Jihad Is About Excellence, Not Violence — Sultan of Sokoto

The Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has moved to correct long-held misconceptions about Islam and Jihad, declaring that the faith promotes excellence and good governance, not extremism or violence.
Speaking in Abuja at the launch of “SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum” — a new book by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (Rtd) — the Sultan stressed that Islamism in Nigeria is geared towards building a just society rather than the pursuit of political power.
“Jihad is not to kill a non-Muslim by a Muslim. Jihad means to strive — to be the best you can be. You strive to be a good Muslim, a good Christian, a good farmer, or a good engineer. That is Jihad, not killing,” he said.
He cautioned against interpreting Islamism as a tool for domination, noting that Nigerian Muslims had supported leaders of different faiths, including former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Islamism is not aimed at seizing power. Islam is after good governance in society,” Abubakar added.
Reflecting on his own experience, the Sultan recalled being misquoted in the past when he spoke about Islam and leadership, particularly during President Muhammadu Buhari’s second-term bid. He said such distortions fuel harmful stereotypes.
He underlined that extremism is antithetical to Islam’s values:
“You cannot be an extremist and claim to be a good Muslim. Islam abhors extremism.”
Calling for unity across faith and ethnic lines, the Sultan urged Nigerians to focus on solutions to insecurity and governance challenges rather than division.
The event drew a distinguished audience, including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, the Sultan noted, praising General Irabor for sharing hard-won lessons from his years in military service.