REVIEWER: Mahdi Garba : AUTHOR: Zeenah Ibraheem, DATE OF RELEASE: 2022. PUBLISHER: Islamic Human Rights Commission, London
NUMBER OF PAGES: 90
The authentic history of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria is a topic that has suffered paucity of resources. Efforts by researchers to provide even one has remained futile. In this book, ‘A Brief History of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria’, a dedicated, committed disciple and wife of Shaikh Zakzaky, Malama Zeenah Ibraheem has bailed the cat. As someone who has spent more than four decades learning from the leader of the Movement, I strongly believe that this is the best book anyone looking for information about how the everything started.
She started by tracing the history of the Movement was influenced by contemporary Islamic scholars and revivalists like Hasanul Banna and Sayyid Qutb of Ikwanail Muslimin, Abul A’ala Maududi, Sayyid Baqir Sadr, Sayyid Nawwab Safawi and Imam Khomeini.
The author also took us through the MSS days of the leader of the Islamic Movement where he delivered a number of lectures on Islamic reawakening because then, hope of an average young Muslim has been dashed. Many youths were either in support of the capitalist’s bloc headed by the United States of America and that of communists, which was headed by the Soviet Union, headquartered in Russia.
But, according to the author with lectures on themes like Islam as a complete way of life, Islamic economic system, position of woman in Islam and system of governance in Islam among others, they were able to discover that women are human beings and are answerable to Allah on the Day of Judgement like men, which prompted them to strive hard to achieve salvation as opposed to the tradition of being created to serve men. It was in early 1977 that Shaikh Zakzaky started advocating for the revival of Islamic thought in the country, according to the book.
On a personal note, after writing down his biography, the author said, “Before our marriage, I knew Shaikh Zakzaky to be very pious, devoted and sincere Muslim.” She also went on to describe him as a revolutionary who is also steadfast and uncompromising. Malama Zeenah also described her husband as a caring partner who cooks, bath their children, change their nappies and during the early days of their marriage when even washes her clothes.
In chapter two, she narrated how Qur’anic sessions were held. Other classes include those of hadiths, fiqh and history. This was how Shaikh Zakzaky started inviting the serious minded among them to seclusion.
She mentioned how they underwent spiritual trainings like Tahajjud, recitation of the Holy Qur’an and observed congregational azkars and duas. It uplifted them spiritually.
During these classes, discussions were held on ways to proffer solutions to the issues at hand. Students held positions like joining the government, reforming it and others advocated for change of the status quo but through other platforms other than Islam. But Shaikh Zakzaky insisted on making a revolutionary change under the banner of Islam.
As the Zaria Massacre has become a historic moment in the history of Nigeria and the Islamic Movement, in chapter ten she chronicled what transpired on the 12th December, 2015 by giving an eye account while in chapter eleven she gave a personal account on the Massacre.
Another spectacular event was their medical trip to India. In chapter twelve, which is the last chapter, she narrated how the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) in collaboration with the Indian government turned it into a botched one.
At the end notes, she explained how she finished writing the book in January 2017. She also told her readers how they were released then but the President refused to obey court order and how they were finally released on 28th July 2021.
Read it too, please. You will not regret it.
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