By Bala Ibrahim.
By their calling, clerics are expected to be good ambassadors of the Prophets, through the preaching for peace, love and things that would bring greater unity among the people. Should any cleric choose to go in the reverse, he or she must be ready to be damned, and consequently condemned by God, with the likelihood of suffering eternal punishment in hell, God forbid.
Since last week, when the former chief Imam of Apo Juma’at Mosque in Abuja, Sheikh Nuru Khalid was suspended, pursuant to his slap-happy sermons, the airspace was thrown into a state of confusion, with comments and counter comments coming in chorus.
The commotion became more intense, when Senator Muhammadu Saidu Dansadau, Chairman of the mosque Committee announced that the mosque had finally expelled the Sheikh, for not being remorseful.
While the congregants are saying Khalid cannot lead them in prayers, because he is partisan, and a mosque is a place of worship and not an arena for politics, Khalid is adamant, insisting that, he would rather be carrying load for pay, than to stop telling the truth.
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The intention of this article therefore, is to arrive at the true meaning of the truth, or make the truth be seen in accordance with facts or realities on the ground, and juxtapose it with the preaching of an Imam. That’s the prism, through which I intend to peruse the pulpit, and the practice of people like Imam Khalid, alongside the character of people like Senator Saidu Dansadau.
I used to pray in Imam Nurah Khalid’s mosque, but from his sermons, I long concluded that he is more of a grandstander, than an Imam that can provide Islamic guidance. He picks good topics for his sermons quite alright, but almost always, because of the calibre of people in attendance, mostly high profile politicians of the opposition, he behaves in a way that is meant to attract their attention, or even impress them. Sometimes I even have the suspicion that he may be amongst the beneficiaries of the infamous Dasuki Armsgate scandal.
Such behaviour does not tally with that of a man intending on telling the truth.
To support the argument that Khalid’s behaviour does not tally with that of a man intending on telling the truth, the controversial sermon was condemned even by a fellow controversial cleric, and prominent Buhari critic that is based in kaduna, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, who described it as sentiments overriding in intellect.
This is a suggestion that Imam Khalid is not on the same page with the claimed truth.
To also buttress the lie in the assertion that Khalid was fired because he is critical of President Buhari, many have given names of sheiks and priests, that are critical of the President, including Barrister Aliyu Abdullahi, who described Imam Khalid as the PDP Imam on the pulpit, saying there’s Sheikh Bello Yabo of Sokoto, who is worse in terms of criticism of the President, but no one stopped or sacked him as Imam. He listed the uncommon transformation and support given to the military for the fight against insurhency by Buhari, which Imam Khalid refused to see.
Again this is a suggestion that Imam Khalid is not on the same page with the claimed truth.
As for the character of Senator Saidu Dansadau, the Chairman of the mosque Committee that sacked Imam Nurah, it may interest the reader to know that he is a front line politician that is adjudged with the strong virtue of integrity. Dansadau is a known critic of Buhari, and one that one time rejected a brand new car gift offered to him by then Governor Ahmed Sani Yerima of Zamfara State.
Although a member of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, the then party of Buhari, he declined to return to the Senate in 2007, and together with like minds, formed the National Rescue Movement, NRM, with the intent to rescue Nigeria from misguidance.
So Imam Khalid and Dansadau may be pursuing the same objective of changing the change, but with a difference. While Imam Khalil is doing it from the pulpit, Dansadau is doing it on the platform of a political podium.
So Dansadau is closer to reflective reality, while Khalil can be said to be far way from the claimed truth.
This is not the first sermon of Imam Khalil that generated commotion, there was one particular one last year, where he showed his party affiliation on the pulpit, saying Buhari should return Nigeria to how he met it, impliedly Nigeria under PDP, or Allah will punish him.
I found the response of Cham Faliya Sharon appropriately suitable to the circumstances of the crazy commotion caused by clerics, and without his permission, which I would seek later, I hereby reproduce it:
WHEN ALLAH GRANTED HIM HIS WISH AND HE BECAME ANGRY!
In August last year, Sheik Nuru Khalil said Buhari should return Nigeria to how he met it (PDP Nigeria) or Allah will punish him. But because Allah doesn’t want to punish Buhari, He simply took us a little bit into how Buhari met Nigeria – acute fuel scarcity and the bombing of a train – yet the Sheik and his supporters became angry! Or is he going to tell lies against Allah that Buhari didn’t meet Nigeria with regular bombings and monthly fuel scarcities?
That was the Nigeria Buhari met, and that was exactly what Sheik Nuru Khalil wished for. But when it popped up briefly, he got mad instead of appreciating Allah for granting him his request. Which means he knows that the way Buhari met Nigeria was totally unpalatable. He couldn’t even make sermons criticising anyone in a mosque, and if he doubts me he should remember late Sheik Albany and others who were specifically targeted in their mosques and killed for daring to preach truth to power. That was the Nigeria Buhari met.
Once again, let’s ask Sheik Nuru Khalil whether he truly wants Buhari to return Nigeria to the way he met it. If so, then he may wish to install a whole new set of bomb detectors in his new mosque, because that’s how Buhari met Nigeria. And if not, then he owes us – those of us without short memories – a long apology.
And I add, a long apology for telling lies, which do not tally with the calling of a cleric.
