By Shamsuddeen Alkanawy
Evidently, the much-slandered Arewa is beginning to see through the “Hausa Zalla” provocateurs otherwise known as “Zallawa”, a confederation of imposters whom, to be precise, cloak themselves in false identities, operate under false names or simply stay faceless, while posing as advocates and, at times, guardians of the so-called Hausa cultural and ethno-political reawakening. Yet behind the facade they are a textbook example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
undoubtedly, these snakes in the grass belong to the class of hypocrites already exposed by the Qur’an in the clearest terms: “And they (such hypocrites) swear by Allah that they are part of you but they are not. They only say so out of fear (that their true identity will be revealed)” (Q. 9:56).
In all honesty, a closer examination reveals that there is much more to the fraudsters’ ill-willed agitation campaign for the disruptive restructuring of Arewa than meets the eye.
For one reason, the shadowy figures whose interests are represented by the “Zallawa” and their conspiratorial counterparts simply view success as a zero-sum game; and as such are maliciously convinced that they can only flourish when Arewa and with its distinct religious, political and sociocultural structure and fabric is ruined beyond repair.
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Such level of deep-seated bigotry targeting Arewa and its peoples, above all Muslim northerners, was not lost on the Sardauna of Sokoto and his fellow Arewa founding fathers, even as Nigeria was preparing for decolonization.
(See the Sardauna’s “My Life” and Scheler’s “The Sardauna’s Middle East Policy: Regionalism and Backstage Politics in Nigeria”.)
For another, the “Zallawa” whose smear campaign spares neither the Arewa and West Sudan (the historical region that roughly applied to the contemporary West African Sahel and Sudan Savannah) Islamic voices nor transformative reformers, from Sheikh Muhammad bn Abd al-Karim al-Maghili onward to Sheikh Othman bn Fodio (Jaruma Hausa TV 360, Oct 16, 2025 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18vzq6yVuj/), and who, at the heart of it all, blaspheme the Noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself, (@jarumahausatv360, June 1, 2026 https://youtu.be/Y812wueIXQQ?si=Nx4M72TGuC9Uylr0) undoubtedly seek to redefine Hausa ethno-social identity in such a way it more or less applies only to the Maguzawa (adherents of the pre-Islamic Hausa folk religions) and Hausa Christians, both of whom, compared to the population of the overwhelming Muslim majority, barely register statistically (Paden 43).
Such a spare-no-one campaign, or rather attack on the sacred, is no more than a tearing-down-icons tactic of the Imperialist War of Ideas, firmly grounded in vilification of Islamic figures in a dirty attempt to turn their multitudes of followers away from the teachings they uphold, thereby making them susceptible to anti-Islamic narratives.
Quite clearly, the warning prophecy foretold in the famous Hadith narrated by Hudaifah bin al-Yaman (R.A) concerning the ‘du’aah ad-dalaalah’ (zealous advocates of misguidance) applies perfectly to all advocates of misguidance within the ranks of Muslims, not excluding those ‘Zallawa’ elements who identify as Muslims or even as indigenous Arewa Muslims.
Below, Hudaifah relays that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W) said: “There will be callers at the gates of Hell, whoever responds to them, they will throw them into it”. I said “O messenger of Allah describe them to us. He said “They will be from our people, speaking our language.” I said, “what do you command me if I live to see that? He said “adhere to the main body of the Muslims and their leader. If there are no such body and no leader, then keep a safe distance from all those (misguided) groups, even if you bite onto (hold onto) a tree trunk until death finds you in that state.
(Sahih al-Bukhari v.4, ch 59, had. 3601 pp 524-525 and v.9 ch.90, had. 7085, pp146-146, Sahih Muslim, v.5, ch. 20, had. 1895, pp 172-173).
Given the above, the ‘Zallawa’ of this hypocritical ilk have enormous potential to stir up as much tension and strife in Arewa as possible, and to further undermine the cohesion of the region’s Muslim community.
Fortunately, the Glorious Quran attests to the destructive’ potential of such breed of hypocrites in the following verses:
“Had they gone forth with you they would not have increased you except in confusion, and they would have been active among you seeking to cause chaos and dissension, and among you are avid listeners to them. Sure enough, Allah is knowing of those who transgress (His bounds)* They had already desired dissension before and had upset matters for you, until the truth came and the ordinance (victory) of Allah appeared while they were averse” (Q. 9: 47-48).
Interestingly, the same Glorious Qur’an reassures believing Muslims that the failure of hypocritical quests is certain, thereby revealing that: “And from among the Bedouins (villagers) around you are hypocrites, and also from the people of Madinah, they have become accustomed to hypocrisy. You (O Muhammad) do not know them, but We know them. We will punish them twice (in this world). Then they will be returned to a much harsher punishment in the life to come” (Q. 9:101), even as it scorns the hypocrites themselves with the following rhetorical question: “Do they (hypocrites) not see that they are tried every year once or twice, but then they do not repent nor do they remember!” (Q. 9:126).
Taking the above into account, the “Zallawa” hypocritical efforts are set to, in sha Allah, fail spectacularly.
Besides, even a casual observer of the ‘Zallawa’ quest can readily see that it rests on fabricated narratives, entrenched bigotry, particularly against Islamic figures, and, of course, pervasive ignorance.
Looking at the trend of their digital activism, it is obvious that the “Zallawa Echo Chamber of Hate” is populated by profoundly ignorant demagogues, and at most, by credential ignoramuses, ignorant literates, pseudo-intellectuals, and, though extraordinarily rare, ill-informed intellectuals, who wallow in ignorance about Islam, its history and civilization in the West Sudan, let alone the legacy of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio’s reforms, Jihad and the Sokoto Sultanate (usually misnamed and sometimes ill-labelled, in most English literature as Sokoto Caliphate).
Equally, they know almost nothing about the Arewa society and politics, yet, doubly unfortunate, they feed off the ignorance of those in their social circle and cyberspace.
Still, upon closer inspection, we can naturally conclude that the “Zallawa” Unholy Quest is, to a certain extent, a subtle version of Orientalism promoted not by Arabists and Islamologists, as is the case with Orientalism Proper, rather by a mob of online demagogues, who shun intellectual engagement in favor of inflammatory rhetoric, unfounded claims and propaganda.
Strictly speaking, that is not to say that Orientalism itself is a sound intellectual discourse on Islam and the Muslims as it purports to be. In the words of Edward Said, “One ought never to assume that the structure of Orientalism is nothing more than the structure of lies and of myths, which were the truth about them to be told, will simply blow away”; having discovered that Orientalism rests on extremely weak and intellectually untenable premises Said (a Western nurtured scholar) broke silence in the following words:
“I myself believe that Orientalism is more particularly valuable as a sign of European Atlantic power over the Orient, than it is a veridic discourse about the Orient (which is what in its academic or scholarly form it claims to be” (Said 7).
Yet, compared to the discourse of Orientalists and intellectuals nurtured in the Orientalist tradition, of even much less intellectual value, is the “Zallawa” discourse on Islam and History as regards Arewa and the making of its cultural and socio-political structure.
Intellectually speaking, the narrow-minded outlook of the Zallawa and their hosts, scarcely allow them to do anything beyond nurturing violent fantasies towards the good people of Arewa: their designated enemies.
Thus, it is no surprise that the hatemongers consistently make glaring blunders in almost every assertion they make and every account they give, not to mention the endless stream of falsehoods and myths they propagate about Islam, Arewa and the West Sudan, most notably about the regions’ foremost Islamic figures, such as the Grand Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio and his disciples.
Unequivocally, a campaign of slander and defamation is by all means un-Islamic, and even more so, when directed against the Muslim scholars who spent their lives reviving pure Islamic teachings and revitalizing the Muslim society.
In his seminal treatise on proper conduct towards Muslim scholars titled ‘Raf’ al-Malaam’ (Removal of Blame from the Great Imams), the Damascene polymath; Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah stresses in the strongest terms the duty to hold Muslim scholars in high esteem, highlighting that:
“It is obligatory upon Muslims after being loyal to Allah (the Exalted) and His Messenger (peace be on him), to be loyal to the believers as the Qur’an declares, especially to the scholars who are inheritors of the prophets (peace be on them), who Allah made like stars that serve as guides through the darkness of the land and the oceans. The Muslims are in agreement regarding their guidance and understanding. For prior to the advent of our Prophet (peace be on him) the scholars of the earlier prophets’ communities (nations) were less inclined to good, whereas the scholars of the Muslim community (nation/ummah) were deemed to be the finest as they carry the mantle of knowledge bequeathed by (Muhammad) the Prophet (peace be on him) and they are the revivers of whatever is forgotten of his Sunnah (traditions). Through them the Qur’an is established, and they act upon it. The Qur’an speaks through them and they articulate whatever the Qur’an contains” (Ibn Taymiyyah 15, al-Matroudi 328).
In the same toking, the Grand Imam, Abou al-Qassim Ibn Asaakir in his masterpiece on academic integrity titled “Tabyeen Khadib al-Muftariy” (Clarifying the Falsehood of the Fabricator, Concerning What Has been Attributed to al-Imam Abou al-Hassan al-Ash’ari) issues a strong warning against undermining the status and reputation of Muslim scholars, noting that:
“The flesh of Muslim scholars is poisonous, and the custom of Allah in removing the screen from those who seek to belittle them is well known. This is because attacking them in matters that they are free from is a tremendous matter (a sin of the highest magnitude), surrounding their reputation with lies and fabrications is an infertile ground (a counterproductive effort), and differing with those whom Allah has chosen amongst them to disperse the knowledge is a dishonourable characteristic” (Ibn Asaakir 120).
Behind their false identity claims, the Zallawa have no iota of concern for Islam, the Muslims and Arewa, instead, they have made a religion of venerating the staunchest enemy of Islam and Arewa, the 1966 coup plotters; namely, Patrick Chukuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and his accomplices (Muffett p157).
Besides, the loudest Zallawa demagogue, the Ahokum Priestess (who poses as Kaltume Alumba Jitami), has in broad daylight, openly called on the Hausa Muslims to forsake Islam in favor of the Maguzawa Paganism, and to replace the sacred greetings “assalamu alaikum” with the so called Maguzawa salutation “ahokum”, citing Islam as an impediment to the success of their purported Hausa Zalla quest (Arewason https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17yDCVDhNd/)
Alkanawy is currently pursuing a PhD at Taraba State University, Jalingo.
