Friday, November 6, 2009

Eighty four year old Nigerian and his 86 wives

Here is another hilarious story I found on BBC Africa! It is about a Nigerian man Mohammed Bello Abudakar, 84, who has married 86 wives during his lifetime and has fathered at least 170 children. He told a BBC reporter that "A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them."

Most of the women Mr. Abudakar has married came to him to look for his healing power. Most of them are less than a quarter of his age and are younger that some of his children. Mr. Abudakar does not allow his family to take medicine and does not believe malaria exists. When these women came to be healed, and were healed, Mr. Abudakar got “divine” instruction to marry them. One of these ladies, Sharifat Bello Abudakar, who was 25 at that time, came to see Mr. Abudakar about her headaches. "As soon as I met him the headache was gone. God told me it was time to be his wife. Praise be to God I am his wife now." But not everyone has been cured. One of his wives lost two of his children, "They were sick and we told God and God said their time has come." Most of Mr. Abudakar’s wives see him as “next in line from the Prophet Muhammad.”

Mr. Abudakar and his wives do not seem to have any visible jobs that would support them and he refuses to say how he is able to feed and clothe all of his family. In one day his family cooks 80 lb of rice; that is $915 every day. Mr. Abukadar says that everything comes from God. He does, however, ask his kids to beg sometimes. If they all do it they can bring home about $290.

Islamic authorities in Nigerian condemn Mr. Abukadar for marrying so many wives for most scholars agree that a man is allowed to marry only four wives and he has to treat them all equally. But Mr. Abukadar says that there is no punishment for marrying more than four wives. "To my understanding the Koran does not place a limit and it is up to what your own power, your own endowment and ability allows." "This is heresy, he is a heretic," says Ustaz Abubakar Siddique, an imam of Abuja's Central Mosque.

I suffer horrible migraine headaches so after reading this article I have decided, since I am already on the continent of Africa, I might as well go up to Nigeria and see this “healer” and become his wife number 87. But at least I will be his first white wife! :-)

1 comment:

  1. Funny. You know it does say in the Bible, "by thine own faith you are healed". It is only my opinion, but if you truly believe he can heal you, he can. (I don't know about being his wife though! LOL)

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