The Meaning Behind Nur uz-Zamaan Institute's Logo

The Meaning Behind Nur uz-Zamaan Institute's Logo
by Imam Na'eem Abdullah

It is with good reason why every event flyer, book, or cd we publish has the logo of Nur uz-Zamaan Institute attached to it. This logo is an attempt at illustrating the relationship between two very special people. Our organization is named after ‘Uthman ibn Muhammad, better known as Shehu or Shaykh ‘Uthman Dan Fodio. He was also known as ‘the light of the age’ or ‘Nur uz-Zamaan’. It is our desire to give you the historical background about this logo used to represent Nur uz-Zamaan Institute. Our logo represents the relationship between him and the best thing Allah has ever created – Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

After the death of Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, his nur (light) in this world started to dim. There was a need for that light to shine brighter in the darkness that was slowly starting to overspread the hearts and minds of men. This darkness of ignorance had to be dispelled by the nur (light) of truth. Outright disobedience to Allah, the Most High, corruption in the governments and the mixing of truth with falsehood was starting to become the norm. Thus Allah sends a reviver or a Mujaddid to renew the light or the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet in every generation. In the twelfth century of Islam – more specifically 1794 - at the age of 40 Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio reached the highest pinnacle in his devotion to Allah. His entire life had been predicated upon a strict imitation of the Messenger of Allah, motivated by a deep sense of yearning to meet him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Because of this love and imitation in those areas that he had control of, Allah blessed him to follow the Prophet in those areas in which he had no control over.

In the same way that the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, received his first revelation at the age of forty (40), the Shehu had his first major spiritual opening at the age of forty. Just like the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; he was always calling his people to the religion of Allah everywhere he went. He even convinced tyrannical rulers like Bawa of Gobir, to respect and honor the religion of Allah and His Messenger, Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Bawa initially tried to assassinate the Shehu, but as he sat and contemplated, he realized that this was not going to happen. He then attempted to bribe the Shehu with 500 mithqaals (over four and a half pounds) of gold. This was similar to what many of us call ‘the offer of Quraysh’. Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was propositioned by the Quraysh to stop preaching. They offered him power, women, fame and wealth, he turned all of that down by stating to his Uncle, Abu Talib, "If they were to put the Sun in my right hand and the Moon in my left on the condition that I abandon the path that I am on, I would not give it up until Allah has made it victorious or I have perished trying." The Shehu said, “I nor those who listen to my words desire this gold.” He did offer the following as a resolution and said, “I desire five ‘cloaks’.” The tyrant said’ ‘What are they?’ The Shehu said, “The first ‘cloak’ is that you [1] leave me alone to call the people of your land to Allah. The second is that you [2] not prevent anyone who desires to answer my call. The third is that you [3] show respect to everyone who wears the skull cap and turban. The fourth is that you [4] free all those in your prisons. And the fifth is that you [5] not take unjust taxes from your subjects.” The ruler agreed to the five ‘cloaks’ and the remainder of the evil scholars, who were not with the Shehu, returned with their ill gained wealth.

In the same way that the Prophet was forced to migrate from Mecca to Medina, the Shehu was forced to leave his homeland because of his Islamic activities. He and his Jamaa’ah made hijrah from Degel to Gudu in 1804. Even the direction of the hijrah is the same because Gudu is north from Degel in the same way that Medinah is north of Mecca. The Shehu died in the year 1817 at the age of sixty-three (63). In this way Allah, the Most High, has honored the Shehu in the same way that He honored Abu-Bakr and ‘Umar – by dying at 63 years of age just like the seal of the Prophets- Muhammad ibn Abdullahi, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

The Shehu’s life and works are well-documented and the affects of his legacy are still felt to this very day. However, anyone who looks into the life of this great man will realize that the secret to his illuminated life is in the fact that he was only a reflection of his beloved – The Messenger of Allah. The Moon doesn’t have any light of its own, it is only a reflection of a much greater body – the Sun. The Shehu became ‘the light of the age’ because he reflected and revived the nur – or light - of Muhammad in an age of darkness. We at Nur uz-Zamaan Institute hope to inherit and spread that same light. This is why we chose the light of the moon for our logo. All success is from Allah!