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My article titled “Tinubu’s Parentage and His State of Origin Hullabaloo: An Islamic View” which was published last week generated reactions more than I expected. I set out to answer some of the FAQs in fulfilment of the promise I made.
To start with why people falsely claim to belong to parents or states which are not theirs. Simply put, it is deception. To elaborate: it is the inordinate desire for worldly achievement, the attempt to gain irrelevant relevance, the drive to gain cheap popularity, the propensity to ignorantly think our destinies lie in our hands. Corollary to ignorance of destiny— and how it works—is our general ignorance about Islam which is the very antithesis of deception and all its forms and categories.
There are many other reasons but for convenience of analysis, let’s assume they are those adumbrated above.
Allah’s instruction is: “Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah. (Q33:5). For mothers, Allah declares: “Their mothers are none but those who gave birth to them” (Q58:2).
In Islam, if for instance Nuhu’s father’s name is Pig or Idol or Thief, we can see how ugly these names are; so shall he be called. He cannot change his father’s name. He shall therefore be called Nuhu Pig, Nuhu Idol or Nuhu Thief. A Prophet’s companion whose father’s name is Mugaffal (Stupid) was called Ibn Mugaffal (son of Stupid) throughout his life. And with this name shall he be called on the Day of Resurrection. Also, this has nothing to do with his chance of entering Paradise.
However, our myopic sense of prosperity makes us think that our lowly background inevitably deprives us material progress. Thus, some of us choose not to bear our fathers’ names because they are poor, not known, uncivilized, or possibly, because of their sordid past. Nevertheless, a Muslim should know that “it is He (Allah) who enriches and suffices” (Q53:48). Allah provides for us, not our affiliations.
You will be what you are destined to be with (or without) deception; and vice versa: “And how many a creature carries not its [own] provision. Allah provides for it and for you (Q29:60)”. Say, “O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent (Q3:26).
Agreed, it is natural that a righteous person would not like to be associated with a wicked father who is an arm robber or an irresponsible mother who is a prostitute. Understandably, he would like to shake off the shame; but it is unjust to deny the vehicle through which you were conveyed to existence. “And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], “uff,” and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.” (Q17:23). So, who can be more disobedient than he who despises his parents and attributes himself to other people?
What if one changes his father’s name with his consent; not to demean him? For instance, someone claims to be a son of an influential figure to gain employment, school admission, permanent stay in a foreign country, or for other gains which he could ordinarily not gain? It is still haram—unlawful.
Does this verdict apply to claiming a certain state which is not the actual state of origin for similar purposes? Yes! There is no difference! Deception is unwholesome in Islam. It is unpalatable. It is stinking. It is destructive. It is hypocritical. It throws one out of the pale of Islam and flings one out of its fold. Except in a critical situation where one makes a spurious claim as a TEMPORARY measure, for instance, to save life. The Prophet (SAW) insists “whoever cheats us is not among us” (Muslim). If one is not with the Prophet because he deceives others, he is definitely with Satan.
But can anyone rightly claim NOT to have ever committed an act of deception? This is near impossible! It is like claiming to be sinless. However, the good thing about Islam is that it is a practical religion. It acknowledges man’s helplessness regarding sin; but at the same time shows him how to disentangle from sin. It is when man’s actions and inactions are habitually deceptive that he becomes friend to Shaitan (Satan) and enemy of Allah.
It’s like someone who claims other parent or state (not his); and refuses to repent. Until he does the right thing publicly or officially, he continues to bear the heavy cross—sins are unceasingly recorded against him in every second of his life because he refuses to sort out things and set the record straight. The Prophet warned: “whoever attributes himself to other than his father Paradise is forbidden for him” (Agreed upon). And “anyone who claims to belong to a people when he has no lineage among them, let him take his place in Hell” (Agreed upon).
To illustrate, someone hails from Enugu State but because of employment, admission into school, or marriage, he unlawfully claims Kano as his state of origin, the Prophet instructed him to take his place in Hell. Note, this is not because he does not offer the five daily prayers, nor because he is not good to his neighbours or kind to the needy; but because he deceives. He is a criminal in Allah’s Justice Court.
What if someone was born in Kano but his parents are Igbo from Enugu, where does he claim? This is very clear! His state of origin is Enugu; similarly, a citizen of Kano by birth—the constitution allows that. Either way, there is no deception—it is deception that Islam frowns at. But if he claims to be from Kano and denies Enugu as his state of origin so that people do not know his Enugu’s origin; he is a criminal in the eye of the law (Islam). By this singular act of deception, he should prepare to take his place in Hell.
What if, for instance, a Nigerian claims citizenship of the United States or Saudi Arabia? That will be right if he does so lawfully; does not lie about his Nigeria’s origin, and does not renounce Nigeria. If he lies or renounces Nigeria, it means he blames Allah for making him a Nigerian. The Hadith applies to him.
Furthermore, ancestry in Islam is patrilineal—traced through the paternal lineage. So, can a Muslim bear his mother’s name? Yes! But that is if he or she is a bastard—born out of wedlock. This could be when there is a case of rape or consensual intimacy between a man and a woman (out of wedlock) which results in pregnancy. With this explanation, one can only imagine the number of bastards in our society today.
If someone bears his mother’s name being a bastard, does it mean he would live in shame for the whole of his life for a sin he never committed? Not really! His circumstance of birth could be mitigated by bearing the name of his mother’s father.
This takes us to the question of bearing grandfather’s name; is it permissible? Yes. This is exemplarily displayed by the Prophet when he said “I am the son of Abdul-Mutallib”—referring to his grandfather. And one is actually a son of his grandfather. This should not be confused with uncles. A Muslim cannot bear his uncle’s name.
Similarly, an adopted child does not bear the name of his adopter (though Islam does not allow adoption; it legislates something better than it). In a situation whereby the adoptee is a born-throw-away-baby whose parents are not known, he still does not bear the name of his adopter/benefactor. He can surname himself or could be surnamed with any general name; but not attributed to any known person.
Can a wife bear her husband’s name? Answer to this deserves a separate write up. I shall turn to it other time, God willing. We ask Allah to grant us the understanding of His religion and to act accordingly.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen writes from Gashua
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
@salahuddeenAbd
