Nigerian Islamic cleric who rejected belief in souls being questioned in graves shot dead

A controversial Islamic cleric who rejected the belief that souls are questioned by angels in their graves has been shot dead outside his home in northern Nigeria, the BBC reports.

Yahaya Masussuka, 47, was saying goodbye to visitors in the town of Dutsin-Ma in Katsina state on Monday evening when two assailants arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire, sources told the BBC.

Masussuka and one of his guests, who was also shot, were taken to hospital but were pronounced dead by the attending doctor, police said.

The motive for the killing remains unclear. However, the cleric had received death threats on social media, where he regularly posted videos challenging some mainstream Islamic beliefs.

Masussuka based his teachings primarily on the Quran and questioned certain hadiths, the collections of reports about the sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad. He rejected the belief that the dead are reawakened and questioned by two angels in their graves, a widely accepted teaching in Islam.

He had previously spent nine months in jail after mocking respected Islamic scholars over their belief in the hadith and other religious teachings.

Masussuka began preaching at the age of 13 in Quranic schools before studying at Al-Azhar University in Egypt and pursuing further studies in Oman. He later established a studio at his home to record religious teachings for distribution on social media.

Despite his controversial views, the cleric was outspoken against violent extremism and radicalisation and advocated interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.

The Network for Good Governance and Transparency honoured him with a Peace Ambassador Award last year in recognition of his efforts.

Masussuka, who had two wives and seven children, is among several prominent Muslim preachers killed in northern Nigeria over the past two decades.

Some of the clerics were targeted by Boko Haram, the armed group that launched an insurgency in 2009, after criticising its ideology and activities. The group opposes Western culture, education and Nigeria's secular government and seeks to establish an Islamic state.

Nigeria has experienced decades of ethnic and religious violence, with thousands of Muslims and Christians killed over the past 25 years.