The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared that those who invoke the name of God before taking innocent lives believing they are fulfilling a divine command are destined for hellfire.
The Sultan made this statement on Wednesday at the First Triennial Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) held in Abuja. Speaking alongside Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President Daniel Okoh and Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, the Sultan who co-chairs the council called for a change in how religiously motivated violence is framed in public discourse.
He urged Nigerians to stop associating terrorism and banditry with Islam, insisting that such acts are fundamentally anti-Islamic and must not be allowed to define the religion.
“Let us get the narrative right. It is not about religion. Let us stop bringing religion into it,” he said. “Let us call them what they are — criminals. Not Muslim criminals, not Muslim terrorists, not Muslim bandits. Even if someone claims to be Muslim, what they do goes against Islam.”
The Sultan also linked the problem to ignorance and the misuse of religious authority, warning that fluency in Arabic alone does not confer Islamic scholarship or leadership.
“The fact that you understand Arabic does not make you a Sheikh. Arabic is just a language. Literacy is very important,” he stressed.
He concluded with a stark warning: “Somebody can go to the market, blow himself or herself up, kill people and shout ‘Allahu Akbar’. Yes, God is great — but you are going to hell. They will suffer for taking innocent lives.”
The Sultan further noted that much of the violence commonly described as religious in nature is being widely misunderstood, a trend he said is fueling growing suspicion and mistrust among Nigerians.
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