By Imam Murtadha Gusau
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation, the Absolute Sovereign, Who establishes justice and commands equity.
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, sent as a mercy to the worlds, a warner to the arrogant, and a champion for the oppressed.
Dear brothers and sisters! Fear Allah and know that the scales of divine justice do not tilt for any nation, king, or president. The laws of Allah that govern human societies are unyielding and unchanging. Allah has declared in a famous Hadith Qudsi:
“O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself, and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another.”
Respected brothers and sisters! Surah Al-Anfal, Qur’an, 8:25, warns Muslim believers to guard against a trial, test, punishment, tribulations, unrest, crisis, riots or fitnah that does not strike only wrongdoers, but affects the entire Ummah. It reminds society that failing to check public sins and neglects leads to collective consequences. Allah Almighty says:
“And guard against a trial that will not afflict those who do wrong among you exclusively, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.”
The Qur’anic verse warns that if evil, corruption, or injustice becomes widespread and good people stay silent or fail to forbid wrongdoing, the resulting calamity or trial sweeps through everyone.
Islamic scholars often explain this Qur’anic verse using the Prophet Muhammad’s metaphor of people on a ship. If some passengers drill a hole in their own lower deck, the entire ship sinks—taking everyone with it—unless the others stop them.
True faith and true Iman requires active moral duty called, ‘Amr bil-ma’ruf wan nahy ‘anil-munkar,’ meaning society cannot remain passive in the face of open transgression.
Allah the Most High says:
“Fitnah is worse than killing.” [Qur’an, 2:191 and 2:193]
Look around the world today. Observe the smoke rising from the streets of Europe, from the avenues of France, Spain, Italy, Albania, Portugal, and from the centers of global wealth. We see societies that built empires on material prosperity now trembling. We see citizens taking to the streets in fury, driven by the burning pain of economic deprivation, inequality, and inflation. They are protesting the theft of their futures, the soaring costs of survival, and the indifference of their leaders.
Let it be known clearly: these riots are not mere political events to be analysed on television screens. They are a profound sign from Allah. They are a living manifestation of a spiritual and psychological truth that Islam taught fourteen centuries ago: oppression and economic injustice are the parents of ruin. When people are stripped of their dignity, when wealth becomes a circuit restricted only to the rich, and when the basic needs of the common folk are mocked by the extravagance of the elite, a fire is lit in the hearts of the masses. Eventually, that fire breaches the walls of palaces.
This is a direct, urgent, terrifying lesson and warning for the leadership of Nigeria!
If nations with stronger social safety nets, institutional buffers, and immense material wealth can fracture under the weight of economic anger, what then of a land where the majority of the population lives in multi-dimensional poverty?
What then of a nation where the cry of the hungry child is ignored, where corruption eats away at the collective wealth like a terminal disease, and where leaders insulate themselves in fortresses of luxury while the citizens languish in darkness, insecurity, and despair?
O leaders of Nigeria, listen to the words of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him):
“Any leader who takes charge of the affairs of the people and does not strive for their well-being and act sincerely toward them will not enter Paradise with them.”
Do not misinterpret the patience of your people for weakness. Do not confuse their resilience for contentment. The human soul was created by Allah to yearn for justice. When you starve a people of opportunity, when you deny them basic security, and when you allow corruption to bleed the economy dry, you are filling a reservoir with resentment. The unrest in Europe demonstrates that when that reservoir overflows, wallahi, no amount of security forces or political maneuvering can contain the torrent.
History is a relentless witness. The noble Qur’an tells us of nations—Pharaoh’s Egypt, Madyan, the people of Aad and Thamud—that collapsed not always from an external enemy, but from internal decay, arrogance, and the economic exploitation of the vulnerable. Allah Almighty says in Surah Al-Fajr:
“Who transgressed within the lands, making therein much corruption. So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment. Indeed, your Lord is in observation.”
True leadership is not a title of nobility or a license to accumulate wealth; it is a heavy, terrifying trust and amanah. On the Day of Judgment, every leader will stand before the King of Kings, stripped of their security detail, their immunity clauses, and their bank accounts. They will be questioned about every naira, every policy, every hungry family, and every broken promise.
Remember the words of the Second Caliph, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, who wept at the thought of his responsibility, saying:
“If a mule stumbles on the banks of the Euphrates, I fear that Allah will hold me accountable for it, asking: ‘Why did you not pave the road for it, O Umar?'”
Compare this profound spiritual terror to the indifference we see today, where millions of human lives are disrupted by systemic neglect, yet those in power remain unbothered.
We call upon the leaders of Nigeria to fear Allah and pivot immediately toward true justice. Repair the broken economy, invest in the poor, eliminate the systemic greed and selfishness that paralyses our institutions, and listen to the pain of the streets before the streets speak in a language no one wants to hear.
Establish an economy built on fairness, where the wealth of the nation is utilised to uplift the lowest among us, not to cushion the excesses of the highest.
And to the citizens, we remind you to remain steadfast, to demand your rights with dignity and righteousness, and to know that Allah is never unaware of what the wrongdoers do.
Respected brothers and sisters! No doubt, the economic riots sweeping through France, Spain, Italy, Albania, Portugal and parts of Europe serve as a divine warning and an undeniable wake-up call for Nigerian leaders. When nations with vast resources ignore the cries of the poor, systemic collapse becomes inevitable.
O leaders, O public servants, and O those entrusted with the affairs of the people: look closely at the streets of Europe today. Look at the cities of nations that were once considered the bastions of economic stability and global wealth. The fires burning in the streets of France, the mass protests, and the civil unrest are not isolated political events. They are the physical manifestation of a spiritual truth: unaddressed economic oppression always breeds chaos.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) warned us:
“Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.”
When leaders hoard wealth, when public funds are plundered while citizens struggle for a single meal, a psychological and spiritual pressure builds within the hearts of the masses. You cannot starve the people, deny them basic dignity, strip away their economic future, and expect eternal patience. The unrest in Europe is a mirror reflecting a universal law—when justice is denied, peace is confiscated.
Nigerian leaders must understand that if advanced economies with functional safety nets can fracture under the weight of inflation and inequality, a developing nation cannot survive the reckless exploitation of its populace. Leadership is not a privilege of consumption; it is a heavy burden of accountability. On the Day of Judgment, every leader will stand alone to answer for every citizen who went to bed hungry under their watch.
And the Qur’an states clearly:
“And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively, and know that Allah is severe in penalty.” [Surah Al-Anfal, 25]
Social collapse does not discriminate. When the dam of public endurance breaks, the resulting flood consumes both the corrupt and the silent bystanders. The current economic climate in Nigeria—marked by soaring inflation, poverty, and a widening chasm between the ruling class and the citizens—mirrors the exact vulnerabilities that trigger global unrest.
True spiritual leadership requires immediate empathy and radical systemic reform. It requires shifting from an economy of extraction to an economy of cultivation. Leaders must fear the Almighty regarding their stewardship over the weak, the youth, and the impoverished.
Let the smoke rising from European cities be the warning that prevents the same fire from consuming our home. Turn back to justice, restore the rights of the people, and fulfill your covenant before time runs out.
Please, our leaders should’nt ignite the unnecessary riots in our country with their behavious!
For example, in Paris, 550,000 people marched on Saturday, October 17, 2026 — 110 cities. 1,800 arrested, 500 police injured, 143-year-old City Hall of Limoges burnt to ashes. President Macron went on TV: “No room for violence in our Republic.”
In Milan, Italy, black-clad youths clashed with police, 50 detained protesting cost of living and Gaza war. In Madrid and Barcelona, Spain not riots but silent rebellion thousands pitched tents in city squares. Their slogan: “We cannot afford rent.” Average rent in Barcelona is now 65% of youth salary. So, they need change.
In Tirana, Albania 5th day of anti-government riots students throw Molotov at the Ministry of Education, demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama resign after 13 years. 167 arrests, 132 police injured, Ministry building on fire.
In Lisbon, Portugal the same tent protests.
What connects Paris, Milan, Madrid, Tirana? They are not poor countries. They are in Europe. But they are burning with the same fire burning Wuse Market, economic precarity. And if it can happen in France, it can happen in Nigeria and other African countries faster.
It did not start with politicians. It started with 15-year-olds. On September 10, 2026, in Lycée Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry, Créteil, Paris suburb students blockaded school with trash bins. Complaint: “No teacher for maths for 3 weeks. Roof leaks. 40 students per class. We study from 8am to 6pm with a 30 minute lunch.” The government sent riot police. One boy, 15, picked up a police grenade in Len’s hand.
When you neglect school, school will come to the street. When you neglect labour leaders the workers will one day come to the street. When you continue neglecting the youth they will strike.
I ask Allah to grant our leaders the wisdom to learn before it is too late, to cleanse our hearts from greed and selfishness, and to establish peace, justice, and prosperity in our nation, ameen.
All praise is due to Allah, 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 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 or +2348024192217.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Jumadal Ula 12, 1448 AH (Octorber 23, 2026).