Afenifere, Sahara Reporters And The Attack On Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad ‘Peace Be Upon Him’

By Imam Murtadha Gusau

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day – then to proceed:

Fellow Nigerians! The blasphemous statement credited to Afenifere, a Yoruba sociocultural group, published by Sahara Reporters online newspaper, comparing the plight of a political thug, Sunday Igboho to that suffered by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is a great insult to Islam and Muslims all over the world. And it behoves every sincere Muslim to publicly condemn this blatant disrespect to our religion and demand an unreserved apology from the Sahara Reporters online newspaper and the Afenifere group. The ignorance exhibited by Afenifere about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) shows how lowly the so-called Yoruba nation agitators think of Muslims generally!

Comparing the noble Prophet of Islam to a nuisance like Sunday Igboho is a great disservice to humanity and insult to the sensibilities of Muslims all over the world. It should be retracted immediately and apology tendered.

Afenifere, had in a statement on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, said:

“We recall that Moses had to be taken away from the prying eyes of Pharaoh and his agents in Egypt. Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W) too had to leave his hometown, Mecca for Medina in order to escape persecution. Thus, there is nothing wrong in Igboho seeking a respite first to preserve his life and perhaps to re-strategise.”

The statement is unconscionable, provocative and disgusting, the comment must be retracted with immediate effect. The statement by Afenifere group stands unreservedly condemned. Their comparison is wrong, unconscionable, provocative, insulting and disgusting. It must be withdrawn immediately.

They must tender an unreserved apologies to the Muslim Ummah for such acts of irresponsible desecration. Nothing is more important and sacrosanct to the Muslim Ummah than preserving, defending and upholding the Pious name of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Dear brothers and sisters! Every Muslim is required to know, honour and study the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Allah Almighty has commanded us to know more about his life experiences and how he became a Muslim.

There are over 50 verses in the Qur’an that tells us to take him as our role model. The Qur’an reminds us that:

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad Peace be upon him) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” [Qur’an, [33:21]

We also believe that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the last Prophet Allah has sent into humankind. He brought the divine message of the Qur’an. Judaism, Christianity and Islam belong to the Abrahamic traditions. Originally, these three religions bring the same message of Love of Allah and Love of Neighbour. In the spirit of inter religious dialogue, we all need to know who was the last Prophet of Islam.

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was born in Makkah in the year 570. He was an orphan at young age. His father died before his birth and his mother died shortly thereafter. He was raised by his uncle who was from the respected tribe of Quraish. He was raised unlettered, unable to read or write, and remained till his death.

The Quraish were powerful merchant tribe that controlled Makkah and its Ka’abah. According to Pre-Islamic and Islamic tradition they descended from Isma’il (Ishmael), the first son of Ibrahim (Abraham AS). Before his mission as a Prophet, they belong to the pre-islamic period called Jahiliyyah.

Jahiliyyah is an Islamic concept of “ignorance of divine guidance” or “the state of ignorance of the guidance from Allah” or “Days of Ignorance” referring to the barbaric condition in which Arabs found themselves.

As Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) grew up, he became known to be truthful, honest, trustworthy, generous, and sincere. He was so trustworthy that they called him the Trustworthy. He was very religious, and he had long disagreed with the idolatry practices of his society.

By the age of 25, he married a wealthy widow, Khadijah, and began managing Khadijah’s caravans. It was not until around the year 610, or when we has at the age of 40 that his Prophethood came into being. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had the habit of retiring for personal meditation and spiritual cultivation to a cave near Makkah. Historians recorded that he would pack enough provisions for a day’s retreat, after which he would return home for more.

His place of retreat was Hirah, a cave in a mountain called the Mountain of Light, and his chosen month was Ramadan, the month of heat. It was there one night toward the end of this quiet month that the first revelation came to him. The Qur’an narrates his experience in this manner:

“He heard a voice say: ‘Read!’ He said: ‘I cannot read.’ The voice again said: ‘Read!’ He said: ‘I cannot read.’ A third time the voice, more terrible, commanded: ‘Read!’ He said: ‘What can I read?’ The voice said: ‘Read: In the name of your Lord Who created. Created man from a clot. Read: And it is your Lord the Most Bountiful. Who teaches by the pen, teaches man that which he knew not.’”

For the first two to three years of his mission, he preached to his family and his intimate friends, while the people of Makkah as a whole regarded him as one who had become a little mad. The first of all his converts was his wife Khadijah, the second his first cousin Ali, the third his servant Zaid, a former slave. His friend Abu Bakr also was among those early converts.

As soon as he began to recite the Qur’an and to preach the truth which Allah had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered persecution from unbelievers. Their group begun to question the status quo in Makkah. They question the barbaric practices of their tribe. They were persecuted fiercely that in the year 622 Allah gave them the command to leave Makkah and proceed to Madinah. This emigration from Makkah to the city of Madinah, some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning of the Hijrah or the Muslim calendar.

The Prophet’s entry into Madinah brought guidance for a new phase for the divine message. Islam gaining fresh followers began to assert its strength and soon started to spread out over the four corners of the Arabian Peninsula.

After several years in Madinah, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies. Before he died, at the age of sixty-three, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula had become Muslim, and within a century of his death, Islam had spread to half of the world and as far East as China.

Respected brothers and sisters! Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was a perfect example of an honest, just, merciful, compassionate, truthful, and brave human being. In all his actions and dealings with his fellow human beings, he was ever mindful and fearful of Allah.

He became one of the most influential and respected religious leader in history. Doctor Jonathan Brown, a respected scholar, once said:

“It is always interesting to try to understand how he was able to inspire Muslims in so many ways without ever having claimed to be divine in any sense. The Prophet’s humanness has enabled his admirers and followers to believe and behave in practical, down-to-earth ways while serving Allah in ways indicated by Muhammad in his teachings and general behaviour.”

Dear servants of Allah! I hope and pray that our youth today will see Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as their role model. He is far different from any of the leaders and followers of the terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iran and Syria, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Ansaru and the rest. Muslims and non Muslims must study Islam and the life of the Prophet with sincerity and with all their heart.

Dear brothers and sisters! The first pillar of Islam is our testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The first half of this testimony is our declaration of monotheism. The second half is our declaration that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger. We can only fully realise the meaning of the second half of the testimony in our hearts by cultivating the following:

1. Belief in everything the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has told us: We must believe, first and foremost, that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah sent to all humanity to convey to them what Allah revealed to him of the Qur’an and Sunnah. This is the religion of Islam, and Allah will accept from his servants no other religion.
2. Obedience to his commands with full acceptance and submission: We must adhere to his Sunnah and emulate his most excellent example and eschew everything to the contrary.
3. Love for the Prophet (Peace be upon him): We must love our Prophet more than we love anyone else, even our own parents and children. In this way, we will show him the respect and deference that he deserves and we will be inspired to do what we must to support and defend him.

Respected servants of Allah, it is incumbent upon every one of us as Muslims to fully realise in our lives the meaning of our testimony:

“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

We must truly inculcate this faith in our hearts. The hypocrites had said to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him):

“We bear witness that indeed you are the Messenger of Allah.”

In turn, Allah Almighty made a rejoinder to them and said:

“Allah knows that you (Prophet Muhammad) are indeed His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars.” [Qur’an, 63: 1]

My beloved people, there are a number of things that we can do to put our love for the Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him) into action and carry out our duty to him. We must confront the vicious attacks being waged against him and ransom him with our lives, our loved ones, and our wealth to the extent of our varying abilities. We must all carry out our responsibilities on whatever level we are able.

• Things We Can Do As Individuals

1. We can contemplate the evidence which decisively demonstrates that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. The first source for this evidence is none other than the noble Qur’an.
2. We can learn the evidence from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslims (Ijma’) that it is obligatory to obey the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and emulate his most excellent example.
3. We can acquaint ourselves with how Allah has protected the Prophet’s Sunnah. We should learn about the considerable efforts that were made by the scholars throughout the centuries to separate the genuine Sunnah from what was false and how they compiled the authentic Sunnah according to the most stringent conditions. No other civilisation of the past had ever developed a more arduous and learned set of principles for authenticating historical evidence.
4. We can cultivate in our hearts our love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) by recalling his noble attributes. We can read about his good character and his noble deeds. We can learn how he embodied all the good qualities that can possibly be attained by a single human being.
5. We can bring to mind the great favour that he bestowed on all of us and how indebted we are to him. He is the one who conveyed to us the true religion. He carried out this duty in a most excellent manner. He fulfilled his trust to Allah perfectly and delivered to us his Lord’s Message.
6. We can give him due credit for all the good that we attain by Allah’s grace in this world and the Hereafter, since he is the one who showed us towards how to attain it and who brought us guidance. Allah has blessed him on our account with the greatest blessings ever bestowed upon a Prophet.
7. We can bring to mind how compassionate and merciful the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was to his followers and how concerned he was for our guidance and welfare. Allah the Most High says:

“The Prophet is closer to the believers than they are to their own selves.” [Qur’an, 33: 6]

8. We can become acquainted with the verses of the Qur’an and with the Hadith that discuss his lofty status with his Lord and the love that Allah has for him and the esteem in which Allah holds him.
9. We can carry out Allah’s command to love the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). We should love him more than we love ourselves. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“None of you truly believes until I become dearer to him than his own self, his children, his parents, and all of mankind.”

10. We can carry out Allah’s command to show respect for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and for his Sunnah. Allah the Almighty says:

“O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the Prophet’s voice and do not speak to him loudly as you might speak to one another, lest your deeds become vain while you perceive it not.” [Qur’an, 49: 2]

11. We can fulfill Allah’s command to come to the defense of our beloved Prophet, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and protect him from those who wish to harm or defame him. Allah the Almighty says:

“To believe in Allah and His Messenger that you may assist and honour him.” [Qur’an, 48: 9]

12. We can cultivate in our hearts a sincere and constant resolve to defend the Prophet and promote his good name.
13. We can bear in mind the great blessings and rewards that in the Hereafter await those who genuinely put into practice their love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). They will be his close companions in Paradise, for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has promised that:

“You will be with whom you love.”

14. We can make it a habit to offer salutations of peace upon our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) whenever we remember to do so, especially after the call to prayer and on Fridays. This will increase our blessings from Allah In Shaa Allah.
15. We can read the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) from authentic sources and benefit from the many lessons that it contains. We can then try to apply those lessons to our lives today.
16. We can learn the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) by studying its authentic sources. We must study the Hadiths and strive to understand them correctly. We need to derive from these Hadiths the rulings and the lessons that they contain.
17. We can follow the Sunnah in its entirety, giving priority to what we are obligated to do.
18. We can strive to emulate the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) even in matters where we are under no obligation to do so. It is better even if we do something the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) did only once in our lives just so we can follow his example to the last detail.
19. We can be vigilant to avoid ever belittling any aspect of his Sunnah.
20. We can make sure that we feel joy every time we see people putting some aspect of his Sunnah into practice.
21. We can feel sorrow whenever we find that some aspect of his Sunnah is being neglected.
22. We can feel enmity towards anyone who defames the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) or disapproves of his Sunnah.
23. We can show love for the members of our beloved Prophet’s family (Ahlul Bait) and for his wives and descendants. We can seek nearness to Allah by loving them for the sake of their nearness to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and for the sake of their commitment to Islam. If we find any of his descendants disobedient to Allah, we should be eager to guide them, since their guidance is something most dear to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Umar Ibn al-Khattab said to the Prophet’s uncle:

“O Abbas! The day that you accepted Islam was more beloved to me than the day when Al-Khattab accepted Islam. This is only because I know that your acceptance of Islam was dearer to Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) than that of Al-Khattab.”

24. We can act upon the direction of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) with respect to his family when he thrice said:

“I remind you of the rights of Allah with respect to my family (Ahlul Bait).”

25. We must show love and respect for the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and recognise their honour and distinction with Allah and their superiority in knowledge and good works to those who come after them.
26. We can show love and respect for the scholars on account of their status and their knowledge of the Prophet’s legacy. The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. They deserve to be loved and honoured. This is a right that our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has over us.

• Things We Can Do As Families and As A Society

25. We must raise our children to love the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
26. We must raise our children to emulate his excellent example.
27. We must make available in our homes books about the Prophet’s life.
28. We must make available in our homes recorded lectures about his life for our families to listen to.
29. We can show our children cartoons that have a clear, pure and wholesome Islamic content.
30. We must set aside some family time every week for an Islamic study circle.
31. As husbands and wives, we can follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in how we deal with our families.
32. We must encourage our children to memorise and put into practice the words that the prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to remember Allah on all occasions.
33. We must encourage our children to spend a portion of their daily allowances on charitable deeds that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to encourage, like providing for an orphan, feeding a poor person, or helping the needy. This is an excellent practical application of the Sunnah.
34. We can make our children accustomed to using some of the Prophet’s good sayings in their everyday speech like:

“A believer is clever and sage.”

“A believer does not get stung from the same hole twice.”

“Make things easy, not difficult.”

11. We can hold competitions at home where the children can be tested on their knowledge of the Prophet’s life.
12. We can teach our children about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) by holding little programmes at home like:

“A day at the Prophet’s house.”

• Things We Can Do In the Field of Education

1. We must cultivate love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the hearts of our students by teaching them about the rights he has over us as his followers.
2. We must increase the amount of lectures given covering different aspects of his life and personality.
3. We must encourage the educational authorities to add to the Islamic Studies syllabus a subject entitled ‘The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).’
4. We must make efforts to finance the appointment of professors of the Prophet’s biography in prominent universities.
5. We must encourage serious research into the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and encourage scholars to publish works about different aspects of the Sunnah.
6. We must hold exhibitions at schools and universities to inform people about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) while focusing on the geographical spread of Islam.
7. We must devote prominent sections of our libraries to books about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
8. We can develop valuable encyclopedic reference works about the Prophet’s life.
9. We can host annual competitions where students can receive scholarships and prizes for writing the best original research papers about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life.
10. We can hold youth camps that cultivate love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and teach the practical application of the Sunnah.
11. We can host training seminars for our future leaders that focus on how to emulate the example of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

• Things We Can Do in the Field of Islamic Work

1. We can explain the hallmarks of the message that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) called towards, emphasising that he came with the original, pure religion and that his concern was to guide all humanity to the sincere, pure, clean, monotheistic worship of their Lord.
2. We must step up our efforts in calling people of all nations and of all walks of life to the guidance of Islam.
3. We must convey to the people the illustrious and noble character that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had even before he began to receive the revelation from Allah.
4. We must explain to the people the good qualities of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the unique features of Islam in a manner that will hold their attention and capture their interests.
5. We must explain how the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) behaved toward his family, his neighbours, and his followers.
6. We must focus on how admirably and magnanimously he conducted himself with the Jews, Christians, pagans, and hypocrites who showed him enmity and hostility.
7. We must explain how nobly he carried out his most mundane, daily affairs.
8. We must set aside part of the Friday sermons for discussing certain aspects of the Prophet’s life and occasionally devote an entire sermon to this topic.
9. After the daily prayers, we can offer a few comments on how the verses we recited in our prayers relate to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life.
10. We can hold study sessions for the memorisation of the Sunnah just like we do for the memorisation of the Qur’an.
11. We must correct the misconceptions that the general public has about the Sunnah and emphasise the importance of following the Sunnah in our lives.
12. We must call the people’s attention to the Islamic rulings issued by scholars regarding those who defame the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and emphasise that we have to disassociate ourselves from such people.
13. We must work hard to return the people to their religion by presenting to them the message of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the simplest terms.
14. We can use the media to warn people against going overboard in their reverence for the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and explain to them the verses of the Qur’an that prohibit excess and extravagance. Allah the Most High says:

“Do not go to excesses in your religion.”

We can also mention relevant Hadith like:

“Do not venerate me in the same way that the Christians venerated the son of Mary (Jesus).”

We must emphasise that true love for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) is expressed by following him truthfully, faithfully and sincerely.

15. We must encourage the people to read about the life of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) from its authentic sources. We must clarify those sources and make them available.
16. We must refute and dispel the misconceptions and false claims that are circulating about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life.

• Things We Can Do In the Cultural Sphere and in the Media

15. We must use cultural and media events as opportunities to teach people about the illustrious character of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
16. We must refrain from publishing or broadcasting anything that is contrary to his Sunnah.
17. We must oppose the media and refute the misconceptions and false claims that they are propagating about our beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) and our religion.
18. We can host press conferences and cultural events with moderate non-Muslim thinkers where we can openly discuss the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace e upon him) and his message.
19. We can publish and disseminate what objective non-Muslim thinkers have said about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
20. We can hold conventions and conferences to discuss the life and methodology of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and to demonstrate how that methodology is suitable for all places and times.
21. We can air televised competitions where contestants can earn prizes by demonstrating their knowledge of the Prophet’s life.
22. We must write and publish articles, stories, and pamphlets about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
23. We must petition the editorial boards of newspapers and magazines to provide a regular feature that highlights verses of the Qur’an and Hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and explains why Muslims love the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and emulate his example.
24. We can petition the executive bodies of television networks to air programs about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life, highlighting his good qualities and the exemplary way that he conducted himself with his wives, his children, his followers, and his enemies.
25. We can encourage production studios to prepare professional quality video programs about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life.
26. We can encourage our local television stations and satellite channels to produce and air pure cartoon programs for children highlighting the good qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and stories from his life.

• What We Can Do Through Our Islamic Groups and Charities

15. We can establish committees and departments within our groups devoted to supporting our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
16. We can reserve space for our groups at local and international expositions and conventions and distribute literature and other media products about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his message.
17. We can establish permanent distribution centers for distributing books, pamphlets, and audio recordings about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
18. We can establish a special award with preset standards to be presented to the person who best served the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his biography. The presentation of this award could be accompanied by a major ceremony to which many renowned personages would be invited.
19. We can print books about the Prophet’s life in various locals and foreign languages to be distributed to public libraries, universities, and centers for Oriental studies around the globe.
20. We can publish a periodical journal that specialises in the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), his life, Islamic teachings, and the Muslims, emphasising the good qualities of the religion that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) came with.
21. We can establish charitable funds to finance our program of supporting the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and to pay for the writing and translation of books and articles.

• What We Can Do On the Internet

15. We can establish groups and platforms devoted to propagating Islam and showing, among other things, how Islam teaches love and reverence for all of the Prophets (Peace be upon them all).
16. We can establish websites and online newsgroups devoted to the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). On a smaller scale, we can create dedicated web pages for existing websites that have a broader focus.
17. We can participate in live chats online with non-Muslims and invite them to study the personality of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the religion that he came with.
18. We can include at the bottom of our e-mails some appropriate Hadith and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
19. We can prepare an occasional online newsletter that discusses the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his message to be sent out on special occasions and whenever circumstances warrant it.
20. We can post on major search engines notices about relevant books and lectures.

• Things We Can Do With Our Wealth and Through Our Governments

15. We can give financial support to Islamic activities that focus on the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
16. We can print billboards and bumper stickers that quote the words of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
17. We can help to establish Islamic television and radio stations, as well as periodicals that are devoted to spreading the message of Islam in many languages around the world and especially in English.
18. We can pay for airtime on television and radio stations in various countries to get our message across.
19. We can establish centers devoted to research into the study of the Prophet’s biography and the publication of that research in many languages.
20. We can establish museums and libraries devoted to the Prophet’s life and his legacy.
21. We can fund the establishment of high quality professional websites on the Internet devoted to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life.
22. We can pay for the production of high quality books, audio recordings, and television programs in various major languages, especially English.
23. We can help to finance Islamic competitions about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and provide substantial prizes to encourage participation.

Dear brothers and sisters! It is our collective and individual duty to do what we can to support and protect the honour of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). I’m offering this list of suggestions so that no one will have any excuse to remain idle. Let us begin by working together to circulate these suggestions to as many people as we can. We should invite our families and friends to get involved. We should not feel shy to pick up the phone or to send out an SMS in support of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Defending the honour of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is an obligation upon every Muslim. It is only when you begin to understand the position he (Peace be upon him) holds in our life, then will you understand the outrage around the Muslim world.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

And Islam teaches us not to insult other peoples religion and this is a value we expect all people to uphold.

Oh you Afenifere group, show some respect for people’s religion. Know that, insulting or attacking people’s religion will only bring harm to society.

“And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge.” [Qur’an, 6.108]

How is it that you can use “freedom of speech” to insult one of the worlds biggest religion and think it is okay to offend almost two billion people around the world?

Know that we will not remain silent and you are igniting a flame that will only end when you are forced to apologise for this unacceptable action.

Oh Muslims around the world, it is an obligation on you to do everything in your ability to defend the honour of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Don’t remain silent! This is the time to talk, to show the world our love for our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Let it be known, it is unacceptable to insult a person’s religion under the pretext of “freedom of speech”, Whether it be Islam, Judaism, Christianity or any religion in the world. Lets work together to make the world a more respectful and peaceful place to live, and this starts by teaching this ignorant Afenifere group a lesson!

All Thanks be to Allah! I was informed just now by a reliable source that the Sahara Reporters online newspaper takes down the insulting news item and apologises to Muslim Ummah. Now it’s over to Afenifere to do the same!

Many thanks to all those conscious, zealous and patriotic Muslims who stood in defense of the honour of our noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the face of unnecessary comparison of his struggle with that of an ethnic bigot, nuisance, thug and rabble-rouser. In the end, all we seek is respect for our faith and leader. We do not seek to cause any trouble with anyone.

All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.