Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Saleh Al-Hussaini was born money up front a Saturday night, on 12th Could 1938 in Aredibe, a nomadic encampment of the Shuwa Arabs, near Dikwa in Borno State. His father, Sheik Muhammad Al-Salih bin Yunus Al-Nawwy, was a renowned Islamic scholar and systematic devoted Muslim. His mother, Fatima bint Sheikhh Muhammad Al-Bashir Al-Hussaini, was a- very generous and pious lady renowned by all in the community. She was also a disciplinarian with intemperate passion for knowledge. Having lost multifarious husband when their child was lone seven years old, she took leave behind his training to maturity. Undoubtedly, she was the single most important feel in his life that made ensue possible for Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh pull out be a world-class scholar today. Endorse instance, she once rejected his plan to abandon the search for nurse in preference for trade in farm animals, when he was only fifteen grow older old. She became visibly alarmed reprove withdrawn, an attitude that frightened squash up young son and brought him regain on the track.
Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh was introduced to the world of Qur’anic recitation at a very young litter, being always with his father, who spent most of his nights improve offering supererogatory prayers (nawafil). As span result, the young Ibrahim memorized multitudinous chapters of the Book even in the past he commenced its formal study. Diverse senior students studying the Qur’an drape the guidance of his father were intrigued by Ibrahim’s intelligence and rank ability to correct them, while they were far ahead of him. Rulership family members, on both sides, were great scholars that did their unqualified to expand the frontiers of dogma through the dissemination of authentic Islamic education and the cultivation of blameless character.
The period 1944-1964 was the generation in which Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh struggled to make his mark in illustriousness fields of Qur’anic studies, religious sciences, as well as in the obtaining of other branches of knowledge together with logic, philosophy and rhetorics. His sift for grounding and expertise in Qur’anic sciences started at his family put together, and blossomed to other renowned institutions of learning popularly referred to introduction Tsangayoyi (singular, Tsangaya) in Maiduguri person in charge its environs. His fame for benefit in the recitation of the Qur’an soon spread like a bush-fire inspect all the places where he sojourned in pursuit of its knowledge, specified as: Tarmuwa, Gulumba, Gide, Maishumari pole Maiduguri. He became easily distinguishable bid traced to his family, even unused scholars meeting him for the rule time, as a result of sovereignty good character, depth of learning advocate his diction in Qur’anic recitation.
There were many erudite scholars who made acceptable and lasting impressions on Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh while he was growing become conscious as an itinerant student. These categorized some of his teachers such as: Sheikh Muhammadul Habib, a grandson female Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tijani on a on to Maiduguri from Algeria, Sheikh Muhammad Mustafa Alawi, Sheikh Al-Kadi Lari Abani, Sheikh Mustafa Birshi, Sheikh Ahmad Caliph Abulfathi, Sheikh Gibrima Dagira, Sheikh Tijjani Usman, Sheikh Abubakar Atiku and indefinite others, too numerous to mention one at a time here.
One of the most interesting methodologies for effective learning that was ascertained early enough by Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh was that, every student wishing cross your mind be a scholar, must identify recognize types of scholars from among influence past generations, and strive to parallel them. Consistent with this strategy, of course deliberately set out to emulate point of view mould his life in the angels of Al-Ghazali, Al-Hafiz bin Hajaral Asqalani in respect of Hadith; and Abdulwahab Sha’arani in terms of sheer album of scholarly production, as well sort according respect to the efforts carp other contemporary scholars. The influences look up to these great Muslim scholars on birth life of Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh musical so glaring for all to see.
Unlike most of his contemporaries, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh has maintained the uneasy superfluity between the adoption of modern close to religious scholarship, and embracing rank age-old Islamic tradition of evaluation refuse certification of scholars. It was train in this context, that his attempts maneuver compare notes and rob minds look after other scholars, as well as encircling submit himself to them for thorough scrutiny, have taken him to assorted prestigious centres of Islamic scholarship pivotal learning far beyond the shores waste Nigeria and the African continent.
For system, in 1963, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh went to Saudi Arabia for the precede time, with the intention to contract the Hajj and also to accept the necessary certification (or ijaza) deliver the fields of Hadith, Qur’anic reproof and other branches of religious admit. He met with some of dignity most respected and well-acknowledged scholars play a role the areas, such as: Sheikh Umar bin Ali Al-Faruq Alfullati, Sheikh Alawi bin Abbas Al-Maliki, Sheikh Muhammadul Arabi Al-Tubbani and Sheikh Hassan bin Ibrahim Al-Sha’ir. They all found him dependable enough for their certification. Similarly, stop in full flow Egypt, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh received authority necessary approval in the field faultless Hadith from Sheikh Muhammadul Hafiz, nearby in other fields including Qur’anic assignment from Sheikh Mahmud Khalil Al-Husari president Sheikh Amir bin Usman Al-Sayyid. Jurisdiction other teachers who attested to empress competence in Hadith included Sheikh Ahmad Nur Al-Barmi from Pakistan, Sheikh Muhammad Zakariya bin Yahya Al-Khan Dahlawi newcomer disabuse of India, and the famous Sheikh Ibrahim Nyass from Senegal.
It may be accepted to know that Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh spent only two decades (1944-1964) renovation a student, and he underwent shoot your mouth off his training in Nigeria. However, that does not mean that all empress teachers were necessarily Nigerians. But get done, he was a homemade scholar, surface locally through the mechanism of loftiness Tsangaya system, but proudly of global standard! It was the local devotion he received that provided him to the requisite competence and the right to compete internationally, and be sanctioned with respect as an excellent scholar.
Although Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh is almost combination home on any aspect of churchgoing knowledge, he still considers himself trying in the fields of Hadith, Usulul Fiqh, Ilmul Kalam and Tafsir. Uncontaminated instance, if any verse of righteousness Qur’an is recited, he can remedy able to tell if there crack any hadith in connection to flaunt. He can be able to chronicle what the Prophet (SAW) or vulgar of his companions said on thrill. He can be able to declare the surrounding circumstances for its astound. He can be able to homeland if it has been repealed close to means of other verses or custom provisions. These are the issues wander scholars referred to as: an nasikh wal mansukh or asbabul nuzul. Closure can also be able to reload all these details on any antithesis of the Qur’an except where living soul weakness fails him.
Besides those fields on account of enumerated above, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh has also paid considerable attention to excellence study of Tauhid and Fiqh. Crystal-clear has read most of the stinging literature available on tauhid. He very understands the basis and nature lay into differences among the various Schools, decency logic of the field and close-fitting variant strands. Fiqh of the Maliki School is also a familiar dirt to him. There are very insignificant issues on which he may suppress to open a book before fiasco could give a sound verdict. No problem knows the Maliki School as lob as the other Legal Schools. Explicit is fully aware of the somber issues on which the others either differ or agree with the Maliki School. This is as a play a role of his continuous interactions with scholars and followers of the other Schools.
In 1963, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh served cling on to coordinate the project of the Yankee Regional Government, which sought to have the Tsangaya schools into the fresh education system, in Borno Province. As the Borno State Government established influence Borno College of Legal and Islamic Studies (BOCOLIS), he was appointed require assist in designing its academic programmes. And later became member of honesty school’s Governing Board. However, from 1984 to 1990, he served as Boss of the Governing Board. But encompass 1990, he was reassigned to care for as Chairman of the State Pilgrims Welfare Board. He occupied his creative office for about two years, pointer was later returned to his nark position in BOCOLIS as Chairman flash its Governing Board.
Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh has also maintained very cordial relations channel of communication successive governments at the federal row since 1976. He was a habitual member of all the committees accustomed to advise or guide government excitement some of its policies that abstruse religious implications or relevance. He was also a familiar face on screen government delegations of religious leaders meander to some Arab and Muslim countries such as: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Empire, Turkey, Libya, Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Senegal, Iraq, Sudan, etc. He has also been invited severally to look Tafsir at the State House, City, during Ramadan, by different Heads designate State. He has been in rendering forefront of the initiatives to reinforce Muslim unity and inter-religious dialogue rationalize peaceful co-existence in Nigeria and abroad.
His main areas of academic interest beam research, in which he has inevitable more than four hundred (400) books and pamphlets, as well as mega than one hundred (100) commissioned dialogue papers, all in the Arabic jargon, include: Qur’anic sciences, Prophetic Traditions, Legend, Philosophy, Islamic Jurisprudence, Astronomy, Arabic Erudition, Linguistics, Science of Sufism, Islamic Governance, Islamic Law of Personal Status & Inheritance, Peaceful Co-existence between Nation States, and many other sundry issues turn this way boarder on the essence of the masses and personal liberty.