Sheikh Goni’s killers must be punished, says NASFAT

The Chief Missioner of Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society (NASFAT), Imam Abdul-Azeez Onike has commiserated with Yobe State government, people of the state and family of the Islamic cleric, Sheikh Goni Aisami, who was killed, last week, in Yobe State.

While condemning the gruesome murder of the Islamic scholar, the Chief Missioner described it as a clear demonstration of man’s inhumanity to man and deprivation of Muslims of Islamic scholarship, which the deceased was reputed to have been endowed with.

According to him, the sacredness of life can be attested to by Allah’s statement in Quran 5:32, “… he who slays a soul unless it be (in punishment) for murder or for spreading mischief on earth shall be as if he had slain all mankind; and he who saves a life shall be as if he had given life to all mankind.”

The Chief Missioner said it was more painful if someone considers the vacuum and the negative consequences of snuffing life out of the innocent scholar.

He added: “Verily, Allah does not withhold knowledge by snatching it away from his servants, but rather he withholds knowledge by taking the souls of scholars, until no scholar remains and people follow ignorant leaders. They are asked and they issue judgments without knowledge. Thus, they are astray and lead others astray.”

He said that Islam places much premium on lives to the extent that the punishment of whoever intentionally takes the life of a person is to have his own life taken when not forgiven by the closest relatives of the person he killed.

“This punishment will prevent others from committing such dastardly act. The essence of the retributive punishments in Islam, among others, is to promote law and order, serve as deterrence, prevent spread of evil and give relief to the families of the victim who could be tempted to take laws into their hands and avenge the death of their loved one. The punishment is not for revenge or quenching anger,” he said.

He also added that the penalties for murder in Islam are both here and in the hereafter.

Allah, according to NASFAT’s Chief Missioner, Allah says: “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is hell wherein shall he abide forever, and Allah’s wrath shall be on him and He curses him and prepares for him a mighty punishment,” (Q4:93).

He noted that man’s failure to judge, according to the dictates of the Creator, was responsible for some of the acts of man’s inhumanity to man, which humanity is experiencing.

He said that sentencing someone to jail for some offences would not give the offenders the deserved punishments as deemed fit by Allah.

He, therefore, advised the government to ensure that the killers of Sheikh Goni are made to face the music, irrespective of their status, religion or ethnicity.