Controversial Islamic cleric shot dead in northern Nigeria

A controversial Islamic cleric in Nigeria has been murdered outside his home in the northern state of Katsina.

Two assailants arrived on a motorcycle and shot Yahaya Masussuka in the town of Dutsin-Ma as he was saying goodbye to visitors on Monday evening, sources told the BBC.

The 47-year-old preacher and one of his guests, who was also shot, were rushed to hospital but both were pronounced dead by the attending doctor, police said.

It is not clear why Masussuka was targeted, but the cleric had received death threats on social media where he posted videos in which he rejected some elements of mainstream Islam, including what happens to people after their death.

It is widely believed in Islam that a person's soul will be questioned in the grave by two angels. If they answer correctly, their soul sleeps peacefully until the day of judgement - if not it will be tormented.

This understanding comes from what is known as the Hadith, a collection of texts believed to be the spoken words and actions of the Prophet Muhammad.

This serves as a key source of Islamic knowledge to help interpret the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.

But Masussuka based his teachings mainly on what was in Islam's holy book, questioned some of the hadiths - and did not believe that the dead were reawakened and questioned.

He was once jailed for nine months because he teased some respected scholars over their belief in this hadith and other teachings.

Masussuka, who had two wives and seven children, began preaching at the age of 13 in Quranic schools.

He later attended Al-Azhar University in Egypt and later went to Oman for further studies.

At his home, he had a studio where he would record videos of his teachings for broadcast on social media for his followers.

The cleric was also outspoken about violent extremism, radicalisation and openly advocated for interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians, who make up nearly equal parts of Nigeria's population.

Thousands of Christians and Muslims have been killed in ethnic and religious violence here over the past 25 years.

For Masussuka's efforts, Nigeria's Network for Good Governance and Transparency honoured him with a Peace Ambassador Award last year.

Six other prominent Muslim preachers have been murdered over the last two decades in northern Nigeria - several targeted by Boko Haram for criticising the jihadist group that began its insurgency in 2009.

Founded in north-eastern Nigeria, it opposes Western culture, education, the secular government - and its political goal is the creation of an Islamic state.

Additional reporting by BBC Pidgin

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