Date: 2015-08-01

I realized that I am not the first to post the daring image of the monarch - The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and his wives praying amidst Muslim male congregants. Linda Ikeji has already posted it on her blog. Though, some followers of the blog make spurious inferences to the abominable act of women performing the obligatory prayer in the midst of men, I doubt if the innocent blogger envisaged that this nauseating image might spur the reaction of sincere custodians of the Prophet's noble tradition before making it public. Anyway, this is Yoruba land and the excesses of the Oba can be overlooked.

Whatever the case maybe, in Islam; leadership is no indicator of absolute intelligence. Today, it is saddening that many often view leaders as custodians of intellect. In Yoruba land especially, servile silence of Muslim scholars is so prevalent that traditional rulers call the shots even in some masaajid (places of worship). I'm writing this because of the understanding that whoever witnesses oppression but feigns indifference has done worse than a hypocrite; evils triumph where scholars get cowed.

When the action of a tyrant becomes the very source of guidance and an irresistible attraction for the youths, however powerful or devilish the tyrant might be, silence of religious scholars would never be accepted as worthwhile under the guise of taking precautionary measure. Now is the time that sincere scholars are expected to cast caution to the winds and call a spade by its name; when the Oba insisted that his wives must pray amongst men.

Prime on my list of preferences for contemporary scholars is their staunch adherence to pristine ideology in consonance to the documented tradition that religious scholars have handed-down. Shaykh Adam Abdullah al-Alori once warned Yoruba Muslim scholars to deviate from telling half-truths on religious matters. Today, this seems to be the current coin of thought amongst the those charged with the responsibilities of leading the congregation.

It is apparent that the Oba sees his position no more than he can rule from the shrine to the church and the market to the masaajid within Oyo; but where are the scholars to judiciously caution him to stare clear from going against the rules of Islam in his kingdom? Without a taint of immodest, it is expected of the Chief Imam to caution the monarch from transgressing, because the he might be oblivious of the teachings of Islam; it is the duty of the Imam to exhort him about his wrongs; for this might be sheer act of ignorance devoid of arrogance. Condemning a criminal act is a necessary effort and it is the Imam's primary assignment to boldly spell it without having to cherrypick whose ox is being gored. But, wherever smarmy scholars serve, raffish rulers reign supreme.

Sheriff Olanrewaju writes from Ilorin.