Sheikh Ramadan relates his 29 years experience as a student and translator under the tutelage of Sheikh Adam

▪︎ Says, his teacher was not an angel, neither was he a prophet but excelled among the scholars

The Mudeer of Markaz Salam, Sheikh Moshood Jubril Ramadan has said Shaykh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory was the best among Islamic scholars he has met in his sojourn on earth.

Sheikh Ramadan noted that for the whole 29 years he spent with the Founder of Markaz Agege as a student and later translator, Sheikh Adam never indulged in inadequacies.

The Islamic scholar stated this in an interview with Muslim News that, though Sheikh Adam was not without shortcomings as he was not an angel, he demonstrated a high level of responsibility and sincerity of purpose as Allah’s vicegerent.

According to him, “We thank Allah. The person who lived with someone has most authority to speak about him. In living and upbringing, I was with Sheikh Adam in all ways and matter, I discovered that among all the callers, teachers, reformers and role model, I do not find any inadequacy in him.

“Firstly, I spent 29 years with Sheikh Adam, either good or bad, my teacher never uttered obscene words in my presence. All the things and action that Scholars do in secret that tarnishes their reputations, among all the bad behaviours that Islam frown at, that could not be possibly hidden from a live-in follower, I never had any inkling with my teacher.

Speaking further, Sheikh Ramadan noted that Sheikh Adam had at a time made reference to a particular disease that would ravage the world, adding that though he didn’t mention the name, the features he gave are similar to the novel Coronavirus.

“In one of the Khutbah (sermon) he did 47 years ago, Sheikh Adam spoke about a deadly disease that would ravage the world in the later years even though he didn’t mention its name. Features he spoke about then are similar to this new disease called COVID-19.

“After then, civilization and technology begin to reveal all the things we have seen before but we do not know. My teacher (Shaykh Adam) had done lectures of coronavirus 47 years ago and I was the one who did the translation.

“Regarding the fact that Allah has created us and has done so with ailments, which could come in different ways and forms, whichever Allah wants then happens. All the traditional and Orthodox medicine practitioners are trying to provide vaccines and proffer cures for the different ailments and pandemic.

“Sometimes they try and Allah crowns their effort with success and at other times, Allah wouldn’t let it yield positive result for them. Hence, Allah is the one who cures and Allah himself is the cure. Only Allah provides complete cure because the same medical prescription used to treat one person who survives has been used for others unsuccessfully.”

The Islamic scholar said  that the solution to the health challenges facing the world is to flee to Allah and desist from all manners of transgression.

He added that this was the prescription Shaykh Adam gave in his presentation.

“People of this world, the powerul and knowledgeable have all made efforts in finding cures to disease, most times, they wouldn’t be clear about it but afterwards knowledge of its name and symptoms becomes known. 

“But presently what I know my teacher said then was that the world becomes helpless owing to the corrupt practices and evil actions of people around the globe, both secretly and in the open, white and black, partake without remorse. We now see that there is no doctor in this world that gives injection to cure what Allah forbids. Are you with me?’

“Injection to stop stealing, embezzling, injection to stop lies, medication to stop oppression and inflicting pains and torment on others, backbitting, cheating etc we haven’t seen anyone who knows and claims to have solutions to these problems either Orthodox medical practitioners or traditional health practitioners, white or black. Such that they give good care to the soul as much as they give to the body.

“But my teacher has made explicit the solution to our social problems emanating from the condition of our souls. But the way to treat all these, my teacher has told us. As we have hospital to treat people who become sick, home and abroad, we also have facilities for the social and moral problems. There is no place more worthy than this place, and it’s the mosque. No one has its type of prescription, no one has its type, it’s the house of Allah.

“It cures alcohol and drug addictions, fornication and adultery, embezzling of public funds and stealing, anger, and all other such activities that have brought this woes on us, and that Allah forbid, that could make one lose the world and the hereafter, it’s the mosque that can cure it. All these are diseases of the soul, no one has it’s cure in the entire world, but Allah put the cure in the mosque.

“The places of cure are occupied by Imams and scholars who are capable and know the rights of knowledge and not just people who think because their father is an Imam, I must be an imam but are knowledgeable and God-fearing. They are the doctors that Allah has entrusted with the responsibility of providing cure to the ailments of souls. The words of Allah is what they use to cure the soul of its ailment and this represents the drugs each person goes to collect,” he said.

Sheikh Ramadan also told Muslim News that what he would miss most about Sheikh Adam was his character and zeal for imparting knowledge on people, saying that if he were still around, he would be under his tutelage learning.

Describing the virtues of the late Islamic scholar, he said, “My teacher is trustworthy, truthful, and not deceitful. There is no one my teacher doesn’t speak the truth to, if you like you agree, if you like you disagree. I learnt this from him so well that I perfected it bi-idhnillah, such that alot of the wrongdoers among the students or jama’ah who embark on unacceptable actions in the light of Islam or to their leaders which my teacher was their Imam, it’s such that you correct anyone who does wrong, and not the one who was wronged.

“This gave me a high status in the eyes of my teacher such that I worked on it with regards to those who were my teachers and were older than me. So learn truthfulness, Allah destined that I imbibe it from my interactions with him. He so loved that character in me, such that when he died, he did not put anyone before me.

“The will he wrote, he never placed anyone before me, he left children behind, brothers and some of my teachers that he brought us together to continue his mission after him. He did not place anyone before or above me except Allah and His messenger. Due to his knowledge about me.

“As such, I ensured that I fulfilled the rights of this truthfulness that no one ever comes to beg my teacher on my behalf for a mistake or misdeed I might have committed.  It never happen that I had such situation to have to tell someone to help Moshoodi beg for forgiveness from my teacher.

“For standing with this trait, I became popular among people. My teacher was so merciful with whatever Allah had blessed him with. He was so sincere and always directed his actions to Allah. He enjoined us to do all actions with our hearts and direct them to Allah alone. He did not discriminate among us, he did not treat us differently from his children. The reward of this act is evident in all his children, there is none of them who isn’t knowledgeable. The ones you know and the ones you don’t, owing to the good character that he emulated from the Prophets of Allah and those who taught him.

“This is what I have also taken to, that made people refer to me as being better among scholars. I am not saying I am the best. If my Alfa were to be alive today, I would have seen more development and progress also, increase in knowledge, wisdom, piety and knowing my limits.

By Rasheed Abubakar and Abdul Hakeem Adejokun