By Imam Murtadha Gusau
In The name of Allah,The Most Merciful,The Most gracious
Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of ourselves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
Dear brothers and sisters!Allah the Almighty says:
“(O Prophet Muhammad), We did not grant everlasting life to any human being even before you. If you were to die, will they live for ever? Every living being shall taste death and We shall subject you to ill and good by way of trial, and to Us shall all of you be eventually sent back.” [Qur’an, 21:34-35]
Respected brothers and sisters! A prominent Nigerian Islamic cleric, Imam Sheikh Dr. Idris Abdul’aziz Dutsen Tanshi, has passed away.
The late Imam was among the most leading Islamic scholars in Nigeria and Africa, widely recognised for his contributions to disseminating Islamic teachings across the continent.
In addition to his scholarly work, Imam Dr. Idris Abdul’aziz Dutsen Tanshi was also a businessman and farmer.
He had been battling with ill health for some time, and recently traveled abroad for medical treatment during the last month of Ramadan.
His funeral prayer was held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday at the Eid prayer ground in Games Village, Bauchi State.
Sincerely speaking, we are deeply saddened by the passing of Sheikh Imam Dr. Idris Abdul’aziz Dutsen Tanshi. He was a man of great knowledge and deep thought. Though some people considered him controversial, but those who took the time to truly understand him would recognise the truth in much of his wisdom.
His passing has deeply shaken us and made us reflect on the transient nature of this life. Yes, some people may rejoice over his death, but the painful reality is that they, too, will face it sooner or later. Death is the greatest reminder, and we must take lessons from it.
My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, his friends, and his students. May his soul rest in peace, ameen.
Dear servants of Allah! Life slips away second by second. Are you aware that every day brings you closer to death or that death is as close to you as it is to other people? As we are told in the following Qur’anic verse:
“Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever.” [Qur’an, 55:26-27]
And:
“Every soul shall taste death in the end; to Us shall you be brought back.” [Surah al-Ankabut: 57]
Wallahi everyone who has ever appeared on this earth was destined to die. Without exception they all died, every one. Today, we hardly come across the traces of many of these people who passed away. Those currently living and those who will ever live will also face death on a predestined day. Despite this fact, people tend to see death as an unlikely incident.
Think of a baby who has just opened its eyes to the world and a man who is about to breathe his last. Both had no influence on their individual birth or death whatsoever. Only Allah possesses the power to inspire the breath of life or to take it away.
All human beings will live until a certain day and then die; Allah the Almighty in the Qur’an gives an account of the attitude commonly shown towards death in the following Qur’anic verse:
“Say: The death from which you flee will truly overtake you: then you will be sent back to the Knower of things secret and open: and He will tell you (the truth of) the things that you did!” [Surah al-Jumu’ah: 8]
The majority of people avoid thinking about death. In the rapid flow of daily events, a person usually occupies himself with totally different subjects: what college to enroll in, which company to work for, what colour of clothing to wear next morning, what to cook for supper; these are the kinds of major issues that we usually consider. Life is perceived as a routine process of such minor matters. Attempts to talk about death are always interrupted by those who do not feel comfortable hearing about it. Assuming death will come only when one grows older, one does not want to concern himself with such an unpleasant subject. Yet it should be kept in mind that living for even one further hour is never guaranteed. Everyday, man witnesses the deaths of people around him but thinks little about the day when others will witness his own death. He never supposes that such an end is awaiting him!
Nevertheless, when death comes to man, all the “realities” of life suddenly vanish. No reminder of the “good old days” endures in this world. Think of everything that you are able to do right now: you can blink your eyes, you can move your body, you can speak, you can laugh; all these are functions of your body. Now think about the state and shape your body will assume after your death.
While all this is taking place in the world, the corpse under the soil will go through a rapid process of decay. Skin and soft tissues will completely disintegrate. The brain will decay and start looking like clay. This process will go on until the whole body is reduced to a skeleton.
However, our beloved Prophet, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), was reported to have said that the dead body of Prophets, pious people and martyrs would not decay in the grave and that there is enjoyment in the grave just as there is punishment in it.
There is no chance of going back to the old life again. Gathering around the supper table with your family members, socialising or to having an honourable job will never again be possible.
In short, the “heap of flesh and bones” to which we assign an identity faces a quite nasty end. On the other hand, you – or rather, your soul – will leave this body as soon as you breathe your last. The remainder of you – your body – will become part of the soil.
Yes, but what is the reason for all these things happening? If Allah willed, the body would never have decayed in such a way. That it does so actually carries a very important inner message in itself.
The tremendous end awaiting man should make him acknowledge that he is not a body himself, but a soul “encased” within a body. In other words, man has to acknowledge that he has an existence beyond his body. Furthermore, man should understand the death of his body, which he tries to possess as if he is to remain eternally in this temporal world. However this body, which he deems so important, will decay and become worm-eaten one day and finally be reduced to a skeleton. That day might be very soon.
Despite all these facts, man’s mental process is inclined to disregard what he does not like or want. He is even inclined to deny the existence of things he avoids confronting. This tendency seems to be most apparent when death is the issue. Only a funeral or the sudden death of an immediate family member brings this reality to mind. Almost everybody sees death far from himself. The assumption is that those who die while sleeping or in an accident are different people and what they face will never befall us! Everybody thinks it is too early to die and that there are always years ahead to live.
Yet most probably, people who die on the way to school or hurrying to attend a business meeting shared the same thought. They probably never thought that the next day’s newspapers or social media would publish news of their deaths. It is entirely possible that, as you read these lines, you still do not expect to die soon after you have finished them or
even entertain the possibility that it might happen. Probably you feel that it is too early to die because there are many things to accomplish. However, this is just an avoidance of death and these are only vain endeavours to escape it. Allah the Almighty says:
“Say: Running away will not profit you if you are running away from death or slaughter; and even if (you do escape), no more than a brief (respite) will you be allowed to enjoy!” [Surah al-Ahzab: 16]
Man who is created alone should be aware that he would also die alone. Yet during his life, he lives almost addicted to possessions. His sole purpose in life becomes to possess more. Yet, no one can take his goods with him to the grave. The body is buried wrapped in a shroud made from the cheapest of fabrics. The body comes into this world alone and departs from it in the same way…
According to the Hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), the Messenger of Allah used to pray in his prayer:
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave, I seek refuge in You from the tribulation of the Dajjal, I seek refuge in You from the trials of life and death, O Allah, I seek refuge in You from sin and loss.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Allah the Almighty says:
“In the end, to Us shall you be brought back.” [Qur’an, 29:57]
Respected brothers and sisters! The subject of death scares us beause we don’t know much about it nor the life in the grave and the life after death. We all know we will one day die but few are willing to discuss the details of what happens thereafter. We are afraid because of our own ignorance; because what is to come is unseen and unfamiliar…and we are unprepared. Allah the Most High says:
“Say: The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls: then shall you be brought back to your Lord.” [Qur’an, 32:11]
Our biological make-up on this planet is not fit for the place of our roots – namely Heavan or Hell. There is no way we can enter Heavan with the flesh we are made of. Hence, the grave is a centre of transformation: a center of preparation and resynthesis of the body of the individual to be ready for recreation.
It should be stated here that everyone of us is to die even if we hide ourselves anywhere in the world; or even if we try to protect ourselves.
Allah the Most High sends a special Angel i.e. Angel of Death whose nickname is ‘Izra’il’ to take the soul out of the flesh.
“Say: The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls: Then shall you be brought back to your Lord.” [Qur’an, 32:11]
This angel knows us better than our parents know us. He knows where we are and how we are to die. His main responsibilities is extracting the soul out of the flesh. He can enter any and every place where a person is to die, in order to perform his duty, even if we hide ourselves in fortresses. Allah the Most High says the following:
“Wherever you are, death will find you out, even if you are in towers built up strong and high.” [Qur’an, 4:78]
As far as the removal of the soul from the flesh is concerned, the Angel of Death will extract it from good people with ease. For those who are bad, the removal of the soul is tough and difficult. The Qur’anic expression for the removal of the soul from bad people, hypocrites and disbelievers is horrifying: More than one angel are to work together. They beat the face and back of the deceased while extracting the soul, otherwise, it will come out with difficulty. Allah the Almighty says in the following:
“If you could see, when the angels take the souls of the unbelievers (at death), how they smite their faces and their backs, saying: taste the penalty of the blazing fire. Because of the deeds which your own hands sent forth: For Allah is never unjust to his servants.” [Qur’an, 8:50-51]
The Hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) about extracting the soul from the flesh of bad people is summarised as follows:
“Al-Bara’ Ibn Azib narrated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “If an unbelieving servant is more concerned with the worldly life than he is about the other life, angels descend from the sky. These angels, who are carrying bad smelling fragrance, sit in near proximity to the dying unbeliever. Then the Angel of Death descends and places himself near the head of the unbeliever. The Angel of Death says: ‘O bad soul! Come out to Allah’s curse and anger.’ The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: The soul disperses in the dying person’s body. The Angel of Death grabs the soul like a sufud (a piece of metal stuck in wet wool). The Angel of Death takes the soul without letting it stay in his hand for even an instance. Then the angels put a rough garment that smells bad on the deceased’s soul. The soul comes out having a very foul smell.”
For those who are good, the Qur’an informs us that the extraction and pulling out the soul from flesh is very easy. The dying person will not feel the pain from the removal of the soul from his body. It will be as easy as pulling a strand of hair out of some dough. The Hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) narrated by Al-Bara’ Ibn Azib states the following:
“If the believing servant refrains from coverting material things in his temporal life and desires the hereafter, white-faced angels descend from the sky. Their faces shine as brightly as the sun. They carry with them funeral garb and hanut (fragrance) from Heavan. They sit in near proximity to the dying person. The Angel of Death (may Allah bless him) comes and sits near the dying person’s head, saying: O good soul, come out to Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, “The soul comes out like a drop of water being poured out. Then the Angel takes the soul, without letting it stand in his hand; releases it like a blink. The other angels take the soul and clothe it in funeral garb and hanut. From that soul comes the best smell, one resembling the best musk on earth.”
Dear servants of Allah! Sheikh Dr. Imam Idris Abdulaziz Dutsen Tanshi’s death is not only a loss to the Muslim world alone but a great loss to humanity in general.
Chief amongst what he did for humanity in his life was the facts that he is the first and last man standing against Boko Haram terrorists and their teachings on principles as his debate and subsequent victory over Muhammed Yusuf the infamous leader of Boko Haram was responsible for deradicalization of thousands of Boko Haram members in Bauchi and beyond. Imagine the magnitude of attacks Nigerians could have suffered without many Boko Haram members changing their minds and rescinding their decisions to join Muhammed Yusuf before he was killed.
It was also alleged that after the debate of which Dr. Idris Abdul’aziz was able to had superior arguments with numerous evidence from The Glorious Qur’an and Numerous Hadiths, Muhammed Yusuf agreed to halt his teachings and disband his Sect if his security will be guaranteed only for him to run into battle with authorities of Borno State Government and subsequently the federal government and the rest became history.
Imam Sheikh Dr. Idris Abdul’aziz Dutsen Tanshi’s second contribution to humanity is in the area of Education both conventional and Islamic. As a proprietor of a Private College of Education in Bauchi State, he has produced quality teachers and other professionals that are competing with those trained at Government Colleges if not better hence contributed more in the human and capital development of Bauchi states than the political and business class.
Thirdly, as an unapologetic Salafist, he fought against innovation in Islam while living a stoic, disciplined and prudent lifestyle despite his wealth till his last breath.
May Allah the Almighty forgives his sins, shortcomings and failings; and grants him Jannatul Firdaus as we hope that Allah’s mercy and his good deeds intercede on his behalf in his grave and hereafter while his bad deeds be forgiven.
Respected brothers and sisters! Let’s all understand that in the end, wallahi we will all return back to our Creator (Allah). And what truly matters is the legacy we leave behind. Sheikh Imam Dr. Idris Abdul’aziz Dutsen Tanshi left behind a legacy of goodness for those who value truth, though it may seem bitter to those who resist it.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly and sincerely until the establishment of the Hour.
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.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Shawwal 13, 1446 AH (April 11, 2025).