Shi’ites’ first clash with state

Zakzaky had his first known confrontation with the Nigerian security apparatus in 1984 when he visited the Federal Government College, Sokoto.

“They indoctrinated some students of the College and those students stopped reciting the National Anthem during assembly. This led to violence and led to our encounter with the police. Some brothers were arrested and other brothers went to the police station insisting that those arrested must be released. This led to the arrest of Zakzaky. He was tried and jailed,” the former associate recalled.

“It is important to state that because of the orientation of withdrawing our allegiance from the Nigerian state, brothers then termed anything to do with the government as anti-Islam. Therefore, some brothers that were working with the government resigned. Others who were studying in different institutions dropped out while others went to the extent of destroying their certificates,” the source said. Other Shi’ite groups in Nigeria There are groups that are adherents of Shi’ism in Nigeria other than that of Zakzaky. These groups are often living peacefully with their host communities and the authorities despite their propagation of the Shi’ite ideology in the media and other public mediums.

One of these is the one led by Sheikh Hamza Lawal under the name Darus Saqalain. Lawal was formally with Zakzaky before he formed his splinter group in the year 2000.

In Kano, there is another prominent Shi’ite group, Rasulul A’azam Foundation, led by Sheikh Sale Zaria. Origin of Shi’ism According to most scholars of Islam, the Shi’ite ideology emerged after the demise of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in 632. The disagreement over who should become the Khalifah (successor) of the Prophet (pbuh) was said to have led to the formation of the Shi’ite sect, which position was that Sayyidina Aliyu Bn Abi Talib was ordained by the Prophet (pbuh) to become the Khalifah after him.

Based on this, the Shi’ites regard the leadership of the first three Khulafah (successors) of the Prophet (pbuh), Abubakar, Umar and Uthman (ra), as usurpation, largely because all the three emerged as successors to the Prophet (pbuh) illegally.