AS-SALAM GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
AS-SALAM GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
By:
Nurudeen Dauda
October 11th , 2020
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Today being the 11th day of October, 2020 which is equivalent to the 23rd day of Safar 1442 after the Hijira of our noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from Makka to Madina an important milestone has been achieved by Jama'at Izalatil Bid'a Wa Iqmatus Sunnah, JIBWIS, under the National Chairmanship of Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau with a foundation laying of a private University in Hadejia, Jigawa State.
It is with the greatest sense of Joy that I got this news. This is a right step in the right direction. Better late than never! May the Almighty Allah make this great vision a reality and may He bless this great movement.
However, It is very worrisome to note that, JIBWIS as an organization is still factionalized despite previous efforts by late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi of blessed memory , Sheikh (Dr) Ahmad Gumi and others to reunite it. It is apt to state that It had once got reunited, but unfortunately it later got factionalized again. This is very sad!
Our Sheikhs need not to be informed about the importance of unity in Islam. Unity is strength, united we stand and divided we fall. The most Important thing left for the two factions of this great movement now is to close their ranks once again and get reunited for greater achievements ahead . The Almighty Allah says : "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided..." (Qur'an 3:103).
We shall continue to pray for JIBWIS to actualize it vision. I have in my article of 28/03/2017 tittled: "Baze University Abuja a private University to establish a teaching Hospital: Northern Richmen should take a cue from Senator Baba -Ahmad". In the said write ups I called on Jama'atu Nasaral Islam, JNI, and JIBWIS, etc., to establish Universities in order to educate the society as well as assist their respective organizations in generating funds for their activities.
Permit me to digress a bit, "...Out of the 75 private universities in the country, only fifteen (15) are located in the North. There are 12 in North -Central, 2 in the North -East and now 2 in the North-West Zone .The South -West Zone alone has about 30 private universities", Executive Secretary, of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed (Daily Trust, July 4, 2018).
More so, It is sad to note that, out of the current 79 private universities in the country only three are from the North West Geo-Political zone; namely: Al-Qalam University, Katsina (a community owned) ,Skyline University, Kano (a foreign privately owned) and Greenfield University, Kaduna (a southern Nigerian privately owned) despite its huge population, richmen and the seven states of : Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
On the other hand, It is worthy of note to state that there are other privately owned proposed universities in the North West zone on the way ; namely : Al-Istiqama University, Sumaila, Kano; Azman University, Kano and NOK University, Kachia, Kaduna.
However, the Late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi was not a member of JIBWIS, but he was the teacher and spiritual guide to the Sheikhs who formed the organization. In his Biography called, "Where I Stand" he stated that : Jama'at Izalatil Bid'a Wa Iqamatus Sunnah, JIBWIS, (Movement Against Negative Innovations and for Orthodoxy) was founded in Jos, Plateau state on the 8th of February, 1978 by late Sheikhs Ismaila Idris, Jos, (a retired Army Imam) and Bala Sirajo. He added that they initially proposed its name as "Jama't Izalatil Bid'a", but he suggested the addition of "Wa Iqamatus Sunnah"(P. 155).
At the inception the objectives of JIBWIS include:
(1) To promote the fundamental teachings of Islam as laid down in the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith of the Holy Prophet (SAW),
(2) To revive in the minds of the followers of the Islamic religion the actual duties of true Muslims as are required of them by the Almighty God, (3) To disassociate ourselves from any claims that anybody within the context of Islam has received any further revelations from the Almighty God after the Holy Prophet's death; or that the Prophet has left anything secretly unrevealed only to re -appear again after centuries and make certain revelations of his message to a few selected people, or that he has passed any directives to anyone after his death,
(4) That the Holy Prophet has fully accomplished his mission to the world, as has been confirmed to us by the Almighty Allah in the Holy Qur'an, and that only those teachings as are contained in the mission are worth our while to follow, (5) To establish in the minds of all true Muslims that anybody who claims or worships in the belief that he has any communications with the Holy Prophet, or that the Holy Prophet can pay anyone a visit, physically, after the Holy Prophet's death, that person has denounced the Holy Qur'an and is, therefore, discarded by Islam unless he or she repents whole -heartedly,
(6) To re-affirm that anything new or additional to, or against the five basic principles of Islam should not be accepted by Muslims because it is non-Islamic, (7) To establish and promote a better and closer understanding among Muslims of all walks of life and in all parts of the country, and to unite them as required by the all-divine faith of Islam, and (8) That we are determined to guard these principles at all costs without any options for compromise".(Where I stand, P. 156).
May the Almighty Allah be pleased with the late Sheikhs Abubakar Mahmud Gumi; Ismaila Idris Zakariya, Jos; Bala Sirajo and all those who contributed their quotas towards the formation and development of the movement.
May the Almighty Allah reunite the two factions of this great movement. Ameen!