Date: 2015-01-27

As the countdown to the February 2015 general elections in the country begins, a Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Ilorin, Badmas Olanrewaju Yusuf, has called on politicians and their supporters to moderate their utterances and avoid actions that could cause instability before, during and after the polls in compliance with the ordinances of the Qur'an against extra-judicial killings and violence.

Prof. Yusuf, who made the call while delivering the 156th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ilorin last Thursday (January 22, 2015), identified the relegation of the Qur'an in the scheme of things as the major cause of Nigeria's woes.

In the lecture, entitled "Utilising the Qur'an, Stabilising the Society", the scholar also noted that the refusal of our political leaders and public office holders to put the guidance of the Qur'an to practice was due to ignorance, arrogance and hypocrisy.

Prof. Yusuf lamented that many Muslims who had served the nation as Presidents, Ministers, Governors, Chairmen and in other public offices did not allow the Qur'an to guide their actions while in office, neither is it influencing their successors who are presently occupying public offices in the country.

Quoting copiously from the Qur'an, Prof. Yusuf submitted that "it is very obvious that where poverty and injustice have become a way of life, stability will be far away from such a society, and where there is no stability there will be no development and progress."

According to him, the Glorious Qur'an stipulates three things that bring about stability and enjoins all to observe them while also highlighting three things that could lead to instability, which must be avoided. He said, "The three things that will stabilise the society are: justice, kindness, and taking care of the kith and kin, Three things that will destabilise the society are shameful deeds, evil and transgression".

At the well-attended Lecture, the don observed that if Nigerian leaders had been utilising the lessons of the Qur'an, the United States Foreign Secretary, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, would not be in a position to lambast the Nigerian leadership for squandering the resources of the people and festering corruption. On the need for national unity despite the differences in political affiliation, Prof. Yusuf averred that the Qur'an promotes unity of humankind and abrogates any form of discrimination based on race, colour and other ephemeral considerations. He, however, lamented that many people hold a mistaken view about the Qur'an and its message due to the actions of some Muslims, such as causing unrest and instability in the society, which, he said, is inconsistent with the teachings of the Qur'an.

The don noted that Muslims will not buy the message of criminal elements who quote the Quran out of context and challenged intellectuals to establish the true teachings and verdicts of Islamic law and also truthfully disseminate the letter and spirit of the Qur'an.

Stressing that the provisions of the Qur'an for stabilising the society is based on natural justice, logic and facts, Prof. Yusuf noted that the prohibition of usury (Riba) in the Qur'?n for instance, "is to stem the tide of exploitation which could have corrosive effect on the borrower."

The don noted that giving loan to a distressed person and expecting an interest when he is paying back may compound his problem and make him more bankrupt, especially when he is unable to pay back the loan.

Prof. Yusuf pointed out that "the prohibition of interest by the Qur'an has recently caught the attention of many banking and finance experts across the globe so much so that many banks in Europe and the western world adopted this rule and introduced Islamic Banking System where interest-free loan is granted and any form of usurious practises have been discarded. This is what is in vogue in the US, UK, Germany, France, Russian and Italy among others".

He stated further that "the applicability of codes and rules of the Qur'an to life activities of individuals, families and the society at large has been demonstrated by the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt. They were able to contribute to the economic development and provide employment opportunities for the youth through the establishment of many companies and enterprises".

In his recommendation on how to banish instability in Nigeria, Prof Yusuf called on the Government to recognise Qur'anic learning centres and pay the salaries of their functionaries as he called on Muslim exegetes to address topical issues on various aspects of life in their Tafs?r sessions.

The don also advised the Kwara State Qur'an Recitation and Memorisation Committee to mobilize stakeholders who will build a permanent Qur'an Memorisation Centre and also charged the leadership of the Muslim community in Nigeria to evolve guidelines from the Glorious Qur'an to guide the private and public activities of Muslims.