Cloning, sex change, seed improvement: Which of these is creating?

A few minutes ago, I sent an SMS message to two of my colleagues. One, the amiable Director of Public Affairs of the institution where I serve and the other, head of our web team. I wrote: 'oh, ... changing night to day is IMPOSSIBLE not even with all the electricity in the world ... abi? I did not expect immediate response. I should be lucky to be left alone, Monday, because these are people I know would require my elaboration.

You see, we were having a chat at the office and someone said 'nothing is impossible' or words to that effect. Then I responded: somethings are not possible; things like changing a man into a woman or a woman into a man. They said no. My attention was drawn to the sex changing going on every where around the globe. I conceded but insisted that it was not possible to do a sex change unless the person exhibited signs conducive for the change. They disagreed. Now, that is where the discussion stopped. I expect to return to it when my SMS is read. But I maintain the position that nothing that does not exist can caused into existence by any human being.

Does the cloning of Benny(?) the Sheep amount to creating a sheep? Does an improved seedling mean a seed had been created? Does a sex change mean that a woman or a man has been created? Creation is an impossibility for man. Man cannot create another being. Man can only 'improve' an existing being. Not even the best of them can last. Do you remember the life span of the cloned sheep? It is not for ethical reasons alone that the American government has refused government funding for these kinds of research. It simply is not possible.

So, there are somethings that are not possible.

So, the Pressident may die? Kulli nafsin zaikatul maut!

Two very unrelated(?) events occurred within the space of two weeks. The Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria, an Ambassador and one time Presidential running-mate, Ambassador Babagana Kingebe was dismissed (sorry, replaced) and Channels Television, born of versatile tv journalist John Momoh, known as friend of the system, was asked off the airwaves. The television station lost its licence (it is said suspended is a better word) to the command of the National Broadcasting Commission. These two events are indeed related. Here is how.

Do you remember those days the Nigerian President was out of the country receiving medical attention? It became a sin to contemplate the demise of the no.1 helmsman. Yes, no one was to think the President may die. It is not because he is an immortal, but because, like the case of the North Korean Presdietn, Kim Il Jong, there were too many issues a vacuum in the leadership of the country would create. No one wanted to be 'taken by surprise' (really?). How then do we plan for death? Like General Sani Abacha? No, not really, you see, death will come when it will come, for it is the only constant in all humanity. Death is the only certainty.

Why would a broadcast station speculate that a President that is sick may resign? That must be a reason that is inconsistent with a broadcast licence. One of the provisions of the licences for broadcasting in Nigeria is 'not to cause public disturbances' which a claim like the one broadcast by Channels could cause. Certainly, no one can stop death - for every soul shall have a taste of death (kulli nafsin zaikathal maut).

I think, death is an equalizer. My uncle thinks otherwise. That is for another day. For now, be rest assured that no President will die before his time. Likewise, no President will resign before the time appointed for the end of his 'tenured leadership' as decreed (destined) by Allah expires. We should bear that in mind and remain confident. Allahu Akbar!

Usool at-Tafseer & Izraliyat: Matters that should arise.

Dear Uztaz Abubakar Assadiq. I missed the edition of your segment on 'Sahur Live' broadcast immediately after the one in which you cautioned about taking in, hook, line and sinker, all that we read in some tafseer. On that edition, you failed to mention which of the available and accessible tafseers you were making reference to.

Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, in his book, 'Usool at-Tafseer', the Methodology of Qur'anic Explanation mentions the tafsir (or footnotes) contained in Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of the Qur'an as full of izraliyat. He was particularly critical of some explanatory notes because they tended to give weight to jewish traditional folklores which may taint the Qur'anic revelations. He praised other translations, especially that of Ibn Kathir. So, ya Uztaz, why did you hold your peace?

I am concerned your silence may create more problems than it would solve. But, if because I missed the subsequent edition of 'Sahur live' on NTA2 and missed your explanation, forgive me. Oh, by the way, I think your response to the views expressed about your wife reading the Qur'an on the programme was too harsh. Have you lost sight of the temperament of the Rasul (SAW) when faced with adversity? You have to realise that you are no longer a private person (so your wife cannot be a private person - and may Allah continue to reward you for the sacrifice you are making) and so have to be patient. No amount of stressing 'non-compliance' will stop the criticisms. What I think you should do is find subtle ways of making your point. Allah (SWT) knows your intentions. May He reward you and members of your family with aljanna firdaus.

Please uztaz, television is a personal medium. Be kind. Speak kindly and nicely. Those who disagree with you will not refuse to see your reason. You have Allah (SWT) to account to and not any human being. But please be kind.

Birthdays and the name of my child!

This afternoon, my very kind hearted wife of over fourteen years reminded me that it was our son's twelfth birth day. I had totally forgotten. It was not that it mattered either way - to remember or forget - there usually are no celebrations of this kind in our house. But the reminder called my attention to several issues that woke me up. I momentarily went into reverse and recalled those early days of our marriage and the struggle to have the child we eventually named AbdulNasir.

For the first two years of this blissful marriage, my wife and I had wished for a child. Her first pregnancy was aborted (inevitable abortion was the first diagnosis, and indeed a malaria induced aborting resulted) and she went into a long and painful melancholy. It was traumatic, those two years. Our gynaecologist did not give us any good news. We were told that she was not likely to conceive and deliver, unaided. That increased her melancholy. I was distraught. However, she took in and eleven months after the first abortion, AbdulNasir was born, 12th September, 1996. He is twelve years old today. His immediate elder brother, AldulKarim (from a previous marriage) was fourteen years old in January.

The name AbdulNasir sounded 'funny'. A few of our friends insisted that we should call him Mohammed Nasir and not AbdulNasir. We disagreed. We were confortable calling him a servant of the owner of success (our understanding of the name 'Nasir') and made him accept and live it. You see, we so named him as a sign of the success of getting a child unaided, which was the prognosis we were given on the event of his mother's earlier aborted pregnancy. She has succeeded. It was only natural that we celebrated.

In the course of time, we came across the book, 'Ubudllah' by Ibn Taymiyya. It was a material that changed our orientation. That we have to accept our position, in total submission to the will of Allah, as His servants and act in that position in all that we did, was indeed refreshing and exhilarating. The satisfaction of receiving those insights was overwhelming ! This may be one of the reasons we have Al-Amin, AbdulSalam, Abdullah, AbdulQadir, AbdulWalid and AbdulHamid. We also have Habsatu, Hashiya and Rahima. Allah (SWT) has blessed us greatly.

Science is indisputable. Allah (SWT) is the creator of all that science studies. If Allah (SWT) gives, He could give in contradiction to human scientific evidence. The birth of Isa (AS) is more than a good example. We remember the birth day of AbdulNasir in acknowledgement of the Grace of Allah (SWT) and our total submission to His will. We are Ubudullah!

AbdulRazak Yahaya Haipang is (cerainly) my Neighbour!

Several years ago, the Izalatul Bidi'a Wa ikamatus-Sunnan (IBWS) seemingly had a problem within its ranks. That year, the amiable AbdulRazak Haipang, previously seen as firebrand da'i, was not included in the main list of scholars going out on tafsir assignment that ramadan. From all available reports, Abdulrazak took the decision of the council of IBWS in good faith. In Yola, the Adamawa State capital that year, it was a mixed bag.

The action of not sending Abdulrzak out to Yola, as was presumed customary due to his previous impressive outings in Yola, was viewed as an affront and indeed a clear confirmation that some people had influenced the organisation to omit the scholar because the then Adamawa State government was not comfortable with his style of tafsir. In fact, it was even quietly insinuated that the Emirate Council was uncomfortable with Abdulrazak because he mentioned the poor taste which a private school created by using the Lamido's name and yet, it would appear, deliberately OMITTING to provide a place of worship for Muslim students of the school. Proprietors of the Aliyu Mustapha International School, Luggere, Jimeta-Yola were reportedly not amused. So, it was natural that the Emirate Council would also feel uncomfortable.

Anyway, AbdulRazak came to Yola, not under the auspices of the IBWS, but by the grace of God and the tenacity of the Islamic Development Centre, Yola. During his tafsir that year, he said (in hausa) words to the effect that it was haram to 'love' an unbeliever - ('haramun ne musulmi ya kaunaci arne!). Wow! The ordinary response would be yes, of course! But, that is true. That is what and how it should be. But, without intending to challenge the credentials of brother Abdulrazak, there is this amiable lady on 'Sahur Live' broadcast by NTA2, Abuja who seems to think it is not haram, but obligatory, as a sunna of the Prophet Mohammad (SAW). She cites hadith that support her, espcially the one in which the Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said Angel Jibril transmitted Allah's instructions to honour and give dues to the neighbour insistently that he (the Prophet) thought the neighbour would be included among his heirs. She explained that neighbourhood is not limited to any particular place, persons or relationships. I love her explanation better.

My cousins are not Muslims. Even though Allah asked that we do not pray for people we know are lost as unbelievers (after they are dead - cite the relationship of Abu Talib and the Prophet (SAW), I have not read or heared convincing evidence to support the position AbdulRazak expounded that year in Yola. I am sure I can wish that my non-Muslim cousins become Muslims before they died. If I have that wish, how would I fit into AbdulRazak's exterpolation? Later, I was to discover that the venom in his tafisir that year was due to the nature of his father' murder! AbdulRazak now lives in Gwagwalada, FCT, Abuja.

Often, it is not the message that is a problem, it is most times the medium by which the message is transmitted that creates problems. In Yola, there are very few hausa people, speakers, yes, but indigenous hausa people who understand the langauge well and are able to diffentiate between 'so' and 'kauna' are few indeed. Certainly, my kilba kindred would use the words interchangeably. During the life of the Prophet (SAW), he lived with non-Muslims harmoniously. The Madina Constitution show how each person maintained his or her rights in that Islamic State. Do we have any reason to refuse to abide by this tradition?

That year, I did not buy any tapes of AbdulRazak's tafsir for fear my cousins may think I accept this position should they hear this tafsir.

Hijab, Khimar & Passionate Brothers

The issue was how corporate she should dress to be 'Islamically' acceptable. His idea is to have her comply completely with the Prophetic tradition which says the only part of a woman's body that should be visible to the public is only (this) the palm and (this) the face. Yet, he is comfortable to claim dharura in his dealings with other women who show over sixty percent of their body as enticement or confirmation of their beauty. Yes, he lives in a society that is mixed and the only way he thinks she should spite the others is claim a heritage - an Islamic heritage openly and unambiguously. Alhamdulillah! Brother is angry because they ventured to ask that 'we got our priorities right.'

I think we should get our priorities in order. My dear brother was reacting to Madina Dauda (married to Nadabo of FRCN Kaduna; reporting for the Voice of America Hausa Service) when she invited Dr. (Mrs) Bugaje to offer an opinion on the best answer to demands for compliance to corporate dressing on Muslim girls and women by some organisations in Nigeria. Both of these working women (Mrs Bugaje - a medical doctor (surgeon) and Madina - a journalist) hold the view that a particular outfit which covered every part of the body without being too 'flowing' is acceptable. Madina wore a good example. Mairo Bugaje wore a wrapper outfit and a neat headgear. Incidentally, Dr. Mairo is active in the Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria, FOMWAN. Really, brother was angry that these 'educated women' should make this assertion and presume to reach the conclusion that it was time we got our priorities right and deal with other issues than dwell on HIJAB and/or KHIMAR.

One of the issues, I think, which Mairo and Madina thought we should worry about was how journalists, Muslims, could contribute to the fight against corruption in Nigeria. The occasion at which this interesting encounter took place was the Ramadan seminar organised by the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria Abuja Chapter. With former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Rd. Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais as chairman, the seminar sought to proffer suggestions for the involvement of Muslim journalists in this campaign. Journalists where asked to see the profession as a challenge to stand up for Islam. Everybody listened.

One man who had every body's ear was former member of the House of Representatives, 2003-2007(?), (Hon.) Dr. Datti Baba Ahmed. It is not just what he said that stood him out but also what I perceive he actually represents. His comments, nonetheless, sufficiently contradicted themselves to cause me to ponder. Unlike his father, he gave in to the system and won an election. Out of office, he was unable to meet the demands of the system. He knew this. His anecdotal comments on the response of his constituents to his gifts during the Ramadan underscored how each of us gives in to the corrupt tendencies which we are claiming to want to fight. Is there really corruption in this country. I am proud to say that I remember the Tudun Wada residence of Baba Ahmed in Zaria. Some thirty-five years ago, I had to ride past the house to reach my grandfather's house in that ancient town of Zaria. Tudun Wada was a beautiful place. Knowing this family, let me say Dr. Datti did not live up to Baba Ahmed's standards by his 'obligatory gift' of Ramadan materials to his 'ungrateful constituents'. Or so I think.

Dr. Datti listed what he said he had and was willing to give to his constituents and how they advised him to go to Abuja and do 'whatever' it took to get more in order not to disgrace them. This simply indicates that they expected him to give more. He must have been doing so - I mean giving substantially (which is not wrong, unless you assume it is part of the political culture of patronage in Nigeria) to those in need (or maybe it is to those he needs since that is the political lingo). We are in trouble. Why are we saying there is corruption in Nigeria?

Journalists, who according to Abubakar Jijiwa (Director General, Voice of Nigeria, VON), take envelops should stop. That will be the day. Maybe Alhaji Jijiwa is aware of how to deal with the 'barbecue reporters' in the United States of America. I recall Ananpoor emphatically saying CNN was not catered for by Obama on his celebrity style France outing. Yes, we are a long way coming.

While it is time Muslims got their priorities right in respect of Hijab and Khimar, we should also ask Muslims to get their priorities right and shun corruption. Only the individual can fight himself. Do we emulate the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) or ....?

Loosing a smile, or what?

Real or imagined, there are not many things Nigerians laugh or even smile about. You must look to the stress they cause themselves to go through daily. You do not have to come to Abuja or Lagos to see how tensed up they are. Visit any 'public service' town anywhere in the country and you have the picture. That means visit any local government or state headquarters and be dumbfounded!

Have you ever noticed how aggressive Nigerians are within their own shores? These are the only people I know who think 'fastness' is the same thing as intelligence. They make you feel you are wrong for being slow, if and when slow and steady is what the situtation demands; and wrong when you go fast if going fast is in response to the consition at hand. Nigerians will cause you pain if you agree that there are rules that should be followed in any situation. They would create new rules, all to their individual advantage. These are a people who think they survive because 'God loves them.' You remember FunmiIyanda's blog? Oh dear me! Look it up. You will see and feel what I am talking about. She has drive, but what is it with the b**ls**t all through? The nature of the potential available in this great country can only be other's envey. We do not have to lend a hand towards the 'disgrace' and 'messing up' of our motherland.