A protest gripped the Nasarawa community of Kaduna State when a Muslim man was accused of slaughtering a dog and distributed its meat among members of his sect in the state.
According to Daily Trust, the incident happened on Tuesday and led a demonstration, with residents, particularly youths, venting their anger by attacking the man’s residence and Islamic school.
Their grievance centered on the belief that the man’s actions were contrary to the teachings of Islam.
Ismail Abubakar Rijana, who spoke on behalf of the sect, asserted that the Quran does not prohibit the consumption of dog meat.
“We are Muslims and followers of the Quran only. We believe in the Quran as a religious book. But the way we practice Islamic religion is different from how others practice it.
“Nigeria’s constitution gives us the right to practice our belief. So, based on our knowledge of the Quran, no verse prohibits the eating of dogs. But we are ready to change and seek God’s forgiveness if we are convinced with verses in the Quran that we are wrong,” he said.
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Some residents confirmed that dog meat had been used to prepare soup, which was then shared among students of the school.
Adam Muhammad, a counselor in the area, acknowledged the incident but noted that the community had since calmed down following the deployment of security personnel to maintain law and order.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, ASP Mansir Hassan, also confirmed the incident and revealed that the command was conducting an investigation into the matter. He mentioned that the accused individual denied slaughtering the dog for a naming ceremony.
Hassan cautioned residents against taking the law into their own hands and assured that the command was conducting background checks on sect members involved.
What Islam says about eating of dog meat – Sheikh Gumi
A Kaduna based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, said there are two rulings on the issue of eating dog meat because the prophet prohibited the eating of all animals that hunt or have canine teeth, which dogs have.
“So it is haram (prohibited), but in another madhab (school of thought) as practiced around the Iraq region, it’s makruh (disliked).
“But the ones we follow, the prophet forbade eating dogs, so literally, people don’t eat dogs here. So when you come and introduce such a different practice, it will create reactions, especially when associated with Islamic rites like naming ceremonies.
“This is because Islam only permits four animals for religious rites: camel, cattle, sheep, or goat. Any other animal, even if it’s halal, like a hen, or ostrich, is not allowed to be used for religious sacrifice.
“So their actions are un-Islamic and provocative. They provoke the general Ummah of Malik School of thought which says it is haram (forbidden) to eat dog meat.”
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The cleric called on citizens to avoid taking the law into their hands, saying they can only preach to people to make them understand that those who believe whatever is in the hadith is not authentic are faulty because the Quran has said that the prophet is an example for Muslims to follow.
Sheikh Gumi said most half of Islamic law is from the hadith, and “if you remove the hadith from Islamic law, you will be left with only one-quarter of the law.”
He urged the authorities not to play with such issues, especially considering the background of such sect members.