The Octopus Within: Centrifugal Forces Threatening the Ummah

“But people have cut off their affair (of unity) between them into sects. Each party rejoices in that which is with itself” Q23:53

By Abdulfattah Abdussalam

Octopus is one of the numerous creatures of Allah (swt). It is a sea habitat, classified as a molluse with eight slender arms (Allahu Akbar Kabeera). It’s arms are mechanically poisonous, with disastrous consequences for its prey.

Just like the octupus, creeping on the Ummah of our time are three centrifugal forces that, if not nipped in the bud, might put Islam of the next generation in a higgledy-piggledy situation.

Atop these centrifugal forces is dogmatism. Dogmatism has crept into our boat and is rocking it, with potent powers of capsizing the boat. It has affected the brotherhood of Islam as preached by Almighty Allah (swt) in Q21:52.

Today, where is the.oneness of Muslims? Rather, paramount in our minds is the syndrome of groups and societies affiliations; “You either belong to our society or our group, or else I am not inclined to be your brother!

An Hadith says: “A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother, he does not wrong him or abandon him.” Furthermore, the Holy Quran 9:11 categorized Muslims as brothers in faith. But the present trends do not show us as brothers. Are we really brothers in faith? Don’t we categorize ourselves into Southern and Northern Muslims? “Akida” and “non-Akida”, “Main Stream versus extremist”, old versus new generations, Assalatu groups versus study groups, etc?

The proliferation of Islamic organizations is the odious vehicle for the decapitation of Islamic brotherhood. We are not saying they serve no good, but it is a known fact that the Prophet (saw) said, “There shall be seventy-three divisions of Muslims; but only one will enjoy paradise.”

The intensity of dogmatism amongst us leads to stupendous ignorance and offensive idiosyncrasies which is the second frugality that might be our undoing in the future. Ignoramuses now hold sway in some of these groups thus paddling the ship of Islam towards misfortunes. Misfortunes that might spring from their ignorance of what Islam preaches. While the life of a Muslim is governed by Godliness, piety, righteousness, truthfulness, theirs are ruled by the opposite. Yet they feel their approaches to Islam is the best.

The third centrifugal force succinctly puts our object of discourse in true perspective. While the spirit of dogmatism and high level of ignorance sit comfortably in our midst, our state of complacency makes the future of Muslims in Nigeria bleak. We are contented in numbers of groups doting the landscape and we assume Islam is growing whereas we still have many miles to go.

Muslims in Nigeria do not have a single University controlled by Muslims, no serious Islamic Banking nor standard Islamic Hospitals, yet we complain that our women are treated with disdain in conventional hospitals. Our primary and secondary schools are not fitted with modern teaching and learning facilities and they are going tattered by the day. There are no visible Islamic political engineering going on that will put true Muslims in positions of authority in various sectors of Nigerian society. How many Muslims do we have as heads of even conventional Banks? How many are state commissioners or even state governors, ambassadors and ministers, particularly from the South West? Yet, we have over a thousand different cacophonic Islamic groups with hands of octopus that threaten the future of Islam.

We should endeavour to commence a rolling plan that will strengthen the Ummah for the task ahead and rise above mundane things. We must move towards a supra Islamic Nation.

(From Death: the Inevitable)

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