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Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has defended the use of public funds to support marriage programmes in states operating under Shariah law, arguing that such spending can form part of responsible governance.
Gumi made the position known in a statement shared on Facebook on Thursday, following the recent mass wedding organised by the Kano State Government for 1,500 couples.
According to the cleric, where religious and state laws prohibit practices such as prostitution, fornication, adultery and promiscuity, government also has a responsibility to create conditions that make lawful marriage accessible to people who genuinely need support.
“In a Shariah law-driven state, where prostitution, fornication, adultery, and promiscuity are prohibited by both divine and state laws, using public funds to facilitate the marriage of women who are in excess of the available pool of eligible men, or of any young person in dire need of marriage, is a legitimate and responsible component of good governance,” he said.
His comments followed the Kano State Government’s recent ‘Auren Gata’ mass wedding initiative, through which 1,500 couples were married in a ceremony organised by the Kano State Hisbah Board.
The programme was introduced as part of the state’s social intervention efforts, with the government seeking to assist vulnerable couples who may otherwise struggle to meet the financial demands associated with getting married.
Beyond the wedding ceremony itself, the initiative is also intended to provide economic and household support to help the couples establish their homes and begin married life.The use of government funds for marriage arrangements has, however, sparked debate, with questions being raised over whether public resources should be channelled into such programmes.
Gumi’s intervention adds a religious and governance perspective to the debate. He maintains that in a Shariah-based system, supporting people to enter lawful marriages can be justified where government simultaneously prohibits alternative practices considered unlawful under the same system.
The Kano mass wedding has therefore opened a wider conversation about the role of government in family formation, social welfare and the appropriate use of public resources in states operating under Shariah law.
