بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
There is a need to establish a family support department and general laws of social reform.
Yesterday I was watching a Sheik Fantami clip where he wept while reading a letter from Muslim sister on how her father is neglecting his responsibilities of feeding and clothing his family. The girl said they were a family of four girls and their mother. She further narrated that their father only gave their mother N200 daily for their feeding and other family daily expenses. Leaving the mother to keep struggling on how to generate income for their feeding, clothing, and school fees. The girl is seeking advice from the sheikh on how they can change the bad attitude of their father.
This is the reality in many families. My mother is an Islamic teacher, and I know the role she played in consoling so many families facing similar situations in Dutsin-Ma. I can authoritatively conclude this behavior is typical to Hausa families; more than 60% of the Talakawa family live this way. The girls should even thank Almighty Allah that her father didn’t have up to 20 or more children with 2-4 wives.
This is a general societal problem that needs government policy to address.
I was following an Arewa24 Turkish film series; I think the name was “Kyautata Rayuwa,” where there is a department dealing with such family issues in Turkey. I wish the Katsina State government and other northern states should copy and empower by law such an agency that will be dealing with family problems.
We must come back to the reality preached by Sarki Sanusi II on issues that have to do with marriage and family in the North. If we continue to neglect family issues, the darkness ahead in our society will yield more and bigger societal problems.
We must set limits for families like China, and laws must be enforced.
The government needs to fully understand that its role isn’t only building infrastructure but rather building formidable societies.
Chinese laws might be rude, but when you understand the good side and how such laws yield to both human and material development, one must begin to think in this direction. We must control marriages and the birth rate; if not, we will continue to remain a poor country forever.
Recently, China review the birth restrictions, but still, the society understands so well the benefits of managing small families and is not willing to go back to the dark ages.
The Arabs we inherit religion from are not behaving this way.
I am urging our political class to start acting; our laws should be changed and enforced on citizens so as to curtail the unforeseen consequences facing our collective existence as humans.
Let the government understand fully: you cannot keep building infrastructure while neglecting our societies.
I hope and pray that society and people in power understand this. I hope our religion’s leaders will also understand my thoughts. Yes, Prophet Muhammad said we should marry and give birth to children that he could be proud of, but prophet will never be proud of children who are not properly trained. The ayat in the holy Quran that says we should marry more than one has a clause of condition: if you can take care of the family, that is what Allah instructed.
Finally, I seek Allah’s guidance and protection. May this letter go viral, and may our leaders understand and implement the messages. Amin.
Malam Ibrahim Bature,
Chairman,
Concerned Northern Forum (CNF).