Before Dr. Ahmad Gumi Is Cancelled

Before Dr Ahmad Gumi Is Canceled

The Islamic movement whose founders famously introduced a new and radical interpretation of Islamic doctrine in Nigeria in the 1960s and profoundly challenged the existing religious order, is the one that now finds it hard to tolerate any interpretation of Islamic texts that represents a departure from its established orthodoxy. The birth of the Salafiyya movement in Nigeria was inspired after Sheikh Abubakar Gumi espoused a more puritanical version of Islam in the late 1960s, using the powerful medium of radio to challenge the religious practices of the dominant Sufi orders of the time. 

Although there was some discomfort with Gumi's message, the response of the Sufi orders was not to intimidate or cancel Sheikh Gumi but to try and match his radio preaching. They first chose a Tijjaniyya scholar Sheikh Umar Sanda Idris to preach on Kaduna radio (the same platform used by Sheikh Gumi) and later, they assigned the role to Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi. That way, the Sufi orders were able to counter the impact of Gumi's preaching to some extent.

In the 21st century, however, any perceived deviation from the orthodoxy of the now powerful Salafiyya movement attracts angry responses from its prominent scholars which could then be followed by a range of measures against the transgressor including 'titsiya' (harsh interrogation), loss of clerical privileges and outright loss of personal freedom. The latest cleric to attract the ire of the Salafiyya establishment is Dr Ahmad Gumi over his recent pronouncements on the body of ahadith, which is the second most important scriptural resource in Islam. 

However, it is futile to try to impose a uniformity of thought and interpretation in a country like Nigeria; that could only be possible under an illiberal theocracy like the ones that govern some Muslim countries, where the state exercises both temporal and spiritual control. The scholars, therefore, need to adopt the response of the Sufi orders to Sheikh Abubakar Gumi's challenge by mounting an intellectual response to Dr Ahmad Gumi in an even-tempered manner instead of trying to subject him to a vicious cancel culture. They also need to ask themselves if it is worth it, in this age of instant communication and ubiquitous public commentary, for them to treat every instance of scholarly non-conformity as a seismic event.