Pegasus Reporters Issues on the Wing
“The Ulama agree that if a person is able-bodied and can earn a living but instead chooses to beg, it is against the ethics of Islam. The Hanafi and Maliki schools of thought, prominent in West Africa, make it clear that a government has the right—nay, the obligation—to prohibit street begging, especially when it leads to societal harm”
*Dr. Umar Osabo
PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | APRIL 18, 2025
Shadows Over the Sahel
Once upon a time, in the sun-scorched towns of Northern Nigeria, the streets echoed with recitations of the Holy Qur’an by young boys huddled beneath neem trees. Their rhythm was steady, their voices melodic—each syllable a sacred step toward spiritual fulfilment. These were the Almajirai, young seekers of knowledge, once revered, once respected. Their presence was as normal and as noble as the minarets that pierced the sky in Kano, Katsina, Zaria, and Sokoto.
But that image now lies buried under the weight of tragic irony.
Today, the Almajiri is no longer a seeker, but a symbol—of suffering, of state failure, of a once-proud system now swallowed by poverty, politicization, and neglect. In nearly every city of the 19 northern states—home to over 150 million Nigerians—the sight is the same: disheveled children barefoot and hungry, bowls in hand, roaming markets, motor parks, and highways, cadging for alms. This is not migration for the sake of knowledge—it is institutionalized abandonment. It is not spirituality—it is survival.
What happened to the Almajiri? How did a word derived from one of the most honorable chapters in Islamic history come to represent shame, destitution, and failure in the richest region of Nigeria by land and population?
This is both a lamentation and a wake-up call—a deep dive into the tragedy that has engulfed Northern Nigeria under the guise of tradition and religion.
*Northern street kids (Almajiri)
*Sacred Roots of Almajiri
The word Almajiri is derived from the Arabic term Al-Muhajirun, meaning “the emigrants”—a noble title referring to the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who migrated with him from Makkah to Madinah to escape persecution. These Muhajirun were received and aided by the Ansar (the helpers), the residents of Madinah, who shared their homes, wealth, and lives with the migrants. This event—Hijrah—is of such immense importance in Islam that it marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
*The Muhajirun and Ansar are praised in the Qur’an:
“And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajirun and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct – Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him…” (Surah At-Tawbah 9:100)
Thus, in classical Islamic societies, an Almajiri (derived from Muhajir) was someone who left his home to seek Islamic knowledge. Traditionally, such students were received and supported by communities that saw it as a noble service to host seekers of knowledge. In precolonial Northern Nigeria, especially during the Sokoto Caliphate era, the Almajiri system functioned effectively as a decentralized yet respected educational institution.
But what we have today is far removed from this model.
*Islamic Perspective on Begging and Self-Reliance
Islam, while promoting compassion, has never sanctioned begging as a way of life—especially not when the able-bodied resort to it out of neglect or laziness.
Several Qur’anic verses and prophetic traditions discourage begging and promote self-reliance:
“And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.” (Surah An-Nisa 4:29)
“And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.” (Surah An-Najm 53:39)
“Charity is for the poor who have been restricted for the cause of Allah, unable to move about in the land. The one unaware of their condition would think them self-sufficient because they do not ask people persistently.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:273)
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:
“It is better for any of you to take a rope and bring a bundle of wood on his back and sell it than to ask of someone who may or may not give.” (Bukhari, Hadith 147)
Ijma’ (consensus) among Islamic jurists affirms that begging without necessity is discouraged, even sinful. The ulama agree that if a person is able-bodied and can earn a living but instead chooses to beg, it is against the ethics of Islam. The Hanafi and Maliki schools of thought, prominent in West Africa, make it clear that a government has the right—nay, the obligation—to prohibit street begging, especially when it leads to societal harm.
Almajiris; a life of uncertainty, neglected and vulnerable
So, where then did Northern Nigeria go wrong?
The Tragedy of Almajiri
The original Almajiri system was self-regulating, community-driven, and morally anchored. But colonial intervention, economic shifts, and the collapse of traditional institutions turned it into a breeding ground for neglect. British colonial policies, which prioritized Western education and ignored Islamic scholarship, effectively cut off state support for Qur’anic schools.
Post-independence, successive governments in Northern Nigeria abandoned these systems entirely, leaving the Mallams (teachers) and their pupils to fend for themselves. What remained were children thrust into cities and towns under the guise of seeking Islamic education, but in truth—abandoned to a cruel fate of hunger, abuse, and illiteracy.
These children are not just beggars. They are orphans of a broken system, survivors of parental poverty, victims of state absence. The practice has become institutionalized child labor—unpaid, unprotected, and unseen.
It is a barbaric contradiction: a region that boasts of Islamic heritage yet allows its youngest to sleep on mosque floors, drink from gutters, and beg at motor parks. It is not Islam. It is negligence draped in religious garb.
*Culture or Excuse?
Some claim begging is cultural in the North. But cultures evolve. Not every inherited tradition deserves preservation—especially one that contradicts core Islamic ethics.
Islam does not condone treating begging as a profession. The idea that it’s part of Hausa-Fulani identity is a dangerous myth used to excuse governmental and societal apathy. While generosity is deeply embedded in northern culture, it was never meant to institutionalize child neglect.
Today, a man in Maiduguri or Minna might give alms to a beggar believing he earns reward. But by enabling a failed system, that very act becomes complicit in harm. True charity in Islam is not just giving—it is transforming.
*Legislative Action
Every northern state must criminalize child street begging. Laws must not only be enacted but enforced. This includes penalizing parents who abandon children under the pretext of Qur’anic education and prosecuting Mallams who exploit minors.
*Educational Reform
Islamic and Western curricula is not optional—it is urgent. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) must collaborate with local scholars to design hybrid curriculums where children learn both fiqh and physics, tajweed and technology.
*Empowering Mallams
Mallams need state accreditation, training, and support. Parents must be empowered economically so they don’t feel forced to “send away” their children. Conditional cash transfer programs and micro-loans targeted at poor households can reduce the push factors.
*Community-Based Solutions
Recreate the Ansar model. Encourage urban households to “adopt” an Almajiri through structured mentoring and support systems. Faith-based organizations can manage endowment systems (waqf) for feeding, clothing, and educating Almajirai.
*Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders:
They must publicly disavow the current form of the Almajiri system. Silence is complicity. Friday sermons (khutbahs) should condemn street begging while reviving the honor of seeking knowledge the Islamic way.
*Rehabilitative Infrastructure
Establish boarding centers that provide shelter, food, and comprehensive education to the rescued Almajirai. These centers must not be detention camps but beacons of hope.
*Future Worth Fighting For
The Almajiri system as it stands today is not Islam. It is not culture. It is an injustice wearing a turban.
Northern Nigeria must choose: either resurrect the dignity of the Almajiri or continue exporting destitution and social decay. The future of the region—its peace, security, economy, and faith—depends on this decision.
Imagine a North where every Almajiri reads not just the Qur’an, but also writes in English and solves equations in mathematics. Imagine a Nigeria where no child is forced to beg, and every street child becomes a student, a scholar, a scientist.
This is possible. But it requires the courage to confront sacred cows and the will to replace piety with policy.
Let us not bury the legacy of the Muhajirun under the rubble of modern indifference.
Umar Osabo Mohammed is a critical thinker, creative writer, economic and political analyst, entrepreneur and an internal scholar. He can be reached on umarmosabo@gmail.com
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May Allaah strengthen, bless and reward the writer abundantly, Aamiin. We are at that point when every Muslim should be obligated to make contribution daily into a national Muslim community purse. We need a Ummah. Similarly, our Hajj operation needs a reform. Please let this piece gets to the President and the Sultan. They are sincere and they should work with those recommendations. Shukran. Please permit sharing.