The Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, has removed a personalised carpet engraved with his adopted name, 'Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi ll', from his palace, sparking controversy in the state and outside the country.
On Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported how a photo of the emir walking on the carpet sparked controversy, with some Islamic clerics accusing him of disrespecting a religious faith through his actions.
The emir was quick to respond to the accusation, saying that actions are judged according to intention. Citing references, Sanusi insisted that he was not wrong because his intention was not to disrespect the prophet.
But on Thursday, a photo of the emir standing on the same floor, but without the controversial carpet, appeared online. A senior official in the emirate told PREMIUM TIMES that the carpet was removed following the controversy.
The official said the emir would address the public on the issue, but did not say when.
Background story
In a trending video, Muhammad Sharif, a Zaria-based Islamic cleric, said the emir should have followed the disciplines of Tijjaniyya founders Ahmadu Tijjani and Ibrahim Niasse by showing respect to Prophet Muhammad and emulating the late American boxer Muhammad Ali, who refused to have his name on the floor of the Hollywood Walk of Fame out of respect for Prophet Muhammad.
Mr. Sharif said Mr. Ali told producers of the Walk of Fame ceremonies that the names he bore, Muhammad and Ali, belonged to respected figures of Islam and should not be defaced; he therefore requested that his star be placed on a wall rather than on the sidewalk like the other stars.
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In 2002, the legendary boxer was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, breaking with tradition, the star was placed on the wall rather than on the pavement of the Kodak Theatre entertainment complex.
“I saw how Muhammad Sanusi, who claims to be the Caliph of Tijjaniyya, walks on a carpet on which Caliph Muhammad Sanusi is inscribed. The name of Muhammad is above anyone to walk on if you truly respect the name; not even the Caliph of Tijjaniyya or any other Muslim, even a non-Muslim, who knows what is right can walk on the name of Muhammad.
“I doubt that the Caliph of Tijjaniyya who walks in the name of Muhammad is truly a disciple of Ahmadu Tijjani (the founder of Tijjaniyya),” Sharif said in the trending video.
Another cleric from the Tijjaniyya sect, Ali Abdulrahman, said that if the emir had trampled on the name of Muhammad at the time of Imam Malik, he would have been punished for disrespecting a religious creed.
Another Kano cleric, Barrister Ishaq Adam, quoting other scholars, said the emir's action was disrespectful to the name of the Prophet and urged him to remove the carpet.
But Mr Sanusi, responding to the debate, said the clerics who accused him of misconduct probably did not understand him and that he would accept any argument superior to theirs in the debate.
Mr. Sanusi said that disrespecting the name of God or any prophet of God by making direct reference to them is what is considered an offense in Islam.
Mr Sanusi said his intention was never to disrespect the name because the carpet only bore his name, not that of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), citing Islamic scholars who debated the issue.
The emir, born Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, adopted the name of his grandfather and former emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, after his initial appointment as emir in 2014.