Today, I sat through the Friday sermon at Barhin Housing Estate Juma’at Mosque, Katsina, listening with keen interest as the Chief Imam delivered his khutbah. His topic was Loyalty to Leaders Who Are Fair to Their Followers.
It was a timely theme, one that touches both religion and governance. The Imam reminded us that leaders owe justice and fairness to their people, and followers, in return, owe loyalty to leaders who fulfill that trust. So far, so good.
But what caught my attention—and set my mind turning—were the examples he gave of leaders who, according to him, did not deserve loyalty.
The first example he cited was that of Ulamas who converged in Kaduna when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu paid a visit. He seemed to suggest that their presence was a betrayal of fairness, an act of misplaced loyalty. I could not help but wonder: was it really wrong for Ulamas to go and welcome their president? Is there anywhere in Islam where such an act is forbidden? If not, then should we not be careful about passing such judgments from the pulpit?
His second example was even more striking. Without mentioning names, he spoke of a leader who supposedly flew out of the country and was seen taking selfies with his wife and laughing, even as insecurity raged at home. Everyone in Katsina knew who he meant. But here, too, fairness was lacking.
When that video trended, explanations were offered. It turned out that the clip was old, not taken during the insecurity crisis. Secondly, the person in the video was alone, not with his wife. And thirdly, he wasn’t laughing in the short clip as alleged. In other words, the Imam’s example was based on misinformation—yet it was shared from the mimbar, where words carry enormous weight.
That moment reminded me of a sobering truth: just as leaders can be unfair to their followers, Imams and religious leaders can also be unfair in their commentary about others. When examples given in sermons are inaccurate or misleading, they risk creating unnecessary resentment and division.
Religion teaches us fairness, justice, and truth. And fairness, by its very nature, must be applied across the board—not only to political leaders and their followers, but also to those who stand before the faithful every Friday, guiding hearts and minds.
Perhaps this is a lesson for all of us: before we pass judgment, especially in such sensitive times, we must weigh our words with justice. Because the pulpit, too, must be held accountable to truth.
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