WHEN FAITH FRACTURES (1)- BY PROFESSOR TIMEHIN SAHEED

The Nigerian Muslim Ummah, particularly in the South West, is getting more and more negatively intriguing by the day. Conflicts of varying degrees spread the stench of discord among believers, and innocent youths and elders alike are caught in the crossfires of mutual mudslinging and vituperative retorts by individuals who are supposed to be the institutional representatives of Islam. 

The atmosphere is thick with unease - a community once bound by shared faith now splintered by competing interpretations and loyalties. In many mosques, whispers of dissent echo after sermons; every khutbah is scrutinized for signs of ideological leaning. Scholars who were once revered as guides are now on trial; questioned and interrogated; their words dissected through the lens of factional suspicion.

In halqahs, Da'wah clusters, and Asalatu gatherings, the spirit of brotherhood has given way to debate and defensiveness. Young Muslims, confused by the clash of voices — Sunni traditionalists, Shi'ah protagonists, Salafi pseudo-fundamentalists, condescending modernists, and sincere revivalists — struggle to find firm ground.

Online platforms further amplify the discord, turning theological differences into adversarial debacles, simple critical reviews into bitter wranglings, and ordinary disagreements into denunciations.

As a result, social bonds have frayed. Marriages are broken over doctrinal differences, and friendships are eroded by accusations of innovation or extremism. Muslim unity, once symbolized by the shared attachment to the Qiblah, now feels strained, as ideological walls rise between hearts that once proclaimed the same Kalimah-Laa ilaaha illa llaahu, Muhammad ur Rasulullaah.

Yet beneath the noise lies a silent yearning - a longing for a return to sincerity, humility, and the prophetic balance that transcends factional identity. The community stands at an intersection: to either remain trapped in cycles of ideological contestation or to rediscover the essence of ummah - unity through diversity under the mercy and guidance of Allah. 

May Allah touch our hearts with His Light; may His Favours adorn our affairs; may His Grace drive our actions, and may His Love plant the seeds of compassion, empathy, and tolerance in our hearts.

Jum'ah Mubarakah 

© PROFESSOR TIMEHIN SAHEED OLUROTIMI 

- Nigeria