Lokaci Alkali.
Professor Makari made these statements roughly 6-years ago. He strongly showed his absolute abhorrence for Islamic clerics to join politics, and the potential consequences and negative outcomes he once feared are happening right before our eyes.
Politics is an unforgiving arena, once you join, irrespective of your social status or class, someone far beneath your professional standing can disrespect or criticize you.
What you see happening to Professor Pantami is just the tip on the iceberg. Once the political climate enters its business-end, he should embrace himself for more critical scrutiny and judgment of himself from the court of public opinion.
Islam is not a religion that reduces marriage to legal entitlements. Allah did not merely command spouses to fulfill rights; He described marriage as one of mawaddah and rahmah. Those are not decorative words. They are the foundation of a successful marriage.
The Prophet ﷺ was not simply a man who fulfilled the minimum legal obligations toward his wives. He embodied gentleness, emotional intelligence, consideration, and mercy. He understood people’s emotions without dismissing them as irrelevant because “the ruling doesn’t change.”
Yes, hardship does not alter Allah’s legislation. But neither does permissibility remove the obligation of beautiful character.
There is a difference between asking, “Do I have the right?” and asking, “Is this the most righteous, compassionate, and responsible way to exercise that right?”
Some Muslims have become so focused on defending legal rights that they forget Islam is also a religion of ihsan. They quote fiqh while neglecting akhlaq, and then wonder why people feel unheard.
Reducing every painful marital situation to “be patient” is not prophetic guidance. The Prophet ﷺ acknowledged pain, comforted people in their grief, and taught justice with compassion, not cold legalism.
A marriage survives on much more than rights. It survives on kindness, respect, empathy, sacrifice, and mercy. Without those, you’ve preserved the letter of the law while neglecting much of its spirit.
And becoming a religious “pick me” will not earn you the reward you think it will 🌝