The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has dismissed fears of division among Nigerian Muslims over the issue of Ramadan. In a statement circulated on both social and conventional media on Tuesday, 18th February 2025, the Islamic human rights group described those who recently fixed the date for the commencement of this year’s Ramadan as Islamic scholars engaging in sheer academic exercise.
The statement, signed by MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, explained that the scholars merely partook in calculating the movement of celestial objects, as done in astronomy, to determine the date of the crescent’s appearance.
He said:
“The attention of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has been drawn to a notification for the commencement of Ramadan on 1st March 2025, given by the League of Alfas and Imams in Yorubaland.
“The notification, which was given media hype, was also portrayed as a sign of division among Nigerian Muslims and a challenge to the authority of the Sultan of Sokoto.
“We affirm that it is not unusual for academics to come together to deliberate on scientific, economic, or social matters. They are trained to engage in intellectual discourse and to agree or disagree. This is exactly what those who announced the date of the commencement of this year’s Ramadan have done.
“They came together as Islamic scholars engaging in an academic exercise. They merely calculated the movement of celestial objects, as done in astronomy, to determine the appearance of the crescent. It should be clear that academic exercises and scientific experimentation are allowed in Islam.
“What is noteworthy is that those who made the announcement did not claim to be doing so as leaders of Nigerian Muslims but as Islamic scholars from a particular region. It is a scholarly endeavor—an intellectual engagement.
“It should also be noted that this is not a new development. They do this every year. For instance, the same League of Imams fixed the date of Ramadan for April 25 in the year 2020. They mean no harm, but the press has chosen to sensationalize it.
“Even the League of Imams and Alfas has dismissed insinuations that the organization announced the date to confront the Sultan.
“We therefore assert clearly, emphatically, and unequivocally that the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, is fully in charge not only of matters relating to the commencement and termination of Ramadan but of all issues affecting Muslims in Nigeria as a whole.
“Let it be known from the West to the East and from the North to the South that when the time comes to announce the beginning of Ramadan, we will wait until we hear from the Amiirul-Mu’miniin (the Commander of the Faithful), the Sultan of Sokoto, even if he announces a different date from March 1, 2025. On the Sultan’s mandate, we shall stand.
“Any suggestion that there are rumblings in the camp of Nigerian Muslims is therefore laughable, divisive, and provocative. We are all united under the able, visionary, and exemplary leadership of the Sultan. Muslims have always been known for their discipline.
“However, we are constrained to disown an individual who has been claiming to be the Chief Imam of Yorubaland. Only towns and Islamic organizations have Chief Imams. Any so-called office of the Chief Imam of Yorubaland exists only in the figment of the imagination of the author and his promoters.
“It is like someone calling himself the Bishop of Yorubaland. That office does not exist. It is a sham. It is fraudulent. We urge the press to stop encouraging such falsehood. Anyone parading himself as the Chief Imam of Yorubaland is therefore a joker, a clown, and a court jester. He should be ignored.”
