Yahaya Masussuka, a controversial Islamic preacher who challenged elements of mainstream Muslim teaching, has been shot dead outside his home in north
Yahaya Masussuka, a controversial Islamic preacher who challenged elements of mainstream Muslim teaching, has been shot dead outside his home in northern Nigeria.
The 47-year-old cleric was saying goodbye to visitors in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina state, on Monday evening when two men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire, sources told the BBC.
One of Masussuka’s guests was also wounded in the attack. Both men were taken to hospital but were pronounced dead by the attending doctor, police said.
The motive for the shooting is not known. However, Masussuka had received death threats on social media, where he shared videos questioning some established Islamic beliefs, including what happens to people after death.
Islamic teaching widely holds that two angels question a person in the grave. Those who answer correctly are said to rest peacefully until the Day of Judgement, while those who do not are believed to be punished.
That belief is drawn from the Hadith, a collection of texts regarded as the words and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. The Hadith is a major source used to interpret the Quran, Islam’s central religious text.
Musaylima based his teachings mainly on the Quran, challenged some hadiths and rejected the idea that the dead would be brought back to life.
He was imprisoned for nine months after mocking respected scholars over their belief in the Hadith and other religious teachings.
Education and advocacy
Masussuka began preaching in Quranic schools when he was 13. He later studied at Al-Azhar University in Egypt before travelling to Oman for further education.
The cleric, who had two wives and seven children, operated a recording studio at his home. From there, he produced videos explaining his teachings for his social-media followers.
He also spoke publicly against violent extremism and radicalisation, while advocating interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians.
Muslims and Christians account for nearly equal parts of Nigeria’s population. Thousands of people from both communities have been killed in ethnic and religious violence in the country over the past 25 years.
Masussuka’s work was recognised last year when Nigeria’s Network for Good Governance and Transparency presented him with a Peace Ambassador Award.
His killing follows the deaths of six other prominent Muslim preachers in northern Nigeria during the past two decades. Several were targeted by Boko Haram after criticising the jihadist organisation.
Boko Haram was founded in north-eastern Nigeria and opposes Western culture, Western education and the country’s secular government. Its political objective is to establish an Islamic state. The group began its insurgency in 2009.
COMMENTS