The institution of Imamship and the Nigerian factor

By Muritala Bidmos

 

SIBGHAH and Fitrah are two words respectively used in the Qur’an to signify the place of Islam in the life of a Muslim. Sibghah, (Q.2: 138) for instance, means dye or colour- in terms of an indelible mark the conscientious practice of Islam brings to bear on the Muslim. There must be a thorough transformation in character and lifestyle that stands out a Muslim. Fitrah (Q. 30: 30), means the natural disposition on which man was created by God. In other words, all the dos and don’ts prescribed for man are natural to and compatible with his make-up. A few examples suffice. It is in the interest of man to be clean all the time as a preventive measure against diseases. This practice of cleanliness known as ablution is made a prerequisite to the obligatory five daily prayers. Body fitness is embedded in the act of Salah, the five daily obligatory prayers. Fasting, either in terms of the obligatory Ramadan fast or the occasional voluntary ones, is therapeutic. If Zakat, Sadaqah and Endowment are judiciously utilised as divinely prescribed, the society is saved from the menace of poverty and terrorism of various descriptions. On the other hand, alcoholic consumption, swine consumption, usury, fornication, etc, are prohibited so that man may enjoy the best of health conditions. Primarily, the Imam continuously explains the two terms of Sibghah and Fitrah to the congregation as a background information to let the Muslim recognise the compatibility of the Islamic tenets to his/her mundane routines.

 

The functions of an Imam

To the congregation, the Imam is a teacher. He repeatedly feeds them with the background information briefly detailed above. His teaching activities extend to different aspects of life. He has a stereotype period of teaching which includes sermon on Fridays, Eidul fitr and Eidul Adha. He also uses lectures at wedding, naming and funeral ceremonies. The Imam is a counselor as he guides his Jama’ah on personal issues which are of grave concern to the affected individuals. He organises pre-wedding counseling for the prospective bride and groom. He conducts Tafsir sessions throughout the month of Ramadan. He must make himself available in the mosque for sundry services to the members of the congregation. He visits the sick and consoles the bereaved. He organises weekend Arabic classes for the children of the congregation.

 

Qualifications and qualities of an Imam

The functions of an Imam as described above crystalise the personality of the prospective occupiers of the post. Obviously, he should have general education as well as professional training. Incidentally, rules and regulations in Islam about any matter are divinely decided as the Qur’an emphatically states: “Nothing have we omitted from the Book” (Q.6: 38). This idea is further reinforced as follows: “We have explained things in various ways in the Qur’an in order that they may receive admonition” (Q.17: 41). This implies that Muslims have been literally spoon-fed about guidelines concerning every aspect of their life. Beginning with the title Imam, it is a designation conferred by Allah on the chosen ones. For example, God said to Prophet Ibrahim (AS): We make you a leader (an Imam) among men (Q.2: 124). Quite evidently, the title Imam is not artificially crafted. And Ibrahim was so designated following a series of tests all of which he passed to be qualified for the coveted position. The same pattern applied to all prophets of Allah who received direct instructions from Allah in form of training and testing in preparation for their duties. And the case of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), of course, was not different. In terms of qualities, the prophets as Imams were of excellent character as attested to by Allah. For example, Ibrahim was described as forbearing, compassionate and ever turning to his Lord (Q.11: 75). Muhammad was described as of excellent character, trustworthy, not talking out of desire (Q.68: 4; 53: 3). In practical terms, the emergence of Abu-Bakr as the Caliph (successor) to the Prophet Muhammad eternally serves as a yardstick for nomination of an Imam. Abu-Bakr’s qualification includes, among others, his age as he was elderly, his knowledge of the Qur’an and Hadith, and on top of it, it was on record that Abu-Bakr was once appointed by the Prophet to deputise in leading congregational prayers. From these tips, it becomes plausible for Muslims in any part of the world to draft a manual for the professional training of an Imam; the manual that can serve as a reference point in terms of Imam’s appointment, monitoring, assessment, promotion, welfare and discipline.

 

The Office of Chief Imam

Aside from regular routines of an average Imam, the Chief Imam has additional supervisory duties towards Ratibi Imams (the imams of the area mosques). He is a guide and a counsellor to the Ratibi Imams who on different occasions refer to him issues they cannot handle in their respective mosques. To that extent, the Chief Imam is like a dictionary and resource person to the Ratibis Imams. Given the enormity of his responsibilities, therefore, it becomes mandatory on the Chief Imam to frequently go for refresher courses at relevant institutions with a view to updating his knowledge, his methodology and general outlook. Of course, the Chief Imam must be versatile in current affairs which he should be able to analyse from the point of view of Islamic tenets. Can the office of the Chief Imam be reduced to a part-time affair? If the community expects efficient delivery, the package attached to the office of the Chief Imam must be commensurate to his qualifications and duties. The package should include robust salary, official accommodation, health care facility, official car and a well-equipped library. In the absence of a robust package, the Chief Imam is compelled to cut corners such as converting the wedding, naming and burial ceremonies to an ATM in order to make ends meet. You cannot blame the Chief Imam to spend two hours to conduct a 40-minute ceremony.

 

The assessment and discipline of the Chief Imam

Within the context of international best practices, to whom much is given, much is expected. There must be checks and balances regarding the duties and privileges of the Chief Imam. He must be monitored and called to order should he overstep his boundaries. The office of the Chief Imam is like that of a Fellow in accounting. A first-class graduate of accounting still cannot practise until he passes professional examinations such as ICAN or ANAN. But then, the Fellow is subject to the monitoring of a regulatory body in accounting which can discipline the Fellow if such an occasion arises. Similar disciplinary measures apply to lofty positions such as those of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), health care practitioners (including medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and physiotherapists) and engineers. Such professions have regulatory bodies whose responsibility is to ensure that the approved protocols are not violated or abused by those who are selected to occupy powerful and sensitive professional positions. If the Chief Imam must be given a package that is commensurate to his office, where, in Nigeria, is the regulatory body that monitors the performance of the Chief Imam? That poser brings us to the Nigerian Factor syndrome. In the context of this write-up, the Nigerian Factor syndrome is defined as the peculiar ways of doing things in Nigeria which are at variance with the international best practices. For example, the Europeans who moved away to the Promised Land in 1620, elected their first President, George Washington, in 1789 when full-blown democracy began. In other words, Americans had spent 168 years for development of infrastructure as a prelude to the practice of a full-blown democracy, democratisation and rule of law (An Outline of the American History 1994). But the Nigerian Factor (or character) set in as we started our political journey in 1960 with emphasis on democracy, democratisation and rule of law at the expense of the act of nation building (infrastructure). To date, our resources are devoted, year in year out, to democracy and democratisation. But how does the Nigerian Factor apply to the Imamship Institution? In Yorubaland, there are compounds that are designated as Ile Lemomu, that is, the families that, as a matter of hereditary succession, have the right and privilege to produce personnel for the office of Imam without any regard for qualifications and qualities. Secondly, Chief Imam, in some circumstances, can emerge as “Chief” from day one of his appointment and installation whereas, the office of Chief Imam should be the last stage following the previous stages of promotions. Thirdly, there is no manual/protocols detailing the appointment of Chief Imams or any Imam for that matter. Rather, every mosque or every organisation manages its Imamship matters according to their whims and caprices. Fourthly, there is no standard package for the office of Chief Imam as every organisation decides what it considers appropriate for the Chief Imam. Fifthly, there is no regulatory body to standardise the office of Chief Imam.

 

The lacuna and the role of an Oba

In the above scenario, there is a lacuna which gives an Oba a lee way to the mosque to play a role. There are a lot of loopholes or vacuum in the management of the mosque such as lack of a standard manual/protocol for the training, appointment, promotion, welfare and discipline of either a Ratibi Imam or the Chief Imam. The affairs of the mosque are run on laissez-faire mode. It should be easy for an Oba to exploit the laissez-faire mode created by Muslims to threaten, harass and query the Chief Imam. The vacuum is there which Soun of Ogbomoso seamlessly filled. His action is akin to that of a lizard that has taken a crack in the wall for its abode. We must recognise the fact that the lizard did not create the crack in the wall. Let us draw a simple comparison. Is there a record of a Muslim Oba querying a Catholic Bishop for going to the Vatican on an official visit or on a religious routine? Does history narrate to us a case of a Pentecostal or Methodist Pastor ever being queried by a Muslim Oba for going to Jerusalem without permission; permission from whom and for what and on what basis?

May I humbly conclude this piece by suggesting that Muslims need to put their house in order by way of coordinating and sanitising the management of the mosque and remove all kinds of lacuna, vacuum and loopholes. This is a matter of obligation to merit and to earn the appellation of being khayra ummatin, that is, the best of nations (Q.3: 110). Perhaps that appellation has put us in a big shoe that is making us move uncoordinatedly. It is an imperative that we let people appreciate the beauty of Islam by organising and sanitising the management of the mosque in a manner that leaves no gap for an outsider to fill.

Professor Bidmos is a former Chief Imam of the University of Lagos.

ALSO READ: JUST IN: Oba Olakulehin gets Staff of Office as 43rd Olubadan