“That home of the Hereafter (i.e Paradise), We shall assign to those who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land nor do mischief by committing crimes. And the good end is for the pious.” Qur’an 28:83
I am not in any position, neither is it consistent with my creed (the Islamic creed), to choose for the Almighty Allaah, who is and who is not pious and righteous. We attribute only for men what is apparent of their deeds, the hidden we leave it for Allaah, the Knower of the unseen. This is the pedestal upon which my pen stands to eulogise my former governor, a pious (hopefully), humble, generous, easy-going, a different type of politician (devoid of lies and deceit and arrogance) and a highly religious man, Engineer Abdulkadir Kure.
Never in my life did I feel obliged to attend a funeral prayer of an individual like I did when my late Shaykhs Ja’afar and Albani were assassinated. But here I was, against all odds wittingly obliged to grace the funeral of my former governor and a symbol of humility. And I guess, this was exactly what ran in the minds of many people.
Was it another Eid (Islamic religious celebration) specific only to Minna, I guess no, but it was, in terms of the mammoth crowd that appeared from all roads that lead to the Eid ground. Men, women and children gripped in sadness. I have never seen a crowd so large in Minna gracing the funeral of anyone. I barely passed by houses and shops on my way to the Eid ground without seeing men with their kettles and sachet of water performing ablution. The time was not for salat (the regular Muslim’s five daily prayers) nor was it Eid but they all felt obliged wittingly to pay their last respect to their fallen hero, a fatherly figure.
I asked myself with tears flowing down my cheek, Engineer Kure left office as a governor ten (10 years ago) yet it felt as if a serving governor has died. What was the level of Iman (Faith) of this servant of Allaah, what was his relationship with Allaah, what was the purity of his heart, what was the sincerity in his deeds, what was his mercy and compassion towards those that had a cause to interact with him either directly or indirectly? I shed uncontrollable tears, and so did men lose the control of their tear gland when the remains of this great man were brought forth for prayers.
He was an accomplished engineer, a two-term governor but above all he was distinguished for his religious commitment, humility, generosity and simplicity.
I will be able to do justice to this great man but a little effort will suffice. Two years back, he observed his Tahajjud (night vigil during Ramadan) in our neighbourhood mosque at Type B Quarters, Minna. What was amazing was that he confessed that he heard a beautiful recitation of the Qur’an and had to trace the masjid until he found it. He was more active than all of the elderly people in the masjid. He would never rest.
After the prayer, he would sit with the young Imams and normally had religious chat with them. He was once told by my brother that he should be grateful to Allaah that his sharia legacy in the state has made it strange for young children to recognise a bottle of beer. Engineer Kure started crying.
It was said that conservatively, he had built hundreds of masjids. He was almost always with his ablution. When he was leaving office as the governor he publicly sought for the forgiveness of Nigerlites. Those at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, will narrate their memorable experiences with him. Some said whenever you see him at the lounge he was most at times with his Qur’an reading it.
He was human, hence was not free from making human mistakes, but it is said that a man in authority who humbles himself often has his mistakes shrouded.
He was loved by one and all. People attest to both his piety and humility. The story making the rounds is that he died in a state of ablution while articulating Kalimatush Shahadah (statement of faith). His body gave off a beautiful fragrance. We all are striving for this noble end. What a good way to bid farewell to this temporary world.
“That home of the Hereafter (i.e Paradise), We shall assign to those who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land nor do mischief by committing crimes. And the good end is for the pious.” Qur’an 28:83
Arc. Abdul can be reached via Twitter: @Penabdull Instagram: @Penabdul and e-mail: penabdul@yahoo.com
