By Ganiu Bamgbose, PhD
In one of my public essays, I had described the personality of the Mufti of Ilorin Emirate, Sheikh Sulaimon Onikijipa, as one which is a deviation from norm. In this piece, I hope to establish the interconnectedness of three life concepts and phenomena which constitute the life phases of a fulfilled individual, using again the Islamic scholar as my case study.
Calling in this piece is a strong urge towards a particular way of life or career; a vocation. It is another way to refer to a person’s purpose or vision. Vision can be said to be a picture of a person’s preferred future. Myles Munroe, the late renowned American pastor and public speaker, once said when purpose is not understood, abuse is inevitable. This means that an individual is not likely to live a fulfilled life if they do not understand their purpose or vision. In my usual analogy, the same way a three-year old child would jump on a chair because she or he does not know and appreciate for sure the primary purpose of that chair, so would an individual jump on/abuse his or her life if they do not clearly identify and pursue their life purpose.
Interestingly, life does not completely become rosy or easy when one identifies his or her purpose. So many are the battles connected to living a purposeful life and one of such battles is controversy. Controversy means a lot of discussion and argument about something, often involving strong feelings of anger or disapproval. I am not sure the world has a record of a single called or fulfilled or purposeful human being whose name did not or does not generate controversies. From Jesus, to Muhammed and all the world’s martyrs one can think of, their personality and identity often generate controversies. Interestingly, no purposeful person gets themselves consolidated as a fulfilled being in the face of the controversy unless they remain consistent.
Consistency is to behave in the same way, have the same attitudes towards people or things, or/and achieve the same level of success in something. A CALLED PERSON WHO IS UNABLE TO REMAIN CONSISTENT IN THE FACE OF CONTROVERSY CANNOT BE CELEBRATED FOR LONG. Calling, controversy and consistency therefore constitute a triangular continuum in the life of anyone who desires fulfilment.
While this article is not specifically an attempt to eulogise the clergyman, Sheikh Sulaimon Onikijipa, I find the scholar a great example of how to stay consistent on one’s calling in the face of controversy. As a lover, fan and follower of Sheikh Sulaimon Onikijipa for over two decades, I have the knowledge of the several public criticisms against the scholar among which were/are the beliefs that he is fetishistic and not so versed in Arabic and Islamic studies. In the 90s and early 2000s, Sheikh was also in constant verbal war with several other Yoruba clergymen, some of whom felt he was too young to proclaim himself Gaozul Zaman (loosely translated as the first or most prominent person in an era) and to enjoy the affluence he showcased at the time. Some accused him of money ritual and some others even said his reign would not exceed a decade.
Being a typical example of one who grows even in controversy, Sheikh Sulaimon Onikijipa has not only become more prosperous but has also lived beyond the myopia of many who say he is not a renowned scholar to become the 4th Mufti (a Muslim legal expert who is empowered to give rulings on religious matters) of the Ilorin Emirate. While the controversy over whether or not he was deserving of the done deal of his appointment as the Mufti was still on, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari conferred on him the national honour of the Officer of the Order of Niger (OON), given commentators another interesting topic to discuss.
Frankly, I was motivated to centre this piece around Sheikh Onikijipa for two reasons. First, I suddenly realised that many other Islamic scholars who called him different names and tagged him in several ways are today his allies because he has remained consistent on his path. Second, many of my friends who had said a lot to me about my love for this scholar in the past are now either reaching out to me because they feel they can reach him through me or to tell me how much of personal development they see in him as a scholar in recent times. I wondered how bad I would feel if I had stopped loving the scholar now that some of such persons reach out with a pleasantly different story. This is also another side to consistency. We must stand by whoever and whatever we believe in. Both Sheikh Sulaimon Onikijipa and we the ardent followers have made the verbal bruises our own cruise to the top.
I conclude this piece by reminding everyone who desires a place at the top that the process is as tasteless as licking the back of a pot, but the end of it is worth the pain, critique, gossip, disappointment, condemnation and whatnot. You are a voice. You deserve to be heard. Be like Sheikh Sulaimon Onikijipa; do not allow yourself to be silenced.
(c) 2024 Ganiu Bamgbose writes from the Department of English, Lagos State University.
