CLERIC ISSUES FATWA ON BOKO HARAM
A prominent Islamic Cleric has issued a Fatwa on Nigeria’s terrorist group, Boko Haram.
Here are excerpts from the decree. For full text, click on the link at the end.
In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful, I greet you all fellow Nigerians, my brothers and sisters, Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh (May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you). I am grateful to the Almighty God who granted me the opportunity to write to you today.
This fatwa is delivered in the context mainly of the recent spate of suicide bombing and gun attacks carried out across Nigeria against a variety of civilian targets, including against Christians, targeting of southerners living in the North and on the attacks against International interest in Nigeria including the bombing of the headquarters of the United Nations in Abuja.
The horrendous onslaught of terrorist activity that has continued unabated for the last many months has brought the Muslim Umma, and Nigeria in particular, into disrepute.
These people justify their actions of human destruction and mass killing of innocent people in the name of Jihad (holy struggle against evil) and thus distort, twist and confuse the entire Islamic concept of Jihad… against Christians, wrongly declaring a Jihad against them.
Islam is a religion of peace
Islam not only guarantees the protection of life, honour and property of Muslims but also assures the equal protection of life, honour and property of non-Muslim citizens.
Islamic commands on the sanctity of human life
We justify as lawful the atrocities of terrorism
Boko Haram invokes Islam and raise slogans to establish the Divine Order, but all of their actions and steps constitute a clear violation of Islamic teachings.
Good intentions can never change a vice into a virtue
Terrorism, carnage and mass destruction can never be justified in the name of any intention of enforcing Islamic commands and its judicial system.
Becoming an accomplice to terrorists is also a crime
The Prophet categorically forbade people to provide help or material support to terrorists. He ordered us to isolate them and deny them any numerical strength, financial assistance and moral support.
Paradise is forbidden for the one who commits suicide
Jundub b. ‘Abd Allah reported that the Prophet said, ‘Amongst those before you was a man who was wounded. Unable to bear the pain, he took a knife, sliced his wounded hand and died due to excessive blood loss. God Most High said, “My slave decided to hasten his own demise, so I made Paradise forbidden for him”.’ Al-.asan al-Basri narrates from Jundub b. ‘Abd Allah that the Messenger of God a said, ‘Certainly, a man before you belonging to the people of the past suffered from a boil. When its pain became too much for him to bear, he drew out an arrow from the quiver and pierced it and the bleeding did not stop until he died. Your Lord said, “I forbid his entrance into Paradise” ‘.
Forcing your Belief upon Others and destroying Places of Worship is unlawfulness
There is no room for coercion in Islam and no one can be forced to convert.
Destroying the places of worship of non-Muslims located in Muslim-majority areas is unlawfulness
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh (May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you).
Dr Muhammad Abdul Islam Ibrahim, Islamic Society for Unity and Peace, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. abdulislam2010@yahoo.com.
For the full text of the Fatwa
