Buhari’s need for Dafa’i

…also published in Daily Trust

One of the most interesting things about President Muhammadu Buhari is the sheer passion with which he is admired and hated by his admirers and antagonists respectively. The controversy associated with his recurrent health problems is defined by these irreconcilable emotions.

Though falling ill intermittently for an aged person like President Buhari is quite common, yet, in addition to being President, the fact that he had never fallen seriously ill prior to becoming President, as he stressed early this year when he returned from his previous medical vacation in Britain, has made his condition particularly interesting.

Therefore, at the risk of sounding superstitious, I can’t completely rule out a diabolical curse(s) transmitted to him through acts of sorcery by some particularly wicked and hate-filled elements among his antagonists, or the evil eye of some enviers or even admirers (because even an innocent compliment by an innocent admirer who has the evil eye can harm the person he compliments).

These are indeed some of the probable underlying causes of President Buhari’s persistent health predicament, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the sheer intensity of the hatred that many of his antagonists apparently harbour against him. For instance, the pictures released on social media following the 2015 Army-Shiites armed confrontation in Zaria showing some Shiites seated around some burning flames in a shrine-looking place, and practicing some bizarre and heretical rituals aimed against President Buhari, did indeed provide a glimpse into the extent to which his antagonists are prepared to go in order to cause permanent harm to him.    

This, therefore, underscores the need for President Buhari to take matters into his own hands with a view to tackling this probable personal challenge. Also, this is where his need for Dafa’i, arises, of course without prejudice to the indispensability of medical treatment he is already receiving. By the way, Dafa’i simply means spiritual protection measures against sorcery and other diabolical works. However, I am not referring to Dafa’i in its common meaning among the average Hausawa, which basically refers to, among other things, some superstitious incantations and magical objects, which Malaman tsibbu make by using or rather abusing some Qur’anic verses, inscribing some unreadable inscriptions e.g. Sakandami, drawing some mysterious symbols and diagrams e.g. Hatimi, to make amulets i.e. guru and laya and give it to their clients to, according to them,  protect them (i.e. clients) against a real or perceived evil. As practitioners of tsibbu, which necessarily involves committing various forms of sorcery, heretical, blasphemous and other Shirk practices, Malaman tsibbu are basically sorcerers in reality albeit they masquerade as Muslim clerics and men of piety.

Obviously, Islam strongly proscribes these practices notwithstanding their purported effectiveness, which never lasts after all. For instance, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) warns to the effect that whoever consults a person practicing this thing even out of casual curiosity and without any intention to believe him, his daily obligatory prayers for forty days will not be accepted by Allah the Almighty. Also, the Prophet equally warns to the effect that, whoever consults and believes such a person, he is deemed to have rejected the Revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), i.e. the Qur’an, which means that he turns apostate right away. (See Sahih-Muslim and Sunan-Abi Dawood respectively.)

It’s out of sheer ignorance of Islamic ideological doctrine coupled with sheer obsession with worldly desires that many Muslims particularly among the rich, the political elite and ‘yan boko engage the services of such Malaman tsibbu under the illusion that they would get protection against the evil, avoid misfortune, achieve success, get undue advantage at the expense of others, attain or retain a certain position or even ruin someone’s life, career or business.

Anyway, though as a devoted Muslim, President Buhari is already committed to performing Islamic worship rites, which already provide protection against such diabolical works, yet he obviously needs to be more proactive. This, among other things, entails particular commitment to reciting the Qur’an especially the specific chapters and verses addressing personal spiritual protection, and also commitment to reciting the general and specific Ath’kaar and supplications scheduled for specific times as practiced and/or recommended by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). These, for instance, include appropriate supplications and Ath’kaar before going to bed, upon waking up, at dawn and sunset, on entering and exiting the toilet and after each obligatory prayer etc.

However, it’s noteworthy that, the efficacy of these Ath’kaar and supplications depends on one’s sincerity and commitment to punctual performance of particularly the daily obligatory prayers and indeed his ability to keep his mind free of any grudge against anybody.