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Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has said terrorism is not the product of authentic Islamic scholarship, arguing that none of the major figures linked to terrorist groups were trained as scholars of Shari’a.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Gumi said there is “not a single known student of Shari’a or graduate of an Islamic university—whether in Saudi Arabia, Al-Azhar in Cairo, or elsewhere—among the principal figures associated with terrorism.”
He listed Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Boko Haram founder Muhammad Yusuf, Abubakar Shekau, and bandit leader Bello Turji as examples, saying they “were never trained as scholars of Shari’a or graduates of recognised Islamic studies programmes.”
The cleric said the real danger lies in “religious activism divorced from sound and grounded knowledge of Shari’a,” warning that such shallow understanding can leave individuals vulnerable to manipulation and extremism.
“This vulnerability may be exploited through blatant attacks on Muslims, as witnessed in Palestine, or through psychological operations and foreign manipulation, as alleged in the case of ISIS in Syria,” he said.
Gumi called for a clear distinction between authentic Islamic scholarship and politicised religious activism.
“We must therefore distinguish authentic Islamic scholarship from politicised religious activism,” he stated.
“Shari’a knowledge does not produce terrorism; ignorance, manipulation and the distortion of religious principles can.”
The Kaduna-based scholar is a controversial figure for his stance on the nation’s security challenges.
He has been criticised by a cross section of Nigeeians, especially on social media, for advocating dialogue and engagement with bandits and other armed groups as part of efforts to address insecurity.
