By Gabriel Omonhinmin
The controversial leader of Nigeria’s Islamic Movement, Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqub El-Zakzaky, on Friday, March 18, 2022, celebrated his 69th birthday in Zaria.
His birthday was celebrated without fanfare after he was released with his wife from excruciating six years of detention.
Trumpet Religion’s efforts to have a one-on-one interview with the Shiite leader failed after several attempts to reach him in Zaria. Not deterred, we, decided to speak with some of his trusted lieutenants across the country.
Mallam Mustapha Musa is a staunch Shi’a Muslim member and one of the followers of El-Zakzaky based in Port Harcourt, South-South Region of Nigeria.
He spoke with The Trumpet on critical issues regarding El-Zakzaky.
Trumpet Religion: Musa, your leader, the head of Nigeria’s Islamic Movement, Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqub El-Zakzaky, celebrated his 69th or 71st birthday on March 18th in Zaria. What is the real age of El-Zakzaky? Why is there so much confusion about his age?
Musa: There is no confusion whatsoever, about the age of our leader. Sheikh El-Zakzaky. was 69 years old on the 18th of March, 2022, according to the Gregorian calendar and 71 years old according to the Islamic calendar, 15th Sha’aban/1443.
Trumpet Religion: For Forty-three years or more, your El-Zakzaky, has been on the wrong side of various governments’ military and civilian alike, who have ruled Nigeria. Why are young men and women like you, who are highly educated still find it convenient to follow his religious practices and surprisingly, most of you are fanatical about him?
Musa: Well, we are Muslims and the Holy Book, The Qu’ran tells us, that everybody is created by Allah with distinct qualities, characteristics and talents.
Qur’an Chapter 5:48 says “And to you we have revealed the Book containing the truth, confirming the earlier revelations, and preserving them (from change and corruption). So judge between them by what has been revealed by God, and do not follow their whims, side-stepping the truth that has reached you.
To each of you, we have given a law and a way and a pattern of life. If God had pleased he could surely have made you one person (professing one faith). But He wished to try and test you by that which He gave you. So try to excel in good deeds.
To Him will you all return at the end, when He will tell you of what you were at variance.”
The above verse summarizes the stand, belief and everyday conducts of our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqub Zakzaky.
“He is created distinctly by Allah, endeared with good qualities, characteristics and talents. Our leader El-Zakzaky is a humanist per excellence. He lives his everyday life, doing good deeds.
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He has never been a threat to anyone or governments at various levels. He believes very strongly in one indivisible Nigeria. Despite his quiet and religious nature, Sheikh Zakzaky has been unreasonably persecuted by past and present governments in Nigeria.
Trumpet Religion: Persecuted? That is a strong word! What exactly do you mean? Will your leader and the Sect be allegedly persecuted if you all comport and abide by the laws of the land? After all, the Shi’ites are not the only religious groups in Nigeria.
Musa: Whether you agree with me or not, I’ll continue to insist that our leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky and his followers were unduly persecuted. The records are there for everyone to see. Even when there is no reason for such actions.
Despite these numerous instances of persecution and afflictions, our leader has no malice or animosity whatsoever, against anyone or previous governments or the present government of the day. We will continue to be law-abiding because that is what he preaches every day. As far as Sheikh El-Zakzaky is concerned, bygone is bygone.
We are, however, very happy that it has pleased Allah to continue to preserve his life so that he continues with the good job he has been doing. How did one explain, or to whom can we attribute El-Zakzaky’s safety to, if not Allah?
No other reason(s) can be adduced by anyone that will justify the mystery surrounding the life and times of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky so far.
We his followers are happy that Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky is alive, hale and healthy to the glory of Allah alone. We will continue to thank and glorify Him for the continuous preservation of his life.
Allah is never happy with the Mutakallifoon, those who pretend and fabricate things that do not exist. Every one of us should endeavour to work in a field that we are skilled in.
Mallam Shamsuden Hassan is another strong Shi’a member, he is presently a Doctorate Degree student in Islamic studies, at the Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
He spoke with Trumpet Religion in Kaduna State.
Trumpet Religion: Can you describe how your leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky celebrated his 69th birthday in Zaria?
Hassan: I was not with him on that day I was in Abuja doing some other things.
But I followed very closely on phone all the activities that took place in El-Zakzaky’s residence in Zaria on the day he marked his birthday.
As you know, Mallam El-Zakzaky is not a man who allows the ugly incident to bother him. He believes very strongly in pre-ordainment. Whatever happens to a man in life has already been written and pre-ordained by Allah. Why then bother over things that have passed?
Let me tell you the truth, he is not bitter, he has long moved on and forgiven all the people that offended him.
But he is, however, very sad, whenever he remembers the ugly incident that happened in his compound the day the Nigeria Military attacked his house in Zaria.
On that day, a large number of our brothers and sisters, I mean his followers were unreasonably massacred.
Two of his sons, who have already completed their degree programmes in China and waiting to be issued Chinese government ‘red cards’ which amounts to permanent residence/citizenship of China, were also unfortunately killed during that incident.
His neighbours were not left out in the assault. Majority of them were attacked, some of them were killed because they were just neighbours to Mallam El-Zakzaky. Even strangers, who were just passers-by were sadly cut on the crossfire and also killed. This hurts him!
The Trumpet Religion: Mallam Hassan, whatever you may say, what has become clear over the years, is that your leader, Sheikh El-Zakzaky, has had a very toxic relationship with past and present governments in Nigeria. Why do you still find it convenient to trust a man like him? Is there anything special he does for people like you to earn this trust?
Hassan: We the followers trust Mallam El-Zakzaky because of his honesty and statesmanship. He is genuine, unlike the park of leaders we have in Nigeria today.
Please go back to the early days of El-Zakzaky in ABU Zaria. For about 45 years now, what he has been preaching is what he still preaches up to date. He has not changed.
He has not done anything special for me, as a person.
My parents are presently assisting me, to pay my way through school. I still trust him. What I know, is that he has about 500 indigent students he is presently sponsoring in various institutions within and outside Nigeria. He doesn’t make noise about such things.
As you know, El-Zakzaky although a Shi’a, belongs to a group known as the ‘Twelvers’ this is a group that took after the practices of the twelve leaders of Islam. This particular group is revolutionary by their nature and training.
This group, however, still trust and work with some Christians over the years against the common enemy of the people. This group never regards Christians as ‘Arani’ pagans or Kiforan unbelievers.
El-Zakzaky’s motor is Justice for All, he is of the strong belief that there are some Christians who will make heaven because of the way and manner they have conducted themselves.
Trumpet Religion: Is it possible for me to know the common enemy your leader and his group are fighting against in Nigeria? Or does your sect regard the elected government as the enemy?
Hassan: I earlier told you that the personal philosophy of Mallam El-Zakzaky is ‘Justice for All’. We do not regard elected governments in Nigeria as our enemy.
Trumpet Religion: Are you in all honesty saying that Mallam El-Zakzaky no longer harbours bitterness against the Nigerian State.
Do you think the Nigerian Government will ever trust a man like El-Zakzaky and his followers? Can you tell me, as an insider what your leader and your group are presently doing to earn the trust and confidence of the government of the day? Please try and convince me that El-Zakzaky after so many years has now turned over a new leaf.
Hassan: Humm!!! This is a tough one! Mallam El-Zakzaky I will tell you the truth, is not a bitter man! He is never bitter with the Nigerian state over what the soldiers did to him, members of his family and his sect in Zaria. He has long gone past that incident.
As a human being, he is, however, very emotional, not bitter, any time any day, he has reasons to talk about this particular incident. You’ll not blame him for feeling the way he feels.
Another thing that makes El-Zakzaky emotional again, is the destruction of his huge library. This particular Library took him so many years of hard work and a lot of money to put together in his house in Zaria. It was burnt, on that day the Nigerian soldiers attacked his house.
They completely burnt down that Library not a single book was taken out of the inferno. During this ugly incident, four sets of handwritten Qu’ran, which took the El-Zakzay’s family decades to write, were also destroyed. Four generations of the El-Zakzaky’s, his forefathers, grandfather, father and himself, all re-wrote the Holy Qu’ran with their hands.
These Holy books were kept in this same Library. Mind you, El-Zakzaky, came from a family and a generation of Islamic scholars. The tradition in his family is for each patriarch to handwrite the Holy Qu’ran cover to cover. These are irreparable damages.
He, however, doesn’t always want to remember this ugly incident. I’ll tell you for free, he is gradually getting out of these pains.
El-Zakzaky is an imprisoned outspoken prominent Shi’a Muslim leader. He was born on March 18, 1953, in Zaria, Kaduna State North Central Nigeria.
He is the head of Nigeria’s Islamic Movement, which he founded in the late 1970s when he was a student of the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria.
It was then he began propagating Shi’a Islamic beliefs around 1979. At that time, the Iranian revolution was on. It was this revolution that saw Iran’s monarchy overthrown and replaced with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini.
El-Zakzaky was alleged to believe that the establishment of a republic along similar religious lines in Nigeria would be feasible.
Forgetting that Nigeria was a secular state and no government in Nigeria was going to allow his type of religious practice. He has since then, had several clashes with various Nigerian governments both military and civilian.
This has not only resulted in him being incarcerated on very many occasions, but he has also had some of his children killed while he suffered bodily harm in the process.
The most recent was the 2015 bloody clash his members had with the Nigerian Military. This led him and his wife to six years of detention before they were eventually released.
There is currently no love lost between El-Zakzaky and the government of the day in Nigeria. El-Zakzaky is constantly accused by subsequent governments in Nigeria, of civil disobedience or recalcitrant behaviour.
All through the 1980s and 1990s he and his sects were under government close watch. Even now, El-Zakzaky and his sects are being viewed with a lot of suspicions as they are regularly regarded as a threat to constituted authorities in the country.
Although, he was said to be a very brilliant student, while in ABU where he studied Economics, he never graduated due to activism.
On Friday March 18, 2022, El-Zakzaky and his followers across the country quietly marked his 69th or 71st birthday in Zaria. One only hopes that he will now learn to cultivate a better relationship with the Nigerian government which has put his sects under strict supervision.
