FORMER PRESIDENT BUHARI'S DEATH AND THE VIRTUE OF FORGIVENESS

By

Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

15th July 2025

I saw somewhere yesterday where it was said that President Muhammad Buhari told his wife to beg Nigerians for forgiveness before he died. I don't know if this is true or not. But I read an article that was written by our father, Sheikh Paiko on those saying they will not forgive the former President for the personal pains they suffered under his government in one way or the other and the need to have a change of thought on it. It is sad that there are Muslims among those saying they will not forgive. The article was well crafted and thought provoking. The Sheikh cited the case of Abu Bakr and Mistah رضي الله عنهم as an example for us and the revelation of the verse where Allāh said:

وَلَا يَأْتَلِ اُولُوا الْـفَضْلِ مِنْكُمْ وَا لسَّعَةِ اَنْ يُّؤْتُوْۤا اُولِى الْقُرْبٰى وَا لْمَسٰكِيْنَ وَا لْمُهٰجِرِيْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ ۖ وَلْيَـعْفُوْا وَلْيَـصْفَحُوْا ۗ اَ لَا تُحِبُّوْنَ اَنْ يَّغْفِرَ اللّٰهُ لَـكُمْ ۗ وَا للّٰهُ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِيْمٌ

And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (QS. An-Noor: Verse 22)

Even if some people are doing what they are doing or saying what they are saying against the former President, it doesn't befit a Muslim to have an unforgiving heart. We must not allow our emotions to override the injunctions of Allāh that we need to follow. We must learn to forgive and forget. The best thing is to pray for those who die upon Islam and leave their accountability to Allāh.

The truth is that we are all sinners and we have also wronged some people at one point or the other in our lives whether deliberately or inadvertently. If those we have also hurt say they will never forgive us, how would we feel? We should try to forgive others, so that Allāh can forgive us too. If we understand the description of the Day of Judgement, we will be humble and refrain from cursing the dead. 

Meanwhile, this is not an opportunity for us to keep wronging each other or committing acts of injustice against each other with the hope of forgiveness from the oppressed. It is not as easy as such. Let us know and understand that Allāh forbids injustice for Himself and He also forbids it for us. So, we should try as much as possible to avoid it whether directly or indirectly. 

Part of the lessons we need to learn is that seeking a position of authority is dangerous. It is not even easy to seek to be a husband because Allāh will question us all how we have dealt with our wives and children. What more of a community leader, Governor, Senator or President. The greater the position, the greater the burden to be lifted. 

It is not easy to be a leader, especially in Nigeria where the institution gives so much room for injustice and corruption. The truth is that those who truly understand the concept of amānah (trust) will not seek leadership. The truth is that the seekers positions of authority in this world would regret it on the Day of Judgement as mentioned by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. There is no position you will occupy today that you will not regret on that Day.

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «إنكم سَتَحْرِصُونَ على الإِمَارَة، وستكون نَدَامَةً يوم القيامة، فَنِعْمَ المُرْضِعَةُ وَبِئْسَتِ الفَاطِمَةُ».  [صحيح] - [رواه البخاري]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You will eagerly seek out a position of authority, but it will be a source of regret on the Day of Judgment. How excellent is the wet nurse, and how evil is the weaning one." [Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari]

From the explanation given by scholars regarding this hadith, we should understand that the position of authority is not just about the President or the Governor. It includes those in the Parliament and the Judiciary. It also includes Ministers, Commissioners, Head of MDAs and in all capacities we have been appointed to lead people and keep their trust. Even we would be called to account for student leadership. Allāh will question all of us. We need to know that this life is small. The enjoyment in it is just little and we will not be buried with anything when death comes.

May Allāh forgive former President Muhammadu Buhari and other dead Muslims. May Allāh save him from the punishments of the grave and grant Paradise.