As-Salāmu ’Alaykum wa Rahmatullāhi wa Barakātuh.
To the entire Muslim Ummah, particularly our esteemed scholars, jurists, Imams, traditional rulers, community leaders, and every conscientious believer, I write with profound concern over the recurring incidents of jungle justice that continue to stain our collective conscience and undermine the sanctity of human life. There comes a moment when silence ceases to be prudence and becomes complicity. That moment is now. We must courageously advocate for justice through lawful and established institutions rather than through emotional impulses or unlawful reprisals. Islam is a religion founded upon justice, mercy, wisdom, and due process, not on chaos, vigilantism, or mob violence. Whenever accusations are transformed into instant death sentences without investigation, evidence, or judicial determination, justice is not served; rather, injustice is enthroned. As the timeless maxim reminds us, “Justice hurried is justice buried,” while another enduring proverb warns that “The mob has many hands but no conscience.”
Allah, the Most High, commands in the Noble Qur’an: “Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence, and generosity to relatives, and forbids immorality, wrongdoing, and transgression.” (Qur’an 16:90). Likewise, He declares: “O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice as witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, or your relatives.” (Qur’an 4:135). These divine injunctions establish justice as an immutable obligation upon every believer. Justice in Islam is not governed by anger, public sentiment, or religious passion. It is governed by evidence, equity, and lawful authority. The Qur’an further cautions: “Do not let the hatred of a people cause you to depart from justice. Be just. That is nearer to righteousness.” (Qur’an 5:8). This verse alone dismantles every justification for emotional retaliation and collective vengeance.
One of the most dangerous misconceptions circulating in some quarters is the belief that whenever an individual is accused of blaspheming against the Prophet Muhammad SAW, ordinary citizens possess the authority to execute such a person. This notion has no basis in the methodology of Islamic governance. Even where classical Islamic jurisprudence discusses blasphemy as a punishable offence under an Islamic legal system, its adjudication belongs exclusively to a competent judicial authority after due process has been observed. The accused must be arrested, investigated, granted the opportunity to defend himself or herself, and judged by a qualified court. No individual possesses the right to become prosecutor, investigator, judge, jury, and executioner simultaneously. Such conduct transforms society into a lawless wilderness where suspicion replaces evidence, emotion supplants reason, and murder masquerades as religious devotion.
The Messenger of Allah SAW, laid down one of the greatest legal principles in Islamic jurisprudence when he said: “Were people to be given according to their claims, some would claim the wealth and blood of others. Rather, the burden of proof rests upon the claimant, while the oath is upon the one who denies.” This Prophetic principle remains one of the cardinal maxims governing Islamic law. It teaches that allegations alone can never constitute proof and that every accusation must be substantiated before any legal consequence can arise. Allah further commands: “O you who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with information, verify it lest you harm people in ignorance and afterwards become regretful for what you have done.” (Qur’an 49:6). Verification is therefore not merely advisable but it is a divine obligation.
The tragic killing of Deborah Yakubu remains one of the darkest chapters in Nigeria’s recent history. Whatever allegations may have been levelled against her, no individual or group possessed either Islamic or constitutional authority to deprive her of her life. Had an offence genuinely been committed, the proper course of action would have been to arrest her and present the matter before a court of competent jurisdiction for lawful adjudication. Instead, a mob assumed powers that belong only to legitimate judicial institutions. Such conduct cannot be reconciled with the teachings of Islam. Allah declares: “Whoever kills a soul unless in the course of legal justice or for corruption in the land, it is as though he has killed all mankind.” (Qur’an 5:32). The verse clearly indicates that deprivation of life is permissible only through lawful authority and established legal procedures but not through spontaneous acts of vengeance by private citizens.
Equally heartbreaking are incidents in which innocent individuals have lost their lives merely because someone shouted, “Thief!”, “Kidnapper!”, or “Blasphemer!” One particularly disturbing account concerns a female Islamic scholar who was reportedly travelling to an Islamic gathering when she was allegedly accused, without proof, of stealing a child and was subsequently stoned to death by an enraged crowd. If such reports are accurate, then the incident represents not justice but a catastrophic miscarriage of justice. It demonstrates the terrifying consequences of abandoning due process in favour of mob sentiment. A society in which accusation automatically becomes conviction and conviction instantly becomes execution is a society that has abandoned both divine guidance and civilized governance.
The sanctity of human life occupies one of the loftiest positions in Islamic law. The Prophet Muhammad SAW the Republic Gwilt declared: “The destruction of the Ka’bah is lighter in the sight of Allah than the unlawful killing of a believer.” He also proclaimed during his Farewell Pilgrimage: “Indeed, your blood, your wealth, and your honour are sacred.” These statements leave no room for ambiguity. Human life is inviolable, and no accusation strips an individual of that sanctity until competent judicial authority has lawfully established guilt after observing every requirement of justice.
Beyond the Islamic legal framework, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria equally guarantees every citizen the right to life under Section 33 and the right to fair hearing under Section 36, including the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. These constitutional guarantees are not mere technicalities, w must they are indispensable safeguards against tyranny and arbitrariness. No citizen, organization, or religious group possesses constitutional authority to execute another human being outside the judicial process. Murder remains murder irrespective president is a of the justification advanced. Vigilantism, however passionately defended, remains unlawful.
Remarkably, the Holy Bible reinforces these same universal principles. Proverbs 31:8–9 commands believers to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves… defend the rights of the poor and needy.” In John 7:24, Jesus teaches: “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Likewise, when an angry crowd sought to stone a woman accused of adultery, Jesus refused to inflame the mob. Instead, he declared: “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” This profound lesson illustrates that justice must never be surrendered to the passions of an enraged multitude.
Our scholars therefore bear a sacred responsibility to educate the Ummah. Our Imams must preach justice from the pulpits. Our traditional rulers must foster peace within their communities. Our law enforcement agencies must enforce the law impartially, while our judiciary must dispense justice fearlessly and without prejudice. Political leaders must ensure that every Nigerian, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or social standing, enjoys equal protection under the law. Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality, it is acquiescence.
Ultimately, the true measure of a civilized society is not how swiftly it punishes alleged offenders but how faithfully it preserves justice. Today, the victim may be Deborah Yakubu. Tomorrow, it may be an innocent Islamic scholar falsely accused. The day after, it could be any one of us. When mobs replace courts, no one remains safe. When emotion supplants evidence, innocence becomes irrelevant. When vengeance is mistaken for justice, society descends into perpetual fear and lawlessness.
May Allah, the Most Just, make us among those who establish justice, uphold truth, reject oppression, protect the sanctity of every innocent life, and remain steadfast upon His command: “Indeed, Allah commands justice.” (Qur’an 16:90). May He grant our scholars, leaders, and every member of the Muslim Ummah the wisdom and courage to denounce every form of jungle justice and unlawful killing, irrespective of the victim’s religion, ethnicity, or status, for justice is the foundation upon which every enduring civilization is built.
Āmīn.
Write-up by Abubakar Rajab