Speech of Mawlana Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Salih Al-Husseini - May God Almighty protect him, (the Chairman of the Nigerian Fatwa Commission and Islamic Council, General President of the International Islamic Renaissance Organization, Member of the Council of Muslim Elders, President of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Scholars - Nigeria Chapter), on the occasion of the celebration of the birth of the Prophet at his blessed corner in Gonghe Alley, Maidugri City, Borno State of  Federal Republic of Nigeria, on Rabi` Al-Awal 14 of 1442th (AH) corresponding to October 31 , 2020 (AD).

I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan, in the name of God, the Most Gracious, and the Most Merciful.

Praise is to God, Lord of the worlds, blessings and peace be upon the one who was sent as a mercy to the worlds, as the master of the successors and the predecessors, as the gifted bounty, as the leading grace, our master and the son of Abdullah. Blessings and peace also be upon his noble relatives and white - fore headed followers and whoever love them, follow them and defend them until a day when those who follow his path and guide will win.

Your Excellency/ Representative of the Governor of Borno State in the person of Professor Baba Ghanna Ammar Zoulem, His Highness Dr. Al-Hajj Abu Bakr bin Omar Gharbi Al-Kanami, and the men of success and Excellencies, Representatives of the various government agencies in the State of Borno, and the noble scholars, presenters, and heads of Islamic organizations and institutions; and my beloved brothers and sons in our blessed corner, men and women, young and old;

Distinguished guests,

Peace, blessings and mercy of God be upon you

This fragrant memory is renewed in this year ( 1442 AH, 202 AD), while the world has witnessed since the first half of the last Hijri year and the first quarter of the new calendar year and up to this day, new changes in the world that affected the entire human life and did not exclude anyone, any country. You have seen how the effects of the Corona pandemic have been reflected on all countries, and most of people's interests have been disrupted because of it.

On this occasion, we ask everyone to have mercy on those whom we lost among the dearest to us, and the most beneficial to the Islamic Ummah, among the great caliphs, scholars, leaders of the propagation to Almighty God, sultans, princes, and state men in all fields, in Borno State, and in our blessed corner in Meduguri, and in our country Nigeria in general  and in Senegal, especially, the king of Al-Tijani, Mawlana Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tijani Bin Sheikh Al-Islam Maulana Haji Ibrahim Nias, and his honourable daughter Mrs. Fatima Al-Zahraa, and his brother, Sheikh Mukhtar, may God be pleased with them and their mercy all, as well as the family members of the late Caliph Abu Bakr Sidheeq, And companions in the city of Twon, Mauritania, the Ivory Coast, Chad, Central Africa, Cameroon, Niger, The Gambia, Comoros, Sudan, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Libya, Syria, Kuwait, Yemen, Algeria, and all those who have passed away in this difficult period in the rest of the world .

We ask God Almighty, forgiveness and mercy for all of them, and God bless them with martyrdom, and to bless them with what he bestowed upon the prophets, righteous, martyrs, and righteous people. Truly, they were great and successive calamities, but this was the applied intention of God, his irreplaceable destiny. The Almighty said: ("Every soul will know the taste of death. You will get your recompense in full on the Day of Resurrection; and he who is spared the Fire and finds his way to Paradise will meet his desire. As for the life of this world, it's nothing but a merchandise of vanity") - Aal Imran - 185. (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return)

This is the case of the world as described by Almighty God, in His Holy Book: ("The life of the world is like the rain that waters the crops of the earth which are used as food by men and cattle. But when the earth is embellished and adorned with gold and its tillers begin to feel that (the crops) are under control, our command descends suddenly at night or in the day, and we mow them down as though there was nothing there yesterday. This is how we distinctly explain our signs to those who think") - Yunus - 24.

He also says: ("Present to them the example of the life of this world; it is like the water we send down from the skies that mingles with the earth to nourish its vegetation, which then on the morrow turns to stubble and is blown away by the wind. God has power over everything") - Al Kahf - 45.

My brothers in God,

The Corona pandemic has affected all of humanity, and we, as believers, believe that it is one of the army of God (the Blessed and Exalted be He), which indicates His ability and compulsion. Regardless of other interpretations we ask God Almighty to lift this epidemic from all humanity. Besides this, other calamities also increased, such as insecurity in some areas in our country Nigeria, and in many countries, and various crimes such as warfare, kidnapping, rape, and attacks on public and private property increased in the recent period, and corruption of all kinds appeared everywhere as God Almighty said: ("Corruption has spread over land and sea from what men have done themselves that they may taste a little of what they have done: They may haply come back (to the right path)") - Arrum - 41.

And we must not forget that our noble Messenger, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, foretold what humanity is witnessing in this age since the very beginning of the noble Prophet's mission through many Hadiths, including what Muslim reported in his Sahih, on the authority of Abd al-Rahman bin Abd Rab al-Kaaba, may God be pleased with him, said: I entered the mosque when Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-Aas was sitting in the shade of the Kaaba and the people were gathered around him, so I sat there, and he said: We were on a journey with the Messenger of God. We were a team of companions of all category. Then the announcer of Messenger of God called out: Prayer is inclusive, so we gathered to the Messenger of God, and he said: there had not any prophet before me, except that he was obliged to guide his Ummah to what is best for them, and to warn them about the bad which may happen to them. The beginning of this society will go through a healthiest life, and the last of the society will afflict to calamities and stranger things. The seditions will come one by one and will tear the society one by one. When one sedition comes; the believer says: This is my end, then it is revealed, and another one comes and he says: This is the end.

Whoever loves to move away from the fire and enter Heaven, let him die while he believes in God and the Last Day, and let him give to the people what he love to be given to him.  And whoever pledges allegiance to an imam and gives him the complete obedience, let him obey him if he is able.  And if another came to dispute him, kill him. So I moved closer to him and said to him: You heard this from the Messenger of God? So he directed to his ears while his hands on his hands, and he said: I heard it by my ears, and my heart memorized it. He said: I said to him: This is your cousin, Muawiyya who tells us to eat our money between us unjustly, and kill ourselves, while God says: (" O believers, you should not usurp unjustly the wealth of each other, but trade by mutual consent; and donot destroy yourselves. God is merciful to you") - Al Nisa - 29. He said: So he was silent for a while, then he said: "Obey him in obedience to God, and disobey him in disobeying God".

On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of God, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, said: "I witness by whom my soul is in his hand, resurrection will never took place, until immorality and miserliness appear, and the traitor is entrusted, and the trustee is betrayed, and the Vauul (noble men and leaders) perish, and the Thoth (low class people) appears. They asked: O, Messenger of the God, what is Vauul' He said: noble men and leaders, They perish, so what remains? 'Thahuth'. He said: Thahutth are those who are low class and know nothing!

Imam Abu Issa al-Tirmidhi reported: "Abd bin Hamid told us, on the authority of Husayn ibn Ali al-Jaafi, on the authority of Imam Hamzah al-Zayat al-Muqri, on the authority of Abu al-Mukhtar, on the authority of my brother Harith al-Awar, on the authority of al-Harith bin Abi Usama al-Awar, who said: "I passed by the mosque and found people engaging in Hadiths. I came to the Commander of the Believers, Ali bin Abi Talib, may God gracious to him, and I said to him: O Commander of the Faithful, do you not see people engaging in Kalam (Kalam; discussions on the matters of dispute between Muslims in belief, jurisprudence and discussions which will generate difference between Muslims) He said: did they do it?! I said: Yes. He said: As for I heard the Messenger of God saying: "It will be an examination. I said: So, what is the way out of it, O Messenger of God? He said: The Book of God, it contains news of what was before you, the news of what followed you, and the judgment of what lies in front of you. It is all about serious matter not joke. Whoever avoids it by fear of any king, God will punish him, and whoever seeks guidance in others, God will mislead him. It is the steadfast rope of God, and wise quotations, and it's the straight path, it is the one by which the passions are not distracted, the tongues are not confused, the scholars are not satisfied with how much the acquired, it is not ruined due to more repetitions, and its miracles will never cease. It's the one that the jinn did not go away when they heard it, until they said: "We have heard a miraculous recitation that leads to maturity, so we believed in it". Whoever says it is truthful, and whoever works for it will be rewarded, and whoever calls for it is guided to a straight path. He said: Then he told me: Take it to you, O Ahwar.

My brothers in God,

Nigeria was not apart from these seditions and tribulations, as we witnessed in the past few days peaceful demonstrations demanding some citizens' rights, but they derailed from their legitimate course and the matter developed into other matters as like the crucially planned. During those demonstrations, precious lives of the citizens of this blessed country were lost, properties were destroyed, and many private and public interests were disrupted in them. We still hear about other things that are not acceptable or legitimate, they need urgent and wise treatment from the beginning. While we support the citizens' demand for their legitimate rights, we ask the guardians to fulfill their duties towards those who took charge of them and listen to them with great care, we do not acknowledge the acts of sabotage, because mistakes are not treated by same mistake. So, everyone must be alert to the plans of those who do not want the citizens of our country good or stable; rather, they want us to remain in the cycle of insecurity and backwardness in all areas.

It is also regrettable, while we are in the midst of these calamities that, it's appearing upon as another sedition targeting our Great Master, Prophet  (the blessings and peace be upon him), and insulting him with the encouragement and protection of a large country that believes in democracy and freedom, and believes in justice, fairness, and respect for others. The position taken by France, we do not believe that it expresses the views of the French who love peace and encourage peaceful coexistence, and it is neither reasonable nor acceptable in this age to intentionally antagonize the feelings of followers of any religion, especially Muslims, as there is no benefit at all from that.

And we Muslims are not surprised by this, because what is happening now from the abuse of our sanctities and symbols is a natural extension of what our honorable Messenger, (may God's prayers and peace be upon him), was subjected to from the polytheists of Mecca and their disturbance to him, and to those who were living in the Arabian Peninsula at that time from the Muslims.

The Almighty said: ("You will, nonetheless, be tried with you wealth and life, and will hear many untoward things from the followers of former Books and the infidels. But if you endure with patience and follow the straight path, it will surely (accord) with God's fixed resolve about human affairs") - Aal Imran - 186.

These repeated abuses have evolved at that time to the brutal attack on Muslims, which compelled for jihad for the sake of God, to defend religion, themselves, pride, and money. We continue to repeat that Islam does not approve violence, extremism, or terrorism at all, but it allows defending religion, the soul, and defending everything related to the human being, including honor, money, mind, homeland or environment. All this must be preserved, even if this leads to the use of force to respond to the aggressor. The right to legitimate defense is a well-known principle in all practical laws and customs.

Allah said: ("Permission is granted those (to take up arms) who fight because they were oppressed. God is certainly able to give help to those") (" Who were driven away from their homes for no other reason than they said: /"Our Lord is God./" And if God had not restrained some men through some others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where the name of God is honored most, would have been razed. God will surely help those who help Him, -- verily God is all-powerful and all-mighty,--") ("Those who would be firm in devotion, give zakat, and enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong, if we gave them authority in the land. But the result of things rests with God") ("If they accuse you of falsehood, (remember that) the people of Noah, 'Ad and Thamud had accused (their apostles) before,") ("And the people of Abraham and Lot") ("And the people of Madian too. Moses was also accused of lies. So, I allowed the infidels respite and then seized them. How was my reprobation then!") ("How many habitation given to wickedness have we destroyed, whose roofs tumbled down, which fell into ruins. How many a well and fortress reinforced lie abandoned!") ("Have they not travelled in the land that they could have the heart to understand, and ears to hear? It is not the eyes alone that do not see; oblivious are the hearts within their chests") - Al Hajj - 39 to 46 verses.

Hence, we join our voice to all Arab and Islamic governments that have expressed their condemnation of this blatant behavior. We also value the call of the great Islamic authorities in the Islamic world, such as the call of the Grand Imam, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Professor Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Chairman of the Council of Muslim Elders from the necessity of enacting Legislation criminalizing attacks on religions and their symbols as long as we live in a civilized age that does not address matters with the law of the jungle, but with reason and consensus leading to stability and preserving international peace and security.

On this occasion, we raise a request, to The United Nations as it's a global body and among the priorities of its functions is the preservation of international peace and security, to seriously consider the issue of abuse on religions and their symbols and to put an end to it, because if religious strife flared up, no one knows when it will end, nor the size of the losses it will cause worldwide. We also appeal to all interfaith dialogue centers in the world, to leaders of other religions, including priests, monks, and rabbis, to the Council of Muslim Elders, which adopts among its programs (the East-West Dialogue Program (and the Human Fraternity Document), the Mohammed VI Foundation for African Scholars, and strategic and legal research and studies centers in The Arab and Islamic worlds to redouble and multiply their considerable efforts aimed at preserving security, peace, and stability in the world, by defending such abnormal behavior that may be individual thus it may stop itself, but when a major country or an institution protects such harmful behavior, it is not acceptable, and it requires strong action in societies to stop it.

As for us Muslims, as we celebrate this honorable occasion to live and awaken from our negligence, and return to God Almighty, with sincere repentance, we must renew the pledge of allegiance to our master, the Messenger of God, and review ourselves, and each of us, whether he is a leader, a senior or a young official In the state, a king or a traditional ruler, a scholar, a caliph of the Sufi orders, a leader in them, a meridian, or the head of an Islamic organization, a merchant, or a politician, a man or a woman, a sheikh, or a young man, is needed to ask himself in alone with all honesty and impartiality and sincerity that how much distant are we from what our master Prophet wants from us upon whom Allah's revelation came; ("We had prescribed in the Book of Zaboor after the reminder and admonition, that those of our creatures who are good will in the end rule the earth") ("Verily there is a message in this for people who are devout") ("We have sent you as a benevolence  to the creatures of the world") ("Say: / "This is what has been revealed to me: 'Your God is one and only God.' So will you bow in homage to Him?/") - Al Anbiyaa - 105 - 108.

Allah Says:  ("O men, it's you who stand in need of God. As for God, He is above all need; worthy of praise") ("He could take you away if He pleased and bring a new creation (in your place)") ("This is well within the power of God") ("No one who carries a burden bears another's load; and even if the burdened soul cry out for help non will carry the least of its burden, however close a relative it may be. You can only warn those who fear their Lord in secret and fulfill their devotional obligations. Whoever grows in goodness does so for him. To God is the journeying back") - Fathir - 15 to 18.

My brothers in God,

Our situations today do not contain anything that makes the heart happy, except for this few people who devoted themselves to the door of God Almighty, by supplicating and invoking Him during the night and the edges of the day, so that God Almighty may lift the calamity and reveal the evil of the Ummah. This small group of reformer scholars, hermits, worshipers, and ascetics, who are the only ones who we may depend upon after God Almighty in reforming society, they must critique themselves objectively in order to correct mistakes and remove the interests from all relationships and obstacles that may lie a barrier on the way to follow the example of our beloved master, in words, deeds and situations. Thus, we can carry the trust and fulfill our duties towards our religion and towards our brothers and our homelands, and if God will, we can win his satisfaction and acceptance.

 In this occasion we also would like to direct a message to our brothers the caliphs and followers in the chain of Tijani, but even in other chains, because they are all connected to God, as the Imam boosuri (mercy of god be upon him) said: All are needy to the messenger of God, whether it be a room in sea or sip of blood.

Recently appeared - which is not witnessed in the past and perhaps may be good - many demands to obtain permission to apply for the Tijani Tariqa, and this is good news of the spreading of this chain according to its established conditions based on the Qur'an and Sunnah. But we want to draw everyone's attention to the fact that when the sheikhs present these permission, they present them in fact as nominations for some people that they have qualified to serve Islam on the basis of honesty, sincerity, certainty, and trust in God Almighty, with complete integrity on Islamic law as the Almighty said: ("Yet to that (law) you should call them, and be constant as commanded. Do not follow their passing whims, but say: / "I believe in whatever Scripture Gos has revealed, and I am commanded to act with equivalence among you. God is our Lord and your Lord. To us, our actions; and to you; your deeds. There is no dispute between you and us. God will gather us all together, and to Him is our returning/") - Al - Shura - 15.

If the presented one works according to the Qur'an and Sunnah as much as possible, not distorted, not altered, or disguised, and he called to God Almighty with wisdom and good advice until the blessing of his works and their benign effects appeared on the far and near, and the people of his age testified to him of piety, righteousness, and righteousness over the seriousness, then that would be evidence of the submission of Almighty God to him the guiding of mankind and turning them back to following the path of those who were entrusted to him and bestowed upon them by the prophets, the righteous, the martyrs, and the righteous, and then he will be blessed with success in all his movements and his dwellings, and he will be one of the representatives of our master, the Messenger of God Almighty in delivering his propagation and communicating his message, and then God Almighty accepts that nomination because God Almighty is the true one to be presented.

And if this candidate is bent on presentation, and lost the way, as it's seen today in many of those affiliated with the high impurity, and he followed his whims, and acted as he wants from committing against Islamic rule and justifying legitimate violations, and even calling people to them and encouraging them with security from the deception of God, this person has The nomination paper for submission, but his actions delay him and it becomes lately and God Almighty is the one who delayed him because he alone is the true owner to delay him.  The Almighty said: ("Can they remain secure against the plan of God? Only they feel secure against the plan of God who is certain of being ruined") - Al Aaraf - 99.

Therefore, we sincerely invite our brothers to reconsider this matter, and for everyone to refer to the basic principles upon which the righteous companionship in God is built, and which when the aspirant comes to the Sheikh, an educator, pledges allegiance to him only on the Qur'an and Sunnah and to connect him to true knowledge of God Almighty, not for any other purpose So that this aspirant becomes condoned and after that he becomes a man who calls for good, then we ask God Almighty to grant you success.

In conclusion, my brothers in God, we ask all of you to continue to go to God Almighty, by praying during the night and the edges of the day, that he unites our word with love, conciliation, and fruitful cooperation that leads to the unification of the ranks of the Islamic nation in the east and west of the earth, God willing.

We also pray for our leaders at all levels, headed by His Excellency President Muhammad Bukhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and his assistants from senior officials at the level of the Federal Government, may God protect them all, as well as the Governor of the State of Brno, State of Peace, His Excellency Mr. Haji Baba Ghanna Amara Zulm, And his assistants in the state, as well as all members of the Senate and House of Representatives at the federal and state levels, all state governors, ministers and leaders of the various security agencies, His Highness Sultan Haji Muhammad Saad Abu Bakr III, Sultan Sakto, and His Highness, Sheikh Borno Haji Dr. Abu Bakr bin Omar Gharbi Al Kanami, And the rest of their Highnesses, Sultans, and honorable scholars, heads of Islamic youth and women organizations, and leaders of various other political parties for Nigerian citizens, may God protect them all, we ask God to inspire them all to be rational and correct in making wise and sound decisions that lead to achieving security, peace and stability throughout the country. And alleviating the suffering of citizens in all affairs of life while preserving the Federal Republic of Nigeria, unified in which all citizens enjoy with their legitimate rights, God willing.

Likewise, we ask God Almighty to protect our youth from slipping into the enemy's plans aimed at harming our dear homeland, which we must preserve for future generations just as our honorable ancestors, may God have mercy on them.

We also send the same message to young people all over the world, especially in the Yemen, the Shaam, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, and other Arab and Islamic countries, to always listen to scholars and specialization from the sheikhs and wise men and benefit from their accumulated experience to enlighten them in Their pursuit of more stability and progress in their different countries in a scientific and objective way without falling into the trap of enemies because of emotions, temptations, or misinformation. It must also be noted that the goal does not justify the means in our true law, because God Almighty has told us to worship with the means as to worship us with the results. All worldly and eschatological problems could be guaranteed by the noble prophetic guidance by finding complete solutions for them, so we should not make the strength of our youth as fuel for a holocaust that harms the Islamic nation and push it backward, meanwhile the enemies benefit from that holocaust that they have planned long ago, and this is what is happening unfortunately in many of countries today.

May God accepts our good deeds, and give rewards to all who contributed to making this occasion successful asking God Almighty to us and you good health and longevity and accomplish all outward and inward needs, and we ask Him to bring all those who attended this occasion from far away to their homes being safe and secure, by the positions of the prophet, the master, the beloved, the Chosen One, may God bless him and grant him peace. We also ask Him, the Almighty, to repeat this occasion on us when situations have changed with the change of our interactions and behavior to the better, so we could realize what satisfies God, (the Blessed and the Most High) and His Messenger, and will expand the heart of believers with his bounty and it's not a great task to Almighty Allah.

Have a good day, and Happy New Year

Peace and mercy of God be upon you.