Going to Kasuwar Dare in the Samaru area of the ancient city of Zaria asking for the whereabouts of Malam Isiyaka’s residence, it would take the guest a few minutes to locate the house as almost every person around knows Malam Isiyaka as the national leader of the ‘Yan Kala-Kato.
Weekly Trust’s findings reveal that Malam Isiyaka Salisu is popular within the Samaru community and Zaria in general because he is one of the national figures who propagate the practice of Islam by strictly adhering to the injunctions of the Holy Qur’an only.
Salisu, 50, shared with Weekly Trust some details about the beliefs of his group. Malam Salisu explained that the Islamic observance of the group differ from that of other Muslims because it is only the Holy Qur’an that guides their way of worshiping Allah. He said the group doesn’t work with Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a guide to the way they worship Allah.
He also said their reason for not using the Sunna or Hadiths of the Prophet in their worship was derived from the fact that all prophets of Allah were given only one revelation or book and that scripture is the only thing that guides their worship and that of their followers.
“If other prophets were satisfied with one revelation, then why should our own be two; Qur’an and Hadiths. It is not true that we don’t believe in Hadiths, but we don’t use Hadiths as a guide to the way we worship Allah. We restrict ourselves to what the Qur’an says,” Malam Salisu said in his narration on the way his group perceives Islam.
According to him, there are a lot of other things which the group doesn’t share with other Muslims. He said his group doesn’t eat fish unless after being slaughtered as in the case of ram or cow. Malam Salisu said Allah in the Holy Qur’an, has directed the slaughtering of all animals including aquatics before they become pure for consumption and this is why the group doesn’t consume ice fish. According to him, the group doesn’t believe in ritual bath, funeral prayers or putting a shroud for their dead ones as these rituals were not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.
“We also differ from the way other Muslims make graves for their dead. Our way of making graves is only to dig a hole and put the deceased in and return back the dug-sand. This is how Allah commanded. We don’t waste time in decorating graves,” Malam Salisu remarked.
He added that the mission of his group is to sensitise the Muslim Umma to know that the only way to worship Allah is through the injunctions of the Holy Qur’an. He said his group is preaching its mission through peaceful means, explaining that his group has no link with the Boko-Haram followers.
A renowned Islamic scholar in the Jama’atu Izalatul Bidi’a Wa’iqamatus-Sunna (JIBWIS), Sheikh Imam Ikara, said it is wrong to believe in the Qur’an only without believing in the Sunna or Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He said Islam is built on three sources; the Qur’an, Sunna and Ijma and the genuine worship of Allah are done through these sources.
Imam Ikara added that, the saying, acts or acknowledgement of the prophet are regarded as sources of Islamic jurisprudence because Allah in the Holy Qur’an has testified that all sayings, acts and acknowledgements of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) come through revelation like the Qur’an. Therefore, Imam Ikara said, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) doesn’t say things on his own volition but what Allah has directed him to say, act or acknowledge.
A Zaria based lawyer, Barrister Shehu Dan’azumi, said the 1999 constitution of Nigeria has given freedom of worship to all Nigerians and “because of that provision of the constitution, everyone is entitled to his own way of worship but since this is something that has to do with Islam, it would be good if the relevant authorities could mediate through the Ulamas to iron things out before it gets out of hand like the Boko-Haram episode,” Barrister Dan’azumi said.
