When Power Meets the Grave

Muhammadu Buhari

 

By Alpha Amadu Jalloh

 

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un.

“Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.”

 

I heard the news. At first, I paused. I listened again. I waited for confirmation. Then I read: “President Muhammadu Buhari has passed away.” I whispered quietly to myself, But I thought men like him never die? Really? Did he actually die?

 

Yes. He did. And yes. They die. The powerful. The feared. The praised. The guarded. Even the despised. The leaders of nations. The men who once held entire populations in suspense by the turn of a pen or the shake of a head. The men whose faces appeared on television daily. Whose words echoed in the chambers of parliaments and the streets of Africa. Yes. They too return to dust.

 

President Muhammadu Buhari, the former leader of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has answered to the call of Almighty Allah Subhannah Wa Ta’ala. And with his death, we are once again reminded of one eternal truth. No matter how high one climbs, one day the climb ends at the grave.

 

I have watched social media awash with condolences. From Sierra Leone to Namibia, former and current heads of state have extended their sympathies. They remember a man of discipline. A military tactician turned democratic statesman. They speak of his leadership, his ideology, his successes, and his controversies. Some praise his war on corruption. Others recall the economic hardships under his tenure. But now, all of that has become past tense. Because he has been arrested by time.

 

And I ask. What did President Buhari take with him? He had power. He had opportunity. He had control. He had the loyalty of some and the admiration of many. But I know. As a Muslim, what he took with him is not the Aso Rock Villa. Not the entourage. Not the files or presidential speeches. He has only taken his deeds.

 

The Qur’an reminds us:

 

“Kullu nafsin dha’iqatul mawt.”

“Every soul shall taste death.” (Surah Al-Imran, 3:185)

 

And again:

 

“Yawma la yanfa’u malun wa la banoon. Illa man atallaha biqalbin saleem.”

“The Day when neither wealth nor children will benefit anyone, except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (Surah Ash-Shu’ara, 26:88–89)

 

This, for me, is a spiritual checkpoint. Because no matter what you become. Whether you are the president of Nigeria or the janitor of a school. You too will be arrested by time. That moment will come when your voice no longer echoes. When your signature no longer holds weight. When your eyes, once fierce with command, will close forever.

 

President Buhari has now entered that phase. The phase where only Allah will judge. Where the angels will question. Where power has no meaning and justice is exact and divine. The earth now embraces him. Just as it will embrace you and me. Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un.

 

To our living leaders, to our presidents, our ministers, our legislators, and our power brokers across Africa, let this be a reminder. A leader does not live forever. Power does not last forever. If you misuse it, if you abuse it, you too will answer. Not to courts. But to your Creator.

 

“Fa-ammā man a‘ṭā wa-ttaqā. Wa ṣaddaqa bil-ḥusnā. Fa-sanu yassiruhu lil-yusrā.”

“As for he who gives and fears Allah, and believes in the best reward, We will ease him toward ease.” (Surah Al-Lail, 92:5–7)

 

President Buhari’s time has passed. His book of deeds is now closed. But ours remain open. What are we writing in it?

 

There is something I often say to myself. “Nothing worries me like the day I will be arrested by time and have nowhere to turn or no one to support or help me.” When the curtains fall and the only voice heard is that of the angel. When the only light is what I carried through my deeds. When the applause of men becomes a faded echo and the truth of my life stands bare before my Lord.

 

This moment has come for Buhari. But it will come for us all.

 

To the leaders who are busy enriching themselves at the expense of the poor. To those who delay justice and frustrate reform. To those who weaponize tribalism, religion, and classism. Know that death will strip you of every privilege. You will lie down in the same soil as the beggar you ignored. Or the prisoner you condemned without fair trial. You will face the same questions. And you will require the same mercy.

 

And to those leaders still in power, know this. A legacy is not built on titles. A legacy is built on truth, justice, humility, and service to humanity. That is what the grave will recognize. That is what Allah will reward.

 

“Inna akramakum ‘inda Allahi atqākum.”

“Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” (Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:13)

 

To President Muhammadu Buhari. May Allah Subhannah Wa Ta’ala forgive your sins. Accept your good deeds. Expand your grave. And grant you eternal peace. May He show you mercy as we pray He shows us mercy on the day our time too shall come. Ameen.

 

And to myself. I am not immune. I am writing these words knowing full well that I too shall be arrested by time. I too will lie down in silence. I too will become a name on someone else’s lips. I too will need mercy.

 

So let me live with that truth. Let me use every opportunity to speak up for the voiceless. To write with sincerity. To lead with integrity if ever given the chance. And to raise my children in truth. Because at the end of it all. They die.

 

Yes. They die. And so shall I.

 

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un.