“I can vouch for their uprightness,” Islamic scholar Mufti Menk said of the late President Muhammadu Buhari and businessman Aminu Dantata, describing them as “upright Muslims and legends in their own right.”
Gatekeepers News reports that in a heartfelt video message, Menk praised the two men for their integrity, faith, and good deeds.
Menk, who had met both men several times, said Buhari was a good Muslim who dealt with many challenges as a leader but remained upright and honest.
“He was a wonderful person in terms of his deeds. May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannah Firdous,” Menk said.
About Dantata, Menk said he was an amazing person who was granted a decree to be buried in Al-Baqi, Medina, a rare honor. “It mentions the type of person he was, what he must have done. Subanallah. What he must be having?” Menk said, praising Dantata’s akhlaq (character) and good deeds.
Menk also praised Buhari’s commitment to his faith, saying he was inspired by the leader’s dedication to praying five times a day. “I was blown away by this man. Subanallah. I really felt that this is a person, a hidden gem, that people don’t know about,” Menk said.
The Islamic scholar emphasized that every nation has its challenges and that leaders do their best with the capacity they have.
“…And I do know that the late President Muhammadu Buhari had so many challenges he dealt with as a politician, as a leader of the country. Some of which he achieved, some he didn’t achieve. That does not make him a bad person. That does not make him not upright or without integrity or dishonest but rather the challenges of every nation across the globe, including the most advanced ones. Some of the politicians will be able to know some of the problems and some may not be able to be resolved because that is the nature of the way things are. So if you have a few problems and a few issues in your country, it doesn’t automatically make your leader a person who is dishonest and lacks integrity, and so on. Not necessarily.
“If for example, the security and a few other issues were not upon the level that we’ve loved them to be upon, you need to look at the whole picture.
“Before I visited Nigeria for the first time many years ago, people had told me, ‘Don’t ever go there’. I am glad I didn’t listen to them. I went, defiled everyone. And when I went, it was people like Muhammadu Buhari who changed my perspective. He was one of them, there were a few others, I met so many wonderful souls, beautiful upright people. I have told people, in Nigeria, I have seen such upright men and women that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
“And yes, the other side of the coin is there. You also have people who lack integrity, you also have some of the biggest scammers in the world who happen to perhaps be Nigerians. There are scammers in every country. There are scammers in America, India, Pakistan, and everywhere else. There are scammers where I come from. There are scammers everywhere, but that doesn’t mean that the President is to blame. You get what I am saying?
“And given his circumstances and the capacity he had, he did his best, he tried very hard. He was sincere for the country. He didn’t line his pocket at all. I thought I would make a quick video because I owe it to him and to them (Buhari and Dantata) actually.”
Menk prayed for Allah’s mercy and blessings on both men and their families. “May Allah make it easy for them.”
Mufti Menk concluded “Great people, we should stand for them, and nothing will make me change my mind.”
