Following the controversies trailing the bag hung on his shoulder by President Muhammadu Buhari during the inauguration ceremony held on May 29, at the Eagle Square, Abuja, an Islamic scholar, Ahmed Sanusi, has said it was in compliance with Islamic injunction.
Speaking with Saturday INDEPENDENT, Sanusi explained that the President who claimed to be ‘unclean’ to touch the Holy Quran had resorted to carrying it in a bag since it was mandatory for him to use it to take his oath of office.
“The act by the President is associated with Islam, and there are a lot of things that could make a person conclude that he or she is unclean and cannot touch the booklet itself. If you are not clean enough, you can’t touch the Quran, it is a basic law with Islam,” he said.
Further, Sanusi explained that carrying a bag containing the Quran is not the same as handling it. “Mr. President can carry it on his person, but not handle it. When we say that he cannot touch the Holy Quran, it means that he cannot touch it physically. He can read it, it is just the same way a menstruating woman cannot touch the Quran, but can still read it. If you look at the teaching of Islam deeply, it does not allow swearing with the Quran. But it is what the law demands, so he had to comply, but there are certain things that he couldn’t comply with, he might not be able to comply with holding it if he is unclean. However, the restriction does not prevent him from putting it on his body when it is inside a bag,” Sanusi said.
Since the second term inauguration of the President, there have been speculations about the bag the President carried while taking his oath of office.
Not considered as being of presidential standard, the bag has raised a lot of speculations about the purpose it was meant to serve. While some people have said it might have contained his medical essentials, others say it is far from being a fashion bag. Another sect also opined that it belittles the office of the President of a country such as Nigeria, especially during his inauguration.
