Hawzah News Agency- Every era witnesses the rise of movements that challenge falsehood, awaken conscience, and restore the dignity of man. In the contemporary Nigerian landscape, the Islamic Movement has emerged as one such divinely inspired phenomenon which is a call to faith, knowledge, and justice.
The origins of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria can be traced to the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period marked by ideological ferment among Nigerian university students. This was also the era of global Islamic awakening inspired by the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran (1979), a triumph that demonstrated the power of faith to overthrow tyranny and re-establish divine sovereignty in human affairs.
Among the Muslim students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky emerged as a leading voice calling for the revival of Islam as a complete way of life. His message resonated deeply with youths disillusioned by the failures of secularism, neocolonialism, and materialism. By 1980, what began as an intellectual and moral campaign among students and youth had blossomed into a nationwide Islamic Movement, united by the call for the restoration of Islamic values, self-reliance, and resistance to oppression.
Among the Muslim students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky emerged as a leading voice calling for the revival of Islam as a complete way of life. His message resonated deeply with youths disillusioned by the failures of secularism, neocolonialism, and materialism. By 1980, what began as an intellectual and moral campaign among students and youth had blossomed into a nationwide Islamic Movement, united by the call for the restoration of Islamic values, self-reliance, and resistance to oppression.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Movement grew across towns and villages, establishing study circles, schools, mosques, community projects, and social welfare programs. It encouraged Muslims to study Islam deeply, practice it sincerely, and challenge corrupt systems that oppressed the poor.Despite repeated attempts by successive governments to suppress it, including mass arrests, assassinations, and massacres, the Movement endured, guided by the patience and wisdom of the uncompromising leader, Sheikh Zakzaky (H).
The Islamic Movement’s ideology is deeply rooted in Tawhid (the Oneness of God), which establishes that all sovereignty belongs to Allah alone. From this flows the Movement’s rejection of oppression, corruption, and secular systems that alienate man from divine justice.
It advocates the unity of Muslims, the establishment of a society governed by Islamic ethics, and the defense of the oppressed, wherever they may be. Sheikh Zakzaky has consistently emphasized that Islam is not a religion confined to rituals, but a comprehensive system of life that includes governance, economy, education, and morality which are all guided by divine law.
The history of the Movement is inseparable from the sacrifices of its martyrs; men, women, and children who gave their lives for Allah’s cause.
Despite decades of persecution, media blackouts, and social isolation, the Islamic Movement has not only survived but grown stronger. Its resilience lies in three key pillars: faith in Allah’s promise, unwavering leadership, and a disciplined, educated followership.
The Islamic Movement stands today as one of the most disciplined, ideologically grounded, and spiritually vibrant movements in Africa. Its history is narratives of faith under fire, a testimony that truth cannot be silenced.
Source: Islamic Movement of Nigeria
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