By Bakampa Brian Baryaguma
bakampasenior@gmail.com;
www.huntedthinker.blogspot.com
Uganda lost a prominent Muslim citizen, Al Hajji Nasser Ntege Ssebagala, on Saturday, 26th September, 2020, at around 10:00 A.M. Al Hajji Ssebagala was a former mayor of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Al Hajji Nasser Ntege Ssebagala, a very devoted Muslim, left a will directing that his body should not be buried, until his children and other close relatives return to Uganda, from around the world, to be present at his burial. Consequently, his family has given those concerned seven days to come back home for the burial, and set Sunday, 4th October, 2020, as the date of burial.
This will and decision
has turned out to be controversial, and ignited debate as to whether this is
allowed in Islam. In fact, the Supreme Mufti of the Muslim faction at Kibuli, Sheikh
Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa, castigated this, and called upon Muslims to make
their wills and decisions in accordance with what he calls the law of Allah and
the practices of Prophet Muhammad. The common practice among Muslims is that burials
should be carried out immediately after death – in any case not later than 24 hours.
In this case, the Late Ssebagala should have been buried even on that very day,
probably in the evening, or early morning the next day.
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| Supreme Mufti Sheikh Siliman Kasule Ndirangwa |
Dear reader, it is not true that Muslims must be buried immediately, by Islamic law. The alleged law, resulting from common practice among Muslims, is a sheer misunderstanding of the practice and ways of Muhammad. Before you question what right I have to educate Muslims on this, remember that the Koran, in Surah Muhammad 10:94 says that we, people of the Book (i.e. Christians and Jews), should teach Muhammad and his followers where they do not understand Allah’s teachings in the Koran. So, I am only doing my job, and it is important that you seriously pay attention. Now, it is true that Muhammad buried his followers and combatants (swahabas) immediately after death. But this was for two main reasons.
First, Muhammad and his
adherents lived in hot desert areas, which did not permit dead bodies to last
long before rotting and smelling, and consequently spreading diseases and
infections to the living. It was therefore absolutely necessary that the dead
be buried soon after dying. Second, in the early days of Islam, Muhammad and
his adherents lived and operated in a very hostile environment, characterized
by wars, conflicts, and witch-hunt from opponents of the new religion. Muhammad
and his team were constantly on the run, fleeing from enemies. So, they held quick
burials, since organizing long mourning ceremonies was a luxury they could not
afford, due to insecurity and time constraints. It should be noted that these limitations
were peculiar to the places from which Islam originated, and therefore do not
necessarily apply everywhere else as a matter of law.
For instance, there are
cold places where the weather is conducive enough to allow dead bodies to last
longer without decomposing. In such places, there is no need for hurried
burials. Then, in modern societies, there are improved technologies like
refrigeration which help to preserve dead bodies for long, thus allowing
delayed burials, in even hot desert areas like the ones Muhammad operated in. And,
fortunately for Muslims, Islam is now accepted and not a victimized religion
anymore, such that Muslims do not have to rush to bury their dead loved ones in
panic. The accommodative environment permits long mourning ceremonies today.
So, the Late Al Hajji Nasser Ntege Ssebagala and his family are justified in choosing to unusually delay the burial of Seya, as Late Ssebagala was fondly called by his political supporters. The Late was, and his family members are aware of the changed and prevailing circumstances today that are fundamentally different from the difficult days of Muhammad and his adherents. I encourage Muslims to emulate them, because they cannot afford to continue living mechanically, as though they were robots, applying a copy-and-paste approach.
