By Ganiu Bamgbose, PhD
I write as a concerned Muslim who places Islam over allegiance, peace over loyalty, and unity over interest. Even though writing on religion always seems like walking on a fragile land, it is in order to do so if we desire a religiously fertile land.
Tafseer (or Tafsir) is the Arabic term for the exegesis, interpretation, and explanation of the Quran, aiming to uncover God’s will, context, and legal rulings within its verses. Principally, a tafsir deals with the issues of linguistics, jurisprudence, and theology. Ramadan is one period when many Islamic scholars engage in tafsir. The period serves as an opportune moment for many Nigerians to learn the Islamic principles given that many, if not most, Muslims are not literate in Arabic and are unable to read and understand the Quran. Even many who read cannot comprehend the messages. Although the Quran has been translated into many other languages of the world, the tafsir affords Muslims the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge from Islamic scholars. Like many other Muslims, attending tafsir is one of the engagements I commit myself to as a Muslim during Ramadan. Thank God for the affordance of social media which has made it easy to follow tafsir virtually. A question that comes to mind, however, is: is what we listen to here and there in Nigeria today still tafsir or a war series?
Among other meanings, a series is a set of similar or related things, events, or programmes that follow one after another in time, space, or order. It often implies a sequence, chain, or succession, such as a series of articles, a TV series, or a series of musical concerts. It is worrisome, saddening and, therefore, of great concern to us Muslims that Ramadan tafsir has become a television war series year in, year out. The body of Islamic scholars in Nigeria has been polarised into factions and a supposed moment of enlightenment has become a moment of controversy, verbal altercations and struggle for superiority and supremacy.
Islamic scholars now build fandom and fan bases. In the myopia of the many fans, nothing supersedes the ego and championship of their star scholars. If you make a call to order, they make you crawl with their words. It does not matter the Islamic injunction; you are at loggerheads with them already if it contradicts their scholar’s position. Tafsir no longer comes with Islamic teachings. It has ceased to be our chance to grow our knowledge of our religion. Instead, it has become the war series of authority, audacity and superiority.
And now I ask: is this how our scholars hope to lead us to Allah? Is this what Islam deserves from you? Is this what God deserves from you for making you “voices”? Is this still Islam or fanaticism? And most importantly, is this what you shall stand before your Maker to say you did with your platforms?
This is an appeal from a lover of Allah and His religion, Islam. Let us give peace a chance. Let us show the world the beauty of Islam. Let us remember if this is what we have to offer, we, who should be callers to the religion, will become the reason many will change their faith. May Allah guide us aright.
© 2026 Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose writes from Lagos.
Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose, PhD
Department of English,
Lagos State University, Ojo
[email protected]
08093695359, 07084956118
