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The Almajiri Palaver in Northern Nigeria: How Islamic? Dr

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The Almajiri Palaver in Northern Nigeria: How Islamic? Dr DOI: 10.21276/sjhss Saudi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences ISSN 2415-6256 (Print) Scholars Middle East Publishers ISSN 2415-6248 (Online) Dubai, United Arab Emirates Website: http://scholarsmepub.com/ The Almajiri Palaver in Northern Nigeria: How Islamic? Dr. Yakubu Tahir Maigari Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Management and Social Science, Federal University Kashere, Nigeria *Corresponding Author: Dr. Yakubu Tahir Maigari Email: [email protected] Abstract: The word “Almajiri” is a Hausa language is derived from Arabic “Al-Muhajir” Any one of the early Muslims who had migrated from any place to Madinah during the life time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), before the conquest of Mecca, and also the one who refrains from all things forbidden by Allah. Muhajirun the plural form of the word means: the emigrants. A term used for all those who migrated with their Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Makkah to Madinah. Both words i.e. the singular and the plural were driven from the word “Hajarah” which means to flee one‟s country, to migrate, to emigrate. In Quran: He who flees his country in the path of Allah‟s religion (Q4:100). Keywords: Al-Muhajir, Hajarah, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) INTRODUCTION system themselves. However, officially the system was Seeking for knowledge is among the core allowed to wither away as the colonial power had values in a Muslim‟s life and this is why Quran wished and wanted. But what happens after they had emphasizes that no similitude can be drawn between the left? Before they had left they had already groomed possessor of knowledge and one who is dispossessed of those who would replace them and continue to do knowledge, and that those who have knowledge are the exactly what they have been trained to do, which was true lovers of the Almighty. Every society have a way marginalizing and disregarding the Quranic School of living and its culture forms a significant part of this system. This is the major and the most fundamental way of living. Northern region of Nigeria which is a predicament of the Quranic School. In actual fact the home to numerous social and political entities have an colonial powers had done exactly what the parents of established culture since time immemorial. This culture the present almajiri boys are now doing. But the Boss is was predominantly Islamic in nature. Northern Nigeria always right, they say. So the end result of the type of was in the advent of contemporary world never care that the Quranic School has received from the considered as a primitive society. It had all the features Colonialist and their stooges over the years is what is and potentialities of a civilized community. Actually being portrayed now in the most disdainful manner by this was why when the Colonialist came they opted to certain elites who claim that the almajiri system administer it through what they call indirect rule, which education is responsible for all the atrocities committed means that they rule the rulers and the rulers continue by youngsters. The western oriented mind is thereby ruling their subjects on their behalf. They met a well- presented with the most gruesome picture of a system structured educational system that starts from the that is so barbaric as to allow its little children who are kindergarten stage up to the university level. At the in dire need of support and help to turn in to vagabonds. onset of the Colonial hegemony the system only needed The question is, is this really what Islam stand for? support in order to develop so that it would grapple with Every aspect of the teachings of Islam is as glaring as modernity. Colonial administration deliberately turn its the brightness of the Sun. So Quran ought to be back to this system because it dreaded any form of consulted to find out what it says with regard to the civilization to exist with it side by side. care, discipline and education of the little ones. It is in this background that the traditional CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK system of learning collapse into a state of coma on Actually the word al-Muhajir is derived from which it never really recovered. Since the usurping the root word “Al-Hijrah” according to Muhammad authority never intended to sustain it, it actually allowed Hassan al-Daddu al-Shanqiti it to remain in that condition. All the educational laws (ar.islamway.net/fatwa/13686 [Tariq al-Islam were promulgated in utter disregard to the system. So islamway.net 7-01-2017 12; 30 P.M) when answering the people who like any other sovereign entity and the following question, what is al-Hijrah and when is it being proud of their own continued to support the 396 Yakubu Tahir Maigari.; Saudi J. Humanities Soc. Sci.; Vol-2, Iss-5(May, 2017):396-404 incumbent on a Muslim to undertake it? He answered thus: Hijrah can be classified in to four. The immediate occasion for this passage was 1. The Hijrah (i.e. migration) in other words the question of migration (hijrah) from places where abstinence of a person from what Allah has Islam was being persecuted and suppressed. Obviously forbidden. This type of Hijrah is incumbent upon the duty of Muslims was to leave such places, even if it every Muslim. To this end a sound report of both involved forsaking their homes, and join and strengthen Bukhari and Muslim states: A Muslim is he in the Muslim community among whom they could live in whom people remain secure from his utterances peace and with whom they could help in fighting the and actions, and a Muhajir (migrant) is who abstain evils around them. But the meaning is wider. Islam does from what Allah has forbidden” So this Hijrah is not say: "Resist not evil." On the contrary it requires a obligatory. constant, unceasing struggle against evil. For such 2. The Hijrah from the abode of unbelief to the abode struggle it may be necessary to forsake home and unite of belief which is related to the migration done by and organise and join our brethren in assaulting and Prophet Muhammad when he migrated from overthrowing the fortress of evil. For the Muslim's duty Makkah to Madinah. This type of migration was is not only to enjoin good but to prohibit evil. To make incumbent at the early epoch of Islam. The Prophet our assault we must be prepared to put ourselves in a was commanded to migrate so it became a religious position from which such assault would be possible, duty on all the Muslim contemporaries of the and Allah's earth is spacious enough for the purpose. Prophet. However, later the Prophet (PBUH) was "Position" includes not only local position, but moral reported to have said there is no more Hijrah after and material position. For example, we must shun evil today accept jihad (striving) and good intention, so company where we cannot put it down, but organize a when you are commanded to set forth, you must do position from which we can put it down. so immediately. (Nasa‟i No. 7792) 3. Allah al-Mighty has informed the reason for their Going by the above definitions it can safely be migration thus: For the poor emigrants who were admitted that the word Al-Muhajir has a narrower expelled from their homes and their properties, connotation in the strictest Islamic sense and thus it seeking bounty from Allah and approval and cannot be used to mean anything other than migration supporting (the cause of) Allah and His messenger from one place to place, although attempt has often those are the truthful. Q59:8 being made to give this word al-majiri an Islamic 4. The Hijrah of a place where iniquities are being outlook as for example Good luck & Juliana expresses committed and when apparently nothing could be this view in this words: done to stop it. 5. The Hijrah of a sinner when he sins. Allah al- However, the name Muhajirun later came to mighty has commanded thus: refer to those knowledge seekers who move from one place to another in search of When you see men engaged in vain discourse knowledge like the Quranic school teacher and about Our signs, turn away from them unless his pupils. In a Hadith (sayings) of the prophet they turn to a different theme. If Satan ever in the collection Al-Tirmidhi (1980), the makes you forget, then after recollection, sit Prophet is quoted to have said “the search for not in the company of those who do wrong. knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim”. Q6:68 The Hadith did not discriminate against age or status. In another Hadith collection by Wali‟al- Already has He sent you Word in the Book, din (1977) (Mishkat al-masabih) the prophet that when you hear the signs of Allah held in said: “go in search of knowledge even to defiance and ridicule, you are not to sit with china”. them unless they turn to a different theme: if you did, you would be like them. For Allah In the above quotation there is apparently will collect the hypocrites and those who defy nothing that relates the term Muhajirun with the Hausa faith - all in Hell Q4:140 version almajiri in the two reports attributed to the Prophet (PBUH). Firstly obligation for the seeking When angels take the souls of those who die in knowledge has nothing to do with migration or sin against their souls, they say: "In what almajiranci likewise going to China in order to seek (plight) were you?" They reply: "Weak and knowledge does not signify anything as far as the oppressed were we in the earth." They say: Nigerian conception of the whole subject matter is "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough concerned.
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