Tribute: Marafan Sokoto, Alh. Umaru Shinkafi

The misunderstanding within the caliphate that may or may not be multilayed but one of the current issues in contention is the inheritor of the title of the late Marafa. Some might view the misunderstanding as a disgrace to the council and the entire north. In my opinion, the disagreement is neither a disappointment nor a shame considering the circumstances that led to the failed rapprochement within the caliphate i.e. the title of Marafan Sokoto which has been elevated and enhanced by the character of its last holder, late Umaru Aliyu Shinkafi. Alas! What is worth fighting is worth fighting for. Whoever Allah wishes to bestow the title on, we hope the person encompasses late Marafa’s characters.

I set the above background to share two things about the late legendary Marafan Sokoto. Firstly, his charitable deeds within the premise of Islam and secondly, my personal reflection, memories and the role he played in changing my life. Starting with his distinctive feature of alms giving, Baba’s Marafa’s life and charitable deeds were excellently guided by Verse 8 Surah Al-Insan where Allah SWT described the caliber of the righteous ones by saying that “they give out food to the poor and the orphan and the captive out of love for Allah”. Similarly, verse 9 Allah continued that people with such generous mind as his “only fed the needy ones for Allah’s sake, they desire for the people they fed neither reward nor thanks”.

Beyond doubt, these two verses reflect Baba Marafa’s selfless charitable deeds not just to his immediate and extended family but all of humanity for a single purpose i.e. the sake of Allah. We often call Baba Marafa ‘Ginshiki’ meaning a ‘Pillar’ in English, because he was a rock for countless lives he touched, seeking solely for Allah’s pleasure. We also coined his uniqueness of charity as ‘Maraferian School of Thought’, an institution where you learn that kindness isn’t an act but a lifestyle; an institution of tolerance; an institution where you learn that it’s not how much you give but how much love you put into giving out. Most importantly, an institution guided by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) hadith, where he said “The best charity is that which is practiced by a wealthy person, who first starts by giving to his dependents.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari] Volume 2, Book 24, Number 507. Allah Ya jikan Marafan duniya.

Secondly, my recollection of Baba Marafa is a treasure of memories and I am writing a book about. I will in this tribute mention my first and last encounter with late the Baba Marafa. At age of 10 years or so, around 9:30 to 10am Baba Marafa paid a visit to our mum. At that time, I was coming back home from primary school for breakfast - we normally call the period break time –when students come back home and eat breakfast, and then go back to school. Approaching home I saw Mercedes Benz with the number plate SO 999 SKF, I knew it was him because I’d seen him and greeted him the previous night.

I went straight into the room, he was seated on a chair, I greeted him Baba Ina Kwana, and his reply was “a gaishe ka” in Hausa. He collected my school bag, brought out one of my books and started flipping over the pages. He brought out another different book again and went through it. He then asked Hajiya (our mum) when is Alhaji (our dad coming back from Sokoto). She replied he’s coming back today. He said to her, tell him, that I

Dr. Abubakar Shinkafi abubakarshinkafi@gmail. com