Congratulations, Izala!

Last Wednesday news emerged that the 20-year feud that had polarized members of the Muslim organization Izalatil Bidi’ah Wa Ikamatis Sunnah, popularly known as Izala, had been resolved. Twenty years is a long time to be fighting over anything; this news must therefore come as big relief to Muslim all over the country, but in particular to Muslims that openly identify with the Izala group.

According to a Hausa language newspaper publication, Aminiya, which appeared last Friday, the reconciliation came as a culmination of several weeks of meetings and consultations among the leadership of the two main factions of the group. The two factions are made up of the Kaduna group, which until the reconciliation was led by Sheikh Yusuf Sambo Rigachikun; and the Jos faction led by Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir.

Consequent upon the reconciliation, Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir emerged as the national leader of the Izala council of Ulama (Muslim scholars and leaders), while his erstwhile adversary, Sheikh Yusuf Sambo Rigachikun emerged as his deputy.

Since this is not a religious discourse, it would be a distraction to delve into the theological basis of the Izala group. But certain factors make the Izala group or sect impossible to ignore; the first factor has to do with the size of the group in terms of the number of adherents it has; the Izala group is easily the largest, or at least one of the largest, single Muslim group in Nigeria. The second factor that makes the Izala group a critical factor in national affairs is that like other religious sects in the country, leaders of Izala command the loyalty their members so powerfully it is difficult to put a limit to how far members would go in obeying the instructions of those leaders.

A group, any group, with such overwhelming spread and influence therefore cannot be ignored. A violent conflict among the Izala group, for instance, would be a threat to national security. In the same way a united, peaceful and development-oriented Izala group would be a useful and powerful partner for government in building a successful nation.

Viewed from this perspective, the reconciliation within the Izala group couldn’t have come at a more auspicious time, when religious and sectarian violence are ravaging the northern part of the country where Izala and indeed Islam has its larges adherents.

On its part the new leadership of the unified Izala group must develop, as a matter of urgency, a framework for constructive engagement with other religious sects and groups both Muslim and none Muslim for the purpose of finding a lasting solution to the serious security and development challenges that are threatening to destroy the very foundation upon which the country is built; namely understanding, tolerance, accommodation and mutual respect for the rights and privileges of others.

One very important issue that the new Izala leadership must also not lose sight of is what caused the 20-year old rift in the first place. Although some of the founding fathers of the group are dead (may their souls rest in perfect peace), it is mainly their disciples that have now stepped into their shoes; it is reasonable therefore to assume that they are adequately familiar with the issues that factionalized the group in the first place.

From all available evidence, the major reasons that precipitated the rift within Izala were hubris, ego and self-interest. Having captured the attention and loyalty of their followers, the leadership of the group thereafter inevitably became intoxicated with their newly acquired power and influence. Naturally leadership crisis ensured, which heightened with the passing away of unifying figures of the group such as the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi who died in 1992 and later Sheikh Ismail Idris after him.

According to insiders, successive military and civilian regimes from the 1980s to date have exploited the differences within the factions to achieve personal political objectives. indeed according to a source close to the recent successful reconciliation meetings, some politicians, traditional rulers and top government officials have actually tried to penetrate the meetings, but were repulsed by the conveners. If this is true, then the only advice that may be added here is for the leadership to strive hard to maintain this independence.

To be able to remain independent, the leadership must have to learn to live within the teachings of the Islamic religion; the leaders must strive to contain their appetite for wordly pleasures. Through the years, most of them have developed a lifestyle that is inconsistent with the teachings of the religion they practice. It is through this weaknesses that unscrupulous political leaders find ways of breaking their ranks. This they must guard against.

All said though, it is important to commend the efforts and sacrifices of those that pushed through this groundbreaking reconciliation project. One of the first priorities of the new leadership should be how to direct the energy and passion of their members, who are in tens of millions, to the positive teachings of Islam. In a word Islam is the Arabic word for peace; that, if we can have it, will make all the laudable objectives the new leadership aspire to achieve not only possible, but much easier.