To live with disability is harrowing in a society like ours. People living with disabilities (PLWD) require special attention. They deserve preferential treatments, affirmative actions, and our collective succor. But this is not the case in most cases. Who cares for the disabled in a country where the able people are being economically disabled? It has almost become a culture in our society whereby PLWD are considered outcast. Yes! I mean castaway.
Nobody chooses to be handicapped in whatever form. Likewise, the population of handicapped is not a desired reality. But when they exist, they must (not just should) be treated with mercy and compassion. Our traditional way of treating the physically impaired people with mercy is by giving them handout in form of charity. For this reason, those who are physically challenged are by default beggars. It is a taboo for the blind, the lame, the deaf, and the dumb not to beg. This is bad.
It is the reason why we could not hide our amazement when we see a physically impaired person selling in markets, managing a business or struggling to get a degree/certificate. It is also an abnormality—and we apply the question mark—when we see people with disability living in affluence with some degree of comfort. We are conditioned to associate disability with poverty, backwardness, sickness, and illiteracy. We grew up with this mentality. In fact the first time I saw a bank branch manager who was lame, I did not hesitate to ask “how come?” That was about two decades ago. It wasn’t my fault. I believed (then) that he had to be a beggar. May Allah forgive me?
Let’s turn to Dahuru Idris Abdulhamid—the blind Kano man who refuses to be blind in thought. His news of blindness went viral recently. It is not that he suddenly became blind, but because he did the undoable by switching roles from not being a beggar to being a teacher. What is more, a blind person—whose only known culturally defined occupation is begging—became a teacher who teaches, educates, and enlightens the people? Not even for fee; but for free!? This is acting against the societal norm.
He credibly usurped the role of the able people who could see with their eyes. To be candid, Dahuru deserves a national award. He should be awarded for struggling against all odds to earn himself a degree certificate—a certificate that many able people could not work hard to get except through bribery and corruption.
Dahuru should also be additionally rewarded for swimming against the virulent tide of poverty. Despite his poverty and (worst still) the challenge of blindness, Dahuru—unlike Aliyu—did not advertise himself for sale. On the other hand, Aliyu Idris put himself on sale—looking for a buyer. His worth, according to his estimation, is N20m. Having thought that he might be unsaleable in Kaduna—his initial Point of Sale (POS)—he moved to Kano to find a willing buyer since Kano has a larger market. I learnt he has been detained (or is it arrested) by Kano State Hisbah Board (Sharia Police).
Though not few people raised eyebrows at Hisbah, they asked if that is actually its mandate (or any of its businesses); I don’t want to dabble into that. In other words, has Hisbah acted necessarily or Ultra vires? I still don’t have enough space to discuss that in this article. I even thought, perhaps, Dahuru and Aliyu are of the same parent since they are both surnamed Idris. But they are of different parents; I later realized.
Again, Dahuru is contented, not just with little, but with nothing. Poverty is a major reason why many are not educated. But Dahuru proved that poverty is blind and lame reason for not being educated and, thus, should not be considered a reason anymore. I am eager to see the list of awardees for national honor at the end of the year. An omission of Dahuru, or classic people like him, in that list will make people like us cast aspersion on that annual ritual.
While awaiting the list of national honor awardees, Governor Ganduje has just proven (again) that he is not a sleeping governor. He has proven that his government doesn’t just get wind of viral issues, but acts when there is a need to. Governor Ganduje, his Excellency, Khadimul Islam in Kano State, offered Dahuru an automatic teaching employment. But this came after seven years of voluntary teaching according to some reports. At any rate, it is a classical case of ‘it is better late than never.’
However, the Governor should know that he is not setting any precedent yet. A former governor of Borno (Kashim Ibrahim Shettima) did something similar few years ago. For our Khadimul Islam to set a precedent, let him open a registration portal for all impaired people in the State to register and apply for jobs. They should all be given automatic employment. Thereafter, any physically challenged persons who roam the street begging should be given the Hisbah’s treatment (arrested). Then, there will be no justification for any of the PLWD to beg in Kano State.
If this precedent is set by Governar Ganduje (what a good precedent!), it is hoped that other governors or governments shall follow suit. This will be a welcome competition from which the masses (physically challenged) shall benefit. It will also be a radical shift from looting competitions which we are all too familiar with.
But at what point did the PLWD become associated with poverty and backwardness? Hasn’t Islam solved this problem once and for all during the Medina’s State under the leadership of the Prophet (SAW)? Aside the general social provisions and concession granted the physically impaired people in the Qur’an (see Q 48:17, 24:61, 9:91), a blind man occupied an envious position under the leadership of the Prophet. This is to show that PLWD are not outcast. They are to be elevated; not disdained. They are to be respected; not despised. They should be made to ascend through the societal ladder to the topmost rungs; not to be condemned to the lower rungs. This is Islam.
Not only that, the Prophet was censured from the highest heaven because of his miscalculated judgment—he was eager to welcome the high and mighty among the notable disbelievers (hopefully) to Islam. This took away his attention from a blind man whom in the sight of Allah (by virtue of his faith) is worthier than mountain of gold in the world (please read Qur’an Chapter 80).
It is our far distance away from Islam which we ‘fight’ to defend that makes people living with disabilities to be synonymous with poverty and backwardness. A blind man during the life time of the Prophet occupied a position which any Muslim political cum religious leader will be ever grateful to Allah if allowed to occupy. Abdullah Ibn Umm-Maktum was made the Prophet’s deputy as the leader of the then Muslim World when the latter was out for jihad.
We can all imagine, or rather agree to see, a blind man begging on the street. This is not surprising to us. But can we imagine a blind man winning an election in Kano or any other Muslim dominated states as governor? Have we even considered blind people for imams of our common mosques let alone our central mosques? This is how far we are away from Islam. Please, next time you see handicaps begging in Muslim community, do not think it is Islam. It is rather the antithesis of Islam. May Allah help restore our senses and make us practicing Muslims.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
