‘The real message of Hijrah is to abandon rotten lifestyle for virtuous living’

The Mudir (director) of the Arabic Institute of Nigeria, Madinah, Elekuro, Ibadan, Sheikh Abdul Wahab Bayo Ahmad, speaks with SAHEED SALAWU on the virtues of Hijrah, as well as other issues.

 What is the significance of Hijrah, the migration of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Madinah?

The Hijrah of Prophet Muhammad teaches us lots of lessons. It impresses on us, the need to see Allah as our sufficient Pillar of support throughout the course our lives. When problems come, we call unto Him, because He is the only One with the solutions. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions were persecuted by the unbelievers of Makkah for introducing Islam and asking them to quit idol worship. But the Prophet and his followers persevered until Allah instructed them to leave that city for Madinah, where they would be able to spread the message of Islam. So, the first lesson is that when you trust in God, He eases for you, your affairs.

The second virtue of Hijrah is that it served as the means by which the world experienced a rebirth. The world was in darkness; injustice, hypocrisy were the order of the day. Humankind would have been denied a breakthrough if the unbelievers of Makkah had overcome Prophet Muhammad. But his success has remained the guiding light for Muslims and the rest of the world. Hijrah means a rebirth from the adversity of darkness in which the world was into the light, which Islam represents up to today.

How exactly should the contemporary world and its peoples apply these lessons in order to achieve peace?

This is where Muslims, especially the learned ones among us, come in. They must persistently teach the word of God to the people. Every one of us must realise that the only way to triumph over our problems is to believe in God and do away with sin. What does Hijrah mean? It means leaving one place for another in the face of difficulties. But Hijrah for contemporary human beings should also mean waging war against our destructive inner selves that persuade us to misbehave and engage in evils like adultery, drinking, kidnapping, ritual killing  and other disgusting, reprehensible things that are happening today. We must purge ourselves of all these evils but this will be impossible unless we fear God. To fear God is to realise that our Creator abhors sin and that to Him is our return for judgement for our earthly deeds. Muslims and Christians alike believe in the existence of hell where the souls of the damned will suffer after death for all eternity. We also both believe in the existence of paradise, where good people will be admitted in the hereafter. The Christians call it the glorious home. We call it the blissful home.

Muharram, the first lunar month, is here. What is expected of Muslims in this month and how do they avail themselves of the blessings that are said to abound in it?

Like Ramadan, Muharram is an honourable month, because it is the first of all lunar months. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was reported to have told his companions and followers to be virtuous at all times and be even more so in this month. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was reported to fast so much in the month of Muharram, because fasting is one of the ways of guaranteeing the potency of a prayer. I enjoin us to fast a lot this month to attract God’s benevolence.

How would you advise the faithful that have just performed the obligation of Hajj in Makkah, which is a height of spiritual attainment?

To embark on a journey, any journey for that matter, in a way, is to engage in self-deprivation. Now, those who went to Makkah know how much they deprived themselves of the things they enjoy in their normal, everyday living, the pleasurable activities they engage in. All the days they spent in Makkah, and in Madinah, they had no party to attend, no chance to indulge in any bad habit like chasing after women or drinking. None of them could engage in a fight or bear ill will against anyone or have same borne against them. All the moments they spent in the holy land were in worship. If they could survive in Makkah without all these life’s distractions, they should be able to live out all their days in humility and service to God.

Prophet Muhammad told us that whoever went to Mount Arafat without committing any form of transgression would be cleansed of all his sins and be made as pure and as sinless as when he was a newborn baby. Since they restrained themselves from sins in the holy land, henceforth, back home, they should keep that up. They should put drinking, adultery, backbiting and other sins behind them in order to remain free of life’s contaminants until such a time when they will meet their Lord. To lose the self-restraint is to go back to sin and that is not good for them.

As the director of an Arabic institution, what are the advantages of learning Arabic language?

First, it is imperative to learn Arabic language if a Muslim is to have a good understanding of Islam, because Allah had presented the Qur’an to us in Arabic language, ditto the Hadith of the holy Prophet Muhammad. Now, no matter what language the message of the Qur’an is translated to, the translation cannot be as profound as the original Arabic meaning. Equally important is that fact that Allah says Arabic will be the official language in paradise. So, that should be enough incentive to learnt it even here on earth. It will even serve non-Muslims well to take interest in Arabic language, because then they get to really discern the message of the Qur’an and see the reason why Islam is the only way to salvation. Prophet Muhammad said if someone learns a foreign language, such a language can never be successfully employed to exploit him. Again, a Muslim with adequate knowledge of Arabic language tends to have a good grasp of the principle and practice of Islam.

What is your opinion on the agitation for the restructuring of the country?

All the people on the two sides of the divide on the agitations over restructuring know exactly what they are talking about. What is important here, however, is to fear God as regards where we stand. Those for and against restructuring must fear God. The proponents of restructuring believe that there is lopsidedness in the way the country is structured, so we might say that there is merit in their advocacy, because God Himself abhors injustice. But if they now insist that we must go back to the regional system as practised in the First Republic, what assurances are there that there won’t be imbalance or injustice, if you like, in each of the regions, given the ethnic diversity that still exists within them?