Abubakar Gumi
Abubakar Mahmud Gumi (7 November 1924 – 11 September 1992) was a Nigerian Islamic scholar and Grand Khadi of the Northern Region of Nigeria (1962–1967), a position which made him a central authority in the interpretation of the Shari'a legal system in the region. He was a close associate of Ahmadu Bello, the premier of the Northern region in the 1950s and 1960s and became the Grand Khadi. In 1967, the position was abolished.
Grand Khadi Abubakar Gumi | |
|---|---|
A portrait of Gumi | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 7 November 1924 Gummi, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now in Zamfara State, Nigeria) |
| Died | 11 September 1992 (aged 67) London, England |
| Religion | Islam |
| Region | Kaduna North |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Maliki |
| Movement | Izala |
| Main interest(s) | Tafsir al Quran and so many other books |
| Notable idea(s) | Tafsir and Fiqh |
| Notable work(s) | Raddul azhan ila ma'anil kur'an |
| Occupation | Scholar, Teacher and judge |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by
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| Children | Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, Hamza Gumi, Mustapha Gumi, Abdulkadir Gumi, Abbas Gumi, Sadiya Gumi, Badiya Gumi |
Gumi emerged as a vocal leader during the colonial era, where he felt the practice of indirect rule had weakened the religious power of Emirs and encouraged westernization. Beginning in the 1960s, public conflicts emerged between him and leaders of the Sufi brotherhood, some of whom he later debated on television programs in the 1970s and 1980s. By that time, he kept his ideas in the spotlight by holding Friday talking sessions inside the Kaduna Central Mosque (Sultan Bello Mosque). He used the sessions to revive his criticism of established authorities based on his views of a back to the source approach or the need to embrace a puritanical practice of Islam. He also criticized harshly the involvement of mysticism.
He has a large number of children, however his most popular child happens to be Dr Ahmad Abubakar Gumi who succeeded his father as the scholar of the central mosque Kaduna (Sultan Bello), Dr Ahmad Gumi is a certified medical doctor from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and was a former military officer, he left the military and travel to study fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) at the umm Al-Qura University in Mecca, Saudi Arabia where he obtained his PhD.
Gumi is a follower of the Maliki school of thought, this was derived through his writings including his Qur'anic tafsir (Raddul azhaan ila ma'anil Qur'an)
and other books like (hullu nizam ala nuzuul isa).