After leaving the hospital at about 9.30 pm, I went to visit some family relations and on returning home that fateful day, the unusual started to unravel. First, our security guard told me that my attention was needed at the hospital. He did not disclose to me the passing away of my dad shortly after I left the hospital. Many things crossed my mind, so I drove straight to the FMC. To my surprise, from the gate through the Accident and Emergency Ward and the long corridor linking all the wards, I did not meet anybody. The time was 11:00 pm. A group of people were coming from far opposite direction, but I could not identify any because of the distance. As I was heading to the ward where my dad was, I noticed somebody among the group waving at me to stop. When they came closer, I saw my elder brother, a medical doctor and a staff of the hospital. This however explained why I didn’t meet anybody when I came to the hospital. Their doctor one of the senior colleagues lost his father. The group was just returning from the mortuary where dad’s corpse was deposited. Inna lillaahi wa inna ilaihi raajiun. Dad died shortly after I left the hospital.
My brother told me the unexpected had happened and dad is no more. He said he had to quickly send somebody to call me back knowing that I bade him farewell and was returning to Abuja the following morning. No thanks to the high cost nature of the newly introduced GSM services then. Only the rich afforded it. One can imagine my dad passing away few minutes after I left him, but nobody could call to tell me, because many of us then had no phones. No thanks also to then Minister of Communications David Mark who said telephone is not for the poor. May Allah give us leaders who are sensitive to issues affecting people they govern.
Alhaji Abubakar Modibbo was the Sarkin Malamai of Dukku in Gombe State. He died on Monday, May 26, 2002. He was a religious leader, Islamic scholar, judge, farmer and respected opinion leader. He lived a fulfilled life. This tribute is intended to solicit prayers from all family members, friends, well wishers, his students, those whom he came across in his sojourn in life and even those reading the tribute. May Allah reward them for the prayers and grant my dad jannatul firdaus. He lived a life of exemplary character and good conduct. Humble, patient, generous and disclipline.
It is 10 years since he left us. It is like yesterday. We are still yet to come to terms with the vacuum he left behind. He saw to the establishment of many schools both Islamic and western in various places. He superintended the building of many mosques prominent of which is Dukku Central Jumuat Mosque. He valued education the more. This explains why he ensured that he educated his children amidst all competing odds. He prepared his children for the challenges of life. He encouraged everybody willing to learn. He kept on describing his house as a school where fees are not paid, no any charges and anything from books, food and clothing are free. As an Islamic scholar, he was a guiding light to many. His students were scattered across the nation. He respected all shades of opinions. His understanding of the injunctions of Islam and fear of Allah made him outstanding among his peers not only in Gombe state but greater part of northern Nigeria. He held several lessons for pilgrims on hajj both at home and in the holy land for many years. He valued the unity of the Muslim ummah by repeatedly pointing out that hajj is a symbol of Muslim unity where all divisions and differences among Islamic sects were buried and common front forged.
He engaged scholars of different Islamic sects to series of brainstorming sessions so that they can understand each other and appreciate those differences are not but for the benefit of all. Hundreds of faithful trooped to Dukku Jumuat Mosque for the holy month of Ramadan tafsir annually which he administered for over 40 years in Fulfulde language. This had widened the scope and frontiers of understanding the injunctions of the religion by its followers.
I owe it a duty to write this tribute for the fact that Alkali Modibbo sacrificed all he had for the benefit of humanity. I still find it difficult to understand how he was able, as a civil servant with a meager income, to see to the education of all his children nearly 30 to the university level in different fields including banking, medicine, architecture, accounting and mass communication just to mention a few.
We as his biological children pray for the repose of his soul in perfect peace. But he was a father not only to his biological children but to everybody that comes his way. One of the great lessons he kept on reminding us was the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which says “hasten to do good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night.” He taught us lessons in patience and perseverance, fear of Allah, good conduct, truthfulness and honesty among others.
Upon reaching the age of 63, he told some of the family members around that he likened the years to that of the holy prophet (SAW) and the years his father also spent. He gave praises to Allah for clocking 63. He said any second, minute or hour he spent after 63 would be considered a special gift from Allah. He lived 11 years later and died at the age of 74. The 11 year-span was a major landmark in his life. It was the period when his male children came of age. Some finished their schools, got employment and even got married. He saw the period as a special and rare gift from Allah because his early children were all women. He left behind four wives, 29 children and many grand and great grand children. The senior wife and two of our sisters passed away after him. May Allah grant all of them jannaul firdaus. Before his hospitalization and eventual death, he bought some yards of white cloths that he wanted to be buried with. He was not keen on going to the hospital for operation but his children insisted.
He envied no one. He was respected within the ranks of judiciary staff both in Bauchi and Gombe states where he served as Area Court Judge for over 50 years. He discharged his duties diligently and with passion and fear of Allah. He influenced the establishment of many area courts, appointment of deserving judges and their training to different Sharia schools across the country. He was a judge of substance and exceptional qualities. Even in retirement he had to be reengaged by the Bauchi state government on contract basis due to the immeasurable roles he played in supporting the judiciary.
His death is not only a loss to his family but the society at large. He was so preoccupied attending to peoples’ problems. His fatherly counsel and scholarly works made him outstanding. The Emir of Dukku described his demise as a loss to the entire emirate, adding that his wise counsel, advice and interpretation of religious provisions on myriad of issues, would be missed. One of his friends also described him as a sea of knowledge where you can fetch anything be it Qur’an, hadith, fiqh, jurisprudence and many others. He left a very big vacuum difficult to fill. He was so committed to imparting knowledge that anytime you visit him for lessons he was ready.
Alkali Modibbo died at a time we needed his great counsel and advice most. As we remember him today, as always, we take consolation in the hadith reported by Abu-Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) in which the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said “Allah the exalted says ‘I have no reward except Jannah for a believing slave of Mine who shows patience and anticipates My reward when I take away his favourite ones from the inhabitants of the world’ and also his saying “to Allah belongs what He takes and what He gives, and everything has a limited period ( in this world).
May Allah (SWT) continue to grant him eternal rest and reward him with Aljannah-Firdaus for his inestimable and ever memorable services to Islam, amin.
Alkali writes from Abuja.
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