Iranian cleric offers condolences over passing of prominent Nigerian scholar

Hujjat-ul-Islam Hamid Shahriari made the remarks in a condolence message issued after the passing of Sheikh Tahir Usman Bauchi, the deputy chair of the Fatwa Committee of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) in Nigeria, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

The senior Iranian cleric lauded Sheikh Tahir Usman Bauchi for spending a life-long of expanding wisdom and training a generation of disciples who promoted his message across Africa and the world of Islam.

He expressed regret over the vacuum in the Nigerian religious community and among his disciples saying, “We, in Iran, knew him as the mentor of the generation and a teacher honest with God Almighty and himself”, and added,” His influence went beyond his country and he turned into a character whose vacuum is felt today.”

The Secretary General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought offered his condolences to the bereaved family, disciples, the Tijaniyyah order and the Nigerian nation.

Born in 1927, the cleric spent more than seven decades teaching, preaching, writing and providing spiritual leadership. His Ramadan tafsir sessions, sprawling Qur’anic schools, and contributions to Islamic thought made him one of the most recognizable scholars in Northern Nigeria.

He stood as one of the strongest pillars of moderate Sufi Islam, blending strict Qur’anic scholarship with the inner spiritual discipline of tariqa.

His teachings emphasized peace, humility, moral conduct and spiritual balance. Beyond doctrine, he became a unifying figure admired across ethnic, regional and social divides — a “living institution” of Islamic knowledge until his death.