomorrow, in sha’Allah. Ramadan Karim!

E-mail: femabbas756@gmail.com  Tel: 08115708536 (Text only)

 Femi Abbas

At the beginning of this sacred month, 11 days ago, an analysis was done in this column classifying the 30 days of Ramadan into three segments.

The first segment was said to contain the first ten days during which the blessings of Allah come to the faithful Muslims freely and in abundance.

Except for meeting that segment with faith and good intention, there is no working for the blessings therein.

That segment ended yesterday paving way for the second segment that begins today. As from today, Monday, May 4, 2020, fasting Muslims, all over the world, will start working for the master key to their final destination (Al-Jannah) through forgiveness.

That is the essence of this second segment of the month of Ramadan. During this period, Muslims are expected to intensify worship (Ibadah) by spending their days and nights repenting on their misdeeds and iniquities while seeking Allah’s forgiveness through the chanting of Istighfar.

But such forgiveness is neither automatic nor free. Usually, there are conditions attached to it. One of such conditions is that one must admit his misdeeds and repent on them. The second is that he should voluntarily and genuinely seek forgiveness.

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And the third condition is for him to resolve never to return to such misdeeds again. To seek Allah’s forgiveness during that time, a Muslim should follow the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)  as he reportedly said that “if you want to speak with Allah, make your request on prostration. And if you want Allah to speak to you recite the Qur’an”.

No one who abides by the above conditions and follows the Prophet’s counsel will ever be disappointed. Allah is both promising and fulfilling.

He never reneges on His promise. In Qur’an 2:186 He promises thus: “…when my servants ask you (Prophet Muhammad) about me, tell them that I am very close to them.

I answer the prayers of all who seek my favour if they pray to me (without any intermediary). So, let them expect my favourable response and trust in me so that they may be rightly guided.”

The second ten days segment of Ramadan is not just to consolidate on the blessings of the first ten days. It is also to prepare the fasting Muslims for the last ten days when they are expected to be fully liberated from the evil manacles of satanic forces.

For genuinely dedicated Muslims, in this sacred month, the prayer for that liberation in any language and in a condition of purity is a sine qua non. Ramadan Karim!

Femi Abbas

Perhaps, in no other month of Hijrah calendar are the roles of Muslim women (especially wives) as pronounced as in the month of Ramadan. Like in other months, responsible Muslim sisters display the roles of wives and mothers as well as those of the custodians of matrimonial homes. But much more than in other months, they mostly double or even triple the exhibition of their spiritual dedication in Ramadan.

In that sacred month Muslim women fast like their men counterparts. They observe Salat five times daily like their male counterparts except if they are engaged in menstrual condition. They also join their male counterparts in observing Tarawih after the Iftar every evening. Some of them even attend Tafsir and public lectures during the days. Yet, they carry out their normal occupational functions like their male counterparts either in offices, shops, or farms. Yet, they never relent in carrying out their matrimonial duties.

Even as some of them assist their husbands financially in maintaining the homes, they still take care of those husbands as well as their children and relatives domestically. At the time of the day when the husbands are knocked out or ‘locked down’ by fatigue arising from fasting, the wives are still busy in the kitchen preparing Iftar for the household. And at the time in the night when some husbands are engaged in Tahajjud, or are snoring in beds, the wives are already up in the kitchen preparing the Sahur for the family.

Some of these women are carrying pregnancy. Some are suckling their children while some others may have issues with peculiar ailments. And, among them are those who are knowledgeable enough to do the Tilawah (recitation of the Qur’an) like their husbands. Some of them are even rich enough to finance the home fully or partially.

And, yet, in all these activities, they never feel tired. Where and when they feel tired, they never show it. If any month has ever depicted the virtues of women in terms of strength and dedication, it is Ramadan. Well brought up women and responsible wives are the live wire of the matrimonial homes just as their husbands are the transformers through which the homes are powered with discipline. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was quoted as saying that “The best amongst you (men) are those who are best to their wives in treatment….”

Therefore, if only for the reason of their matrimonial activities during the month of Ramadan, wives deserve tenderness and dignified treatment in the hands of their husbands. And, on the other hand, husbands should be further encouraged by their wives to groom the homes with comfort as a template for the future matrimonies of their children. Ramadan Karim!

 Femi Abbas

Children are Allah’s greatest gift to legitimate couples. Their presence in a house is blessing. Their contribution to matrimonial security is immense.

As the cynosures of their parents’ lives, those are children for you. They can sometimes act as teachers just as they can be available as students. They learn fast. They teach fast. They are a major security factor for parents in any given environment.

Whether in Ramadan or outside it, children have both temporal and spiritual roles to play in a matrimonial home. And with such roles, they sometimes create hope for humanity and sometimes, they signal despair.

They are the greatest asset in the possession of parents in times of peace or those of danger. They are also the greatest weapon for their parents against the forces of Satan.

Because of their innocence, they pave way for Allah’s forgiveness and quick acceptance of prayers. And, most importantly, children guarantee the continuity of human existence on earth. It is only with them that the fulfilment of today’s promise is possible tomorrow.

In the Qur’an, children are mentioned many times and most often with reverence. They are treated in that glorious book as a major issue in the life of couples. As orphans, they do not only have a role to play, they also compel some adults without children to play a role relating to them.

As heirs to their parents, they have substantial shares in inheritance. Muslim children are like cubs. They follow the footstep of their parents or guardians very scrupulously to the admiration of the latter.

Muslim children are often with their parents during the five daily prayers. They watch their parents as the latter give charity to the poor. They accompany them to public lectures and Islamic social gatherings.

And, in Ramadan, children are part of the Muslims’ total spiritual package. They wake up with them at night. They fast with them in the day. They break the fast with them at sunset.

Read Also: Beware of hypocrites, scholar cautions Muslims

They join their parents at Tafsir and night lectures. They participate in observance of Tarawih and Laylatul Qadr and in giving Zakatul Fitr to the poor.

In all these activities, they are supposed to be encouraged. Therefore, at the tender age of seven, they should be guided to fast even if for half a day.

And when they reach the age of 10 they should be strengthened in faith and in religious deeds through fasting. They should be provided with necessities of life both on the temporal and spiritual grounds.

With these, they will grow up to become the fulfilment of their parents’ dreams.

It must be noted that most children grow up as good or bad citizens by emulating their parents. A child is therefore what his parents make him/her.

If advantage of Ramadan is not taken by parents to mould their children into good Muslims what other platform will be used? Your child is your sun. Make hey with it while it shines. Ramadan Karim!

By Femi Abbas

Generally, neighbours are neighbours, Ramadan or no Ramadan. They are the people with whom one interacts on a daily basis in the same vicinity. Neighbours are co-inhabitants in the same residence, area, office, farm or market. Some of them are permanent. Others are temporary. This is not a matter of Ramadan alone. It is an Islamic general norm.

In Islam, neighbours are as important as the next of kin. And, Islam attaches so much respect to them that they are like family members. According to Bukhari and Muslim, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was reported to have sworn by Allah three times saying: “he does not believe in Allah whoever creates fear or restlessness in his neighbours”.

In another Hadith also reported by Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet was quoted as saying that “Whoever believes in Allah and the last day should treat his neighbour nicely to and respect his guests”

In the month of Ramadan, a good Muslim is expected to wear a new toga of sobriety and repentance. He should double his good deeds to his neighbours by extending generosity to them and by cultivating a new atmosphere of friendliness and trust with them. He should genuinely give them as much impression of love and brotherhood as he does with his consanguine relatives.

It does not matter whether the neighbours are Muslims or non-Muslims. Neither does it matter whether they are tribesmen or non-natives. The Prophet did not discriminate in his Hadith when he was admonishing on relationship with neighbours. And that is the inalienable position of Islam on neighbourhood.

Whoever, had quarrelled with his neighbours, therefore, let him go and settle the quarrel. Besides abstaining from foods, drinks and sexual intercourse within specified periods, during the sacred month of Ramadan, a good Muslim must mind his relationship with people around him especially neighbours. Fasting in the month of Ramadan cannot be taken in half measure. Whoever wants to receive full rewards for his religious activities in Ramadan let him treat his neighbours well. And, when Ramadan is over, the good deeds must continue.

Ramadan Karim!

Femi Abbas

Islam, as a religion is like the shed of a snail for Muslims. There is nothing in the life of a Muslim that this divine does not touch. For instance, in Islam, travelling is a form of education.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) realised this and emphasised it. It is in accentuation of the Prophet’s instruction that a renowned Arab poet came up with a stanza which translates thus:

“There is no permanent, resting place for a sensible, learned person; therefore, move from city to city and adapt to any new environment in which you may find yourself; Travel out from your immediate environment and meet new contemporaries similar to those you may have left behind at your point of embarkation; Interact with diverse people because human comfort and prosperity are mostly attainable through interactions…”

The respect which Islam has for travellers is such that they are described as wayfarers in the Qur’an. And by virtue of their journey, Muslim travellers are not only permitted to reduce their four rakats of (Dhur, ‘Asr and ‘Ishai) to two rakats each, they are also excused from fasting while on journey (although they will make up for the missed fasts later).

Not only that, they are also listed among the groups qualified to receive Zakat; the proviso, however is that such a journey must be justifiable and legitimate. Judging by the laid down proviso, it becomes understandable that a Muslim journey in Ramadan must be one of necessity and not of mere pleasure.

The rule is that the journey must not be less than 48 miles or 80 kilometres. On such a journey, a travelling Muslim may break his fast and shorten his Salat. But that rule was formulated at the time when donkeys and camels were the means of travelling.

Today, when it is possible to travel from Lagos to Kano within one hour in a comfortable aircraft or from Ibadan to Lagos in a fully air -conditioned car, within the same period, it may rather be unnecessary to  break the fast and reduce Salat especially when the traveller must make up for the fast broken after Ramadan.

There is hardly any rule without exception. The modern exceptions to the rule of travelling in Ramadan have transcended those of the donkey age.

However, this does not mean that any Muslim traveller in Ramadan who wishes to follow the primordial rule cannot shorten Raka’ats of his salat and break his fast. Nevertheless, if that rule is followed, the conditions surrounding it must equally be followed.

FEMI ABBAS

Monologue

This article had been published in this column in the recent past. But many readers have called for its republication for further guidance about the payment of Zakah especially in this sacred month. The Zakah issue here is ‘that of obligatory Islamic head tax paid annually by Muslims who can meet the condition of its minimum taxable amount. It is therefore different from the end of Ramadan tax called Zakatul Fitr which will be paid by all Muslims, irrespective of age and gender, on equal basis in about two weeks time.

Preamble

Perhaps no institution in Islam has brought so much harmony to human societies as Zakah. Its divine decree and revelation to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the 5th year of Hijrah was a social revolution coming to mankind with an ecstasy of delight. That decree was the Fatwah that ushered Zakah into the world and made it the third pillar of Islam.

Hitherto, there was no organized,  obligatory system of redistribution of wealth for the purpose of alleviating poverty in any society.

Genesis of Zakah

Although the Prophet had introduced Sadaqah (voluntary charity) as a pecuniary bridge among the Muslim social strata while in Makkah, this was only according to the whims of the financially privileged Muslims. And, it had neither a specific time nor a specific measure with which Zakatul ‘Ayn is characterized.

While in Makkah, the Prophet was limited to only two pillars of Islam. These were ‘Iman’ (Faith) and Salat (observance of five daily prayers).

The three other fundamental pillars of Islam came to him through divine revelations in Madinah. Of the three, fasting in the month of Ramadan was the first to come in the third year of Hijrah.

It was followed by Zakah which came in the fifth year of Hijrah. These two pillars were finally anchored by Hajj in the 7th year of Hijrah. However, Zakah is our immediate concern here.

Essence of Zakah

Zakah is not about redistribution of wealth between the rich and the poor alone. It is much more about social interaction of individuals and groups in any Muslim society for the purpose of boosting tolerance, security, peace and harmony.

With the coming of Zakah as the third obligatory pillar of Islam, the mutual suspicion between the rich and the poor in Madinah was reduced to its barest minimum and the instrumentality of governance was formidably strengthened.

Zakah is the only pillar of Islam that affects other people’s lives through the giving hands of the rich and the receiving hands of the poor. Other pillars of Islam such as Iman (Faith), Salat (Worship), Sawm (fasting) and Hajj (Pilgrimage) are all personal to whoever observes them.

They cannot be shared with any other person. It is only Zakah that requires the giver and the recipient to interact heartedly to the benefit of the latter.

Controversy over Nisab

The main problem of Zakah,  particularly in Nigeria, today, is in the controversy over the interpretation of Nisab (i.e. the minimum taxable amount from which Zakah is supposed to be paid) as prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Some modern scholars have become so lazy and perhaps so intellectually retarded that they only rely on research carried out by certain primordial scholars some centuries ago, as their only sources information. Such modern scholars believe that the research carried out according to the situation of those primordial periods should suffice in projecting Islam to eternity.

They have forgotten that Islam is a dynamic and not a dogmatic religion. Thus in matters of Zakah, such scholars are so rigid on using gold as the measure for determining Nisab that they do not even care if Zakah is no longer paid and the five pillars of Islam are technically reduced to four.

They  have ignored the fact that the same Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who prescribed gold as a measure of Nisab for sellers and buyers of gold was the one who also prescribed silver (as a measure of Nisab for dealers in silver.

That same Prophet even went further to prescribe the specific amount of money that can be termed as Nisab in certain currencies available during his time. He said, as reported by Ali Bn Abi Talib, that if you have 200 Dirham or 20 Dinar you are liable to payment of Zakah.

This means that if you are in possession of a net income that amounts to 200 Dirham or 20 Dinar, payment of Zakah becomes incumbent upon you.

How the Jews determine   Nisab

Since payment of Zakah is not about money alone, subjecting the Nisab of Zakah to the market price of gold is like surrendering a whole pillar of Islam to the whim of the Jewish gold dealers who invariably determine the price of that commodity to the detriment of Zakah as a pillar of Islam.

It is generally known throughout the world that, perennially,  the principal traders in gold are the Jews. And they are the ones determining its price from time to time.

While some scholars insist on waiting for the current price of gold to be able to determine Nisab of Zakah only a few people know that as of today it requires just a minimum of about 200 UAE Dirham (according to the Prophet’s prescription) which is an equivalence of $54 or N21,235.50 as the net amount of money from which Zakah is to be paid in a year and not the N1.74 million currently being touted as Nisab.

And only two and a half per cent of this amount which is now N530.89 kobo (according to the current rate of exchange) is payable from it.

The figure here is based on 200 UAE Dirham in accordance with the Prophet’s prescription. By this, only Nigerian Muslims who have less than N21,235.50 kobo as minimum net income in a year will not pay Zakah. Yet Nigerian Muslims prefer to spend thousands of dollars on Hajj every year without ever paying Zakah.

Due Process

In Islam, everything is done by due process according to the rule of law. And Zakah cannot be of any exception. The due process of paying Zakah includes the following:

• Being a genuine Muslim
• Attainment of the age of maturity
• Intention to pay Zakah and not Sadaqah;
• Timeliness (the amount must have remained in custody directly or indirectly for one year);
• Payer of Zakah must not be indebted at the time of payment of Zakah;
• Correct amount (i.e. to be paid as Zakah according to the current Nisab);
• Ensuring that the paid Zakah reaches the intended recipients;

Explanation

The wealth on which Zakah must be paid are basically seven. These include: gold and silver (for people who are trading in those two commodities); cash income generated legitimately from various economic activities including intellectual wealth; agricultural products; livestock; property and mineral resources.

Every male or female Muslim adult who has a net income of at least N21,235.50 which is an equivalence of 200 UAE Dirham prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as reported by Ali Bn Abi Talib, (the third Caliph) should pay Zakah.

The Prophet was quoted as saying that if you have a net income of 200 Dirham or 20 Dinar you are liable to the payment of Zakah. This fact can be found in the Zakah section of a popular traditional jurisprudence book (Fiqhus- Sunnah) entitled Bulughul Marami.

The fact that the Prophet mentioned Dirham which was then coined in silver before Dinar that was coined in gold confirms his preference for silver over gold as a measure of Nisab.

And based on the above quoted Hadith reported by Ali Bn Abi Talib, Umar Bn Khattab also laid emphasis on silver during his caliphate and that provided opportunity for most working Muslims to meet the requirements of the third pillar of Islam by paying Zakah conveniently.

Both Dirham and Dinar are still very much in use today in some Arab countries. For instance in countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Syria and Morocco, the currency in use is Dirham while countries such as Jordan, Iraq, Libya and Kuwait still use Dinar as their currencies.

Nigerian Factor

Most of the prescriptions of Nisab by today’s Nigeria’s Islamic scholars are based on the current global market value of gold as determined by the Jewish gold traders. This is contradictory to the position of the second Caliph (Umar Bn Khattab) who officially adopted 200 silver-based Dirham prescribed by the Prophet to enable majority of the citizenry pay Zakah even as he did not prevent those who preferred gold as Nisab measure from using it.

Personal Comment

Insisting on gold as a universal measure of Nisab in today’s world is nothing but a dogmatic ambush for Zakah as well as a clandestine collaboration with some enemies of Islam to ditch the third pillar of that divine religion.

The Prophet had guarded against this by considering the implications of not paying Zakah before he prescribed Dirham and Dinar. Now, going by the current market price of gold, which has put Nisab at about N1.7 million, more than 98% of eligible Nigerian Muslims may not be able to pay Zakah as expected of them.

And this has been the case for many years thereby clipping the financial wings of Islam and rendering millions of potential Zakah payers redundant spiritually.

The implication of this is that most Nigerian Muslims will never be able to pay Zakah throughout their lifetime. Yet, some Nigerian scholars insist on Nisab based on gold price not minding the plight of those who will  technically be excluded from payment of Zakah as well as millions of poor people who will lose the benefit of Zakah recipience.

Using Dirham for Nisab?

This column (The Message) chose the UAE Dirham as a measure of Nisab for Nigerian Muslims because of their familiarity with that currency which the Prophet first mentioned in his instruction to Ali Bn Abi Talib as reported above.

Many Nigerian Muslims who are quqlified to pay Zakah  either do travel to Dubai for business transactions or pass through that city which is globally acknowledged as an international transit on their ways to some countries in Asia or Australia.

By that, they have become familiar with the UAE currency called Dirham which the Prophet recommended as a matter of priority. The argument that the Dirham of the Prophet’s time was different from today’s Dirham as being advanced by some so-called scholars is as pedestrian as saying that since the Prophet did not mention Naira as a measure of Nisab, Zakah should not be paid in Naira.

Can anybody prove that the available gold or silver during the Prophet’s time was different from that of today? After all, the price of gold is mostly announced in US Dollars. Does that make Dollar legitimate Prophetically as far as Zakah is concerned? Just as gold is gold, whether during the Prophet’s time or today, so does Dirham or Dinar remain the same today.

Payable

Amount

What is statutorily payable from N21,235.50 is N530.89 kobo (which amounts to 21/2% or 1/40) of that amount. This amount may change slightly from time to time depending on the rate of exchange in the international currency market.

Today, the Dirham used in the United Arab Emirates is globally recognised as denominated in silver just as the Dinar used in Jordan or Iraq or Kuwait is recognised as denominated in gold. It is therefore grossly erroneous to impose the price of gold as determined by the Jews on Nigerian Muslims as the only yardstick for measuring Nisab.

Zakah of Property

With regards to landed property, no Zakah is paid on a residential building that is not commercialized fully or partly. If however, a part of it is commercialized and made a source of income (i.e. a part of it is let out) Zakah should be paid on the amount realized from any income generated from the commercialized part.

If an open land is rented out commercially, Zakah should be paid on the amount realized from it provided the net amount there from reaches the prescribed Nisab of N21,235.50 per annum. But if the property is completely sold out the payable sum on it should be 21/2% or 1/40 of the amount realized from its sale.

Other properties on which Zakah should be paid include machinery leased out which generates income or a plot of land leased out on commercial basis or a well of water used for commercial purpose.

Whatever is realized from any of these should be assessed according to the prescribed measure and   21/2% or 1/40  of its net balance should be paid as Zakah after deducting all expenses incurred on its process as well as payment of any debt.

Agricultural Products

As for the agricultural products, the prescribed minimum quantity from which Zakah should be paid is 653 kilograms. Such products include cash crops, legumes, fruits as well as tuber. There is no payment of Zakah on anything less than that weight.

And the measure to be paid on agricultural products generally is 10% if the farm is not irrigated. But if irrigation is involved, only 5% is to be paid.

This is to enable the farmer to cater for the cost of irrigation. The Zakah on farm products is paid immediately after harvesting, ie: there is no waiting for one year as in the case of money or property. Payment of Zakah on agricultural products, especially crops, may be more than once in a year because it is a matter of pay as you harvest.

Livestock

In the case of livestock, the quantities from which Zakah should be paid vary from animal to animal. For instance, one cow is given as Zakah out of every 30 adult cows. One goat or one sheep is given as Zakah out of every 40. One year old goat or sheep is given as Zakah on every five camels.

The minimum taxable Nisab on gold is 20 Dinar as recommended by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Out of this, half of one Dinar, which amounts to 1/40 of 20 Dinar is payable.

Anything in excess of 20 Dinar is calculated accordingly. Besides gold and silver, there is no Zakah on mines until they have been converted into cash or cash-able values. Zakat may also be paid on expected payment of debt if the debtor is reliable and trustworthy.

Beneficiaries of Zakah

The statutory beneficiaries of Zakah are contained in Chapter 9 verse 60 of the Qur’an as follows:

“Verily, Sadaqah (obligatory alms) are only for the poor and the needy and those who work on its collection and those whose hearts are to be reconciled (i.e. new converts) and to free those in bondage (debtors and prisoners) as well in the path of God (projects like building of Mosques, orphanages etc) and the wayfarers; a duty imposed by God; God is all-knowing, all seeing”.

Administration

The administration of Zakah to these people should be done by the State authorities in Islamic societies or a committee headed by Muftis of each locality with Islamic scholars as members.

It is better to disburse Zakah within the extended family or in the neighbourhood than to carry it outside one’s environment to the exclusion of neighbours.

In countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia,  Iran and the likes, the time for paying Zakah is mostly set to coincide with Ramadan period. This does not however mean that every Zakah time must fall in Ramadan.

Business of Zakah

Generally, the business of Zakah is as serious with Allah as it is in the lives of the poor masses that will benefit from it. Thus, it is not a topic to be fully treated in a single day column of this type. It may therefore be addressed from another angle in this column in the near future.

Femi Abbas

Whether in Ramadan or outside it, Mosque in Islam has both temporal and spiritual functions, none of which can be taken for granted. The word Mosque is the corrupt English pronunciation of ‘MASJID’ as derived from the Egyptian dialect (‘Masgid’) which means a place of prostration.

Mosque is not just a building in which Muslims worship. It is rather any pure place where observance of Salat can be done as an act of worship. As a place of congregation, Mosque serves many legitimate purposes each of which has a fundamental significance. For instance the very first Mosque established by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Quba, Madinah was a multipurpose one. That Mosque did not serve as a place of worship alone. It also served as a school, a library, a clinic, a court of justice and even a parliament for the Muslim community. And, ever since its establishment as a centre of congregational worship, Mosque has continued to serve all those purposes throughout the Islamic world.

That was why the very first University ever established in the world, the University of Cordoba in Spain, started as a Mosque. And, it will be recalled that even the three oldest Universities in the world today: Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco and Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia, all started as Mosques.

Using the above yardstick to judge what the Mosque is in our societies today as against what it ought to be, therefore, one can sincerely conclude that our Mosques in Nigeria are grossly underutilized.

Hardly can we find in our society today, a Mosque that is used as a court of justice, a library, a madrasah, a parliament and a hospital. Whereas Islam is a dynamic religion and the Mosque is supposed to be a symbol of that dynamism, this is rarely considered when it comes to establishing Mosques in our society.

Today, we need Mosques at different echelons of our our societies, not just for Salat and thorough Islamic education but also for sound vocational training and good orientation for our youths, women and children. In fact, we need Mosques to backup Muslims’ proper home training and empower the trainees as a way of reforming our society.

That is why we must provide, in every Mosque, those amenities mentioned above if only to give our children the best education they deserve, in our own little way of making our society a worthy place to live in.

In our Mosques, we need tutorial classes for our Imams, our callers to prayers (Muadhdhins) as much as we need   good libraries for reading and research centres for our children.

For Islam to continue to play its dynamic role as originally designed, enabling environments must be ventilated for the training of those children spiritually and temporally. Such provisions are the necessary attractors of our youths to our Mosques without forcing them. Ramadan Karim!

 Femi Abbas

Indebtedness in Islam is not just about monetary or any other material loan. It can also be spiritual, or moral. Each of these is considered a problem for which Islam proffers a solution.

In the spiritual realm, a Muslim may become a debtor when he skips certain daily prayers (Salat). And, until he observes such prayers, no matter how late, he remains a spiritual debtor.

He may also become a debtor when he misses some days of fasting in Ramadan for whatever reason or when he fails to pay Zakah at the appropriate time.

Also, his refusal to perform Hajj when he is capable of doing so may amount to indebtedness. In each of these cases, the only rectification which amounts to payment of debt is to atone for the omission.

Such rectification can be made by the debtor himself or by someone else (in the case of Zakah and hajj). As for Salat the rule is different.

No other person can help to pay any debt incurred by you if you deliberately failed to observe Salat at its right time.

The payment must be done by the very person who incurred the debt. It must be remembered that there ca be no excuse for missing Salat consistently.

In the case of fasting, there is a temporary indebtedness and there is a permanent one. An example of a temporary indebtedness is that of a menstruating woman or a wayfarer or a sick person.

Each of them is to rectify the omission by himself/herself when Ramadan is over and the situation becomes normal.

But a person who is unable to fast due to old age or permanent ailment is not expected to fast after Ramadan.

What he has to do is feeding one indigent person each day of Ramadan for 30 or 29 days as the case may be. That is permanent indebtedness.

Other areas of indebtedness in Islam include Zakah and Hajj. Zakah can be paid on behalf of the estate owner either by his offspring or the beneficiaries of his legacy.

This can happen posthumously or if the principal turns infamy. Hajj, on the other hand, can only be performed by proxy if disability prevents the person concerned from going through its rigour or he is unable to perform that function till his death.

Any good Muslim from among his children, relatives or friends can do it on his behalf. Please continue tomorrow. Ramadan Karim!

Femi Abbas

As stated in this column yesterday, the intention of rectifying material indebtedness by proxy must be in the name of the debtor and the source of funding must be pure.

As for moral indebtedness, it may come in form of promise or reciprocation of good deed. In Islam, promise, especially a voluntary one is a debt, which must be paid. For instance, a deferred dowry in marriage is a debt that must be paid no matter how long it takes. Ditto the case of an orphan’s property under one’s custody which is promised to be returned. Both must be paid as at when due based on fear of Allah. There are many other forms of promises.

All these types of debts are between man and Allah. They need no witnesses except where evidence is required. The one which requires witnesses is contained in chapter 2:282 of the Qur’an. It is about money and other material matters. This verse (the longest in the Qur’an) deals extensively with the issue of indebtedness and emphasizes the documentation of such a debt between the creditor and the debtor in the presence of witnesses who must append their signature or thumb printing to the document. It does not matter whether the debt in question is between a husband and his wife or between a mother and her daughter. The intention is to create a peaceful co-existence, within the Muslim community, which no debt should interrupt. It is better not to make promise than to change one’s mind after making a promise without explaining to the person to whom promise is made.

Another form of debt is the boycott of sexual intercourse either by the husband or wife for an untenable reason. From the day a marriage is consummated a knot of legitimate sexual indebtedness has been tied. And except for a very cogent reason which must be understandable to both parties, no one of them should boycott intercourse deliberately. Ramadan fasting, therefore, or any religious activities in the sacred month should not be used as an excuse for refraining from intercourse without getting the consent of the other party. Whoever does that has deviated from the fulfilment of a major promise. And, that, in itself, is a major debt which must be paid. Ramadan Karim!

Femi Abbas

As stated in this column yesterday, the intention of rectifying material indebtedness by proxy must be in the name of the debtor and the source of funding must be pure.

As for moral indebtedness, it may come in form of promise or reciprocation of good deed. In Islam, promise, especially a voluntary one is a debt, which must be paid.

For instance, a deferred dowry in marriage is a debt that must be paid no matter how long it takes. Ditto the case of an orphan’s property under one’s custody which is promised to be returned. Both must be paid as at when due based on fear of Allah. There are many other forms of promises.

All these types of debts are between man and Allah. They need no witnesses except where evidence is required. The one which requires witnesses is contained in chapter 2:282 of the Qur’an. It is about money and other material matters.

This verse (the longest in the Qur’an) deals extensively with the issue of indebtedness and emphasizes the documentation of such a debt between the creditor and the debtor in the presence of witnesses who must append their signature or thumb printing to the document.

It does not matter whether the debt in question is between a husband and his wife or between a mother and her daughter.

Read Also: Indebtedness

The intention is to create a peaceful co-existence, within the Muslim community, which no debt should interrupt. It is better not to make promise than to change one’s mind after making a promise without explaining to the person to whom promise is made.

Another form of debt is the boycott of sexual intercourse either by the husband or wife for an untenable reason. From the day a marriage is consummated a knot of legitimate sexual indebtedness has been tied.

And except for a very cogent reason which must be understandable to both parties, no one of them should boycott intercourse deliberately.

Ramadan fasting, therefore, or any religious activities in the sacred month should not be used as an excuse for refraining from intercourse without getting the consent of the other party.

Whoever does that has deviated from the fulfilment of a major promise. And, that, in itself, is a major debt which must be paid. Ramadan Karim!

Femi Abbas

Nights are naturally pregnant. They give birth to wonders in the days. In human life, the essence of night is not just to sleep and rest. It is also to plan how the next day is to be meaningfully spent. Thus, the great things that men do in the days are conceived in the nights.

This is confirmed by the Almighty Allah in Qur’an 97:3 thus: “The Night of power is better (and more prosperous) than one thousand months.” That revered Night of power, commonly known to Muslims as Laylatul-Qadr, is the mother of all nights.

It is the night in which the secret of human destiny is concealed. It is the night that combines all three divine features of Ramadan: blessings, forgiveness and emancipation of the faithful from the claw of Satan. It is the night in which Allah’s favour is granted to His obedient servants.

If only a single night (Laylatul-Qadr) is more prosperous, for Muslims, than 1000 months according to the Qur’an, then meeting that one night once in a life’s time is enough for a true believer to gain entry into Al-Jannah. And, by analogy, it means that the average life span of modern man as determined by Allah is 83 years and four months. That is what 1000 months amount to in calculation of years.

The particular night that is called Laylatul-Qadr in the month of Ramadan is not specified. This is to enable the faithful ones make efforts in seeking the favour of Allah, by searching for it.

When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was asked about Laylatul-Qadr, all he could say was that Muslims should search for it among the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. Those are the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th of the month.

But since no one is really sure of which of those nights actually makes Laylatul Qadr the best way out is to wake up in all the last ten nights. Each night is spent by observing Nawafil (superogatory Salat), recitation of the Qur’an and the chanting of Allah’s glorification: Tasbih, Tahmid, Istighfar, Tahlil and Salat ala-n- Nabiyyi.

According to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), in the night of power, thousands of Angels are dispatched into our own world (the earth) to say Amin to the prayers being offered by sincere Muslims. Every Muslim should endeavour not to miss it. Ramadan Karim!

Femi Abbas

Preamble

Egypt has never been a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). She was not an oil-producing country until recently. The mainstay of her economy was agriculture which was well facilitated by her River Nile endowment.

This North African Arab country was in economic mess in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her war with Israel had reduced her to a virtual beggar nation. Not only did her macro economy plummet, her micro economy also dwindled to the lowest ebb. No job for the rising army of highly skillful people and no income for the majority of the citizenry. Thus, the country looked like a famine- stricken one. The best residential houses were rented out to foreigners. And most vehicles on Cairo and Alexandra roads were terribly rickety.

It took an ingenuous management by President Gamal Abdul Nasir and later President Anwar Sadat to device a means of bailing out the country from what could have amounted to self-genocide. With the meagre amount of money accruing to the nation from agriculture and manpower export at that time, the government was able to set up a food distribution centre in each ward where every family in the ward was registered.

All varieties of foods, including meat, milk and eggs, were supplied to each family every week. And no family got less than what could suffice for one full week. The cost of those highly subsidized food were deducted from the salaries of those working while others were supplied free foods for survival. And to ensure that only the citizens benefited from the wonderful largess, the use of national identity card to qualify for supply was made compulsory.

Security and patriotism

This Islamic welfare business strategy did not only create a high sense of security in the citizenry it also spurred them to become die-hard patriots. With that strategy, Egypt was able to weather the economic storm of that time even as the war with Israel continued.

What could have been a major problem for the ordinary Egyptians at that time was the education of their children. But President’s Nasir’s government had taken care of that since inception.

Fundamental Policy

A fundamental policy of the Egyptian government introduced by President Nasir was free education at all levels. That policy which Chief Obafemi Awolowo copied for primary education in western Nigeria had put Egypt far ahead of all African and Arab countries. The policy became profitable for Egyptian government when the going became rough.

Manpower Export

The country began to supply all other Arab countries their needed man power such as teachers, doctors, accountants, pharmacists, engineers, nurses, and administrators. These experts were officially deployed to those other Arab countries on three years renewable contract. And each deployed expert was made to remit about 35 per cent of his/her income to the government of Egypt monthly. Such remittances were not difficult to make since those expert were well paid. The remittances were made directly by the employers who deducted the agreed amount from the salaries of their employees. Thus, in those days, manpower generated from planned education was more profitable than today’s oil wells. Yet, countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates and others that benefited from the programme found the arrangements convenient because they did not need to employ interpreters separately as would have been the case if they had employed Americans, French, Germans and Italians for the same purpose. At least, based on tribal affinity, their languages and culture were almost the same.

Social welfare

With the provision of social welfare for the people, Egyptian government of the 1970s, led by  Presidents Jamal Abdul Nasir and later, Anwar Sadat, was able to solve the problem of the three necessities of life: food, shelter and clothing. Not only that, the government was also very much aware that an idle hand was the devil’s workshop. It therefore provided soft loans for many university graduates to embark on small scale businesses that could boost the nation’s economy at the micro level.

With this, it became possible for most of those fresh graduates to be self employed while aiming high to mount the economic ladder of life to the very top. Today, some of those businesses have grown into gigantic industries exporting their products to many countries, including Nigeria.

If Egypt is not one of Africa’s poor countries today, it is because her government managed that nation’s economy to the benefit of her ordinary citizens, despite several decades of war with Israel. Compared to the industrialised nations, Egypt may not be called a rich country now, but her preparation for the future seems to be assuring her of a frontline economic position in the near future. Her unsurpassable investment on manpower through education is a confirmation of that.

Industrialization

What obtains in Egypt equally obtains in most other Arab countries, especially those of the gulf. For instance, Saudi Arabia has always known that oil would not flow forever in her wells. Thus as far back as the late 1970s, that country had diversified her economy by establishing two industrial cities of Yambu’ and Jubail commissioned in 1982, a project which the United states described as the most ambitious ever in the industrial history of mankind.

Much more have since been put in place for the benefit of the future generations. And, travellers who have visited countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Libya, Yunisia, Morroco, and Algeria will confirm that the future of global wealth will definitely find its seat in the Middle East courtesy of the above mentioned countries. But the greatest assets of those countries are manpower which their free education programme is providing from primary schools through the University with impeccable foresight.

Other Examples

Despite her limited natural resources, Japan has shown that no material wealth can equal education. And, the Arabs had learnt that lesson after centuries of derivation from what used to be the greatest Islamic heritage bequeathed to mankind.

With the recent bulk-passing between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on remittance of the crude oil money and the ceaseless rampancy of oil theft at the highest government level can Nigeria ever learn any lesson from the above narration? Economic growth is neither by dreaming nor by empty promises.

Shameless deception

Long before now, a promise of economic leap was made in respect of year 2000. That year came to pass without any fulfillment. Then another promise was made in respect of year 2010. The year also came to pass without any fulfillment. Following that was the promise of year 2020 which has also come in our own life time with a gloomy irony. And the irony  is an emphatic despair. Haba! Is that not a shame on the so-called rulers in Nigeria? Has it not become evident that the speedy economic train of the modern time waits for no crawling nation like Nigeria?

Blind trust

Long before the Western world knew anything called “blind trust” at all, Islam had educated the Muslims in details on that subject. The great religion had foreseen the possibility of manipulating this term to the advantage of the exploiters in certain societies and, had thus, forbidden it.

In Islamic jurisprudence, “blind trust” simply means the transaction of business illegally between a seller and a buyer to the detriment of either of them. In this case, the buyer or seller may be an individual or a group. “Blind trust” is like a coin with two sides. In it, either the seller or the buyer can cheat. An example is a situation where a product is sold in wrapped cover without allowing the buyer to examine what he wants to buy before paying. This may occur in any sector of the economy. In agriculture for instance, it is forbidden to sell tubers like yam and cassava without uprooting them for examination by the buyer. Such a business is often done on a mere assumption, thereby putting either the seller or the buyer at a great risk and disadvantage.

Blind trust may also occur in an ordinary market of quantity grains like rice, beans, millet, bally salt, cocoa or groundnuts where and when the instrument of measure is manipulated with the intention of reducing the quantity of its contents while receiving the payment in full. Also, selling wrapped dresses or textile materials without indicating their qualities, sizes, yardage or fault may amount to “blind trust”. Even, those who engage in the sale of electronics without allowing the buyers to test the products before paying are trading in “blind trust”, which is illegal in Islam. In a nutshell, any business that entails some elements of doubt and does not allow for transparency is “blind trust” prohibited in Islam. And, anybody who is engaged in such a business is deemed to be a criminal.

In Retrospect

It must be remembered that the people of Madyan whose Prophet was Shuayb, faced the wrath of Allah and became perished because of trading in “blind trust”.

In modern times, the term “blind trust” has been given a new connotation through a new operation. Not only has the chain of businesses deliberately bcome elongated to allow for more middlemen’s operation  to create unnecessary inflation, the sale and purchase of public shares on behalf of some people without the knowledge of those people is also being treated as a legitimate norm in capitalism in Nigeria.

This is a concept now being arrogantly flaunted in our own country with a view to enable some exploiter have their cake after eating it. “Blind trust” as introduced by Obasanjo regime and as operated in Nigeria today is not only a rape of the constitutional provision which demands for the declaration of assets on assumption of public office and exit from that office, it also prohibits conflict of sane interests. Thus, such is an audacious way of telling the public that only ‘might is right’. Whoever wants to demand for equity must come up with clean hands. In Islam, there is no connotation for blind trust other than public theft. And whoever uses the rein of power to escape human justice on this fundamental injunction will surely face the call of Allah’s justice sooner or later.

Epilogue

Now, with the current prevailing global calamity called COVID-19, it may not be too late for Nigeria to change her economic gear by rectifying the political strategy of governance e if for the sake of posterity. It is impossible to get any different result from persistent repetition of a method. God save Nigeria.