By Olowoyobiojo Aishat
• As MICA holds Ramadan lecture in Lagos
The Mudeer of Zamzam Academy in Ogun State, Sheikh Muneerudeen Salahudeen Ar-Riyaady, has charged Nigerian Muslims to tolerate themselves and not look down on one another.
Sheikh Salahudeen said this attitude will foster unity among the Muslim Ummah in the country, while stressing the significance of understanding and cooperation at a time when Muslims are sharply divided into sects.
He made this statement at a Ramadan lecture organised by the Alimosho branch of the Movement for Islamic Culture and Awareness (MICA) on Sunday, March 17, 2024.
Muslim News gathered that the lecture took place at Hajj Camp in Egbeda, Lagos State, with the theme: “Positive Co-existence: Reality and Expectations”.
Sheikh Ar-Riyaady said, “The first thing we should do as Muslims is to unite ourselves, and if we see someone that is struggling with their eeman, what we should do is to pray for them and not look down on them. Piety cannot be attained unless Allah guides us aright.”
He lamented that Muslims are divided into various sects in most of the higher institutions in Nigeria, noting this has created a lot of problems for the Ummah.
“You go to some of these schools, and see that Muslims don’t exchange tasleem (greetings) among themselves just because of divergence in the sects to which they belong,” he added.
“I implore us to go and read about the Prophet of Allah (SAW) and his sunnah. This will guide us back to unity. We can live in harmony and cooperation because no human on earth does not know what is right or wrong and does not love what is right. So, if we, the Muslims can radiate love among ourselves, we can also radiate the love with other members of the society.”
Peaceful co-existence with followers of other religions
Also speaking, a Project Manager and Management Consultant, Ustadh Babatunde AbdulSalam tasked Muslims with peaceful coexistence with adherents of other religions in the community.
He noted that Allah commanded Muslims to cooperate with people of other faiths for the common good in Suratul Maidah (Qur’an Chapter 5 Verse 2).
“We should treat them the way we want them to see Islam and most importantly, we should peacefully coexist with them. We should deal with them with patience and wisdom. Even when they maltreat us, we should not retaliate with evil, rather, extend good to them. That will tell them what is right and what’s wrong.”
…holds medical check-up, NIN Registration
The Ramadan lecture also featured sideline registration for the National Identification Number (NIN), medical check-up, Ramadan shopping and children’s fun fair.
The coordinator of MICA Alimosho branch, Mr Taofeek Junaid, said the organisation has been in existence since the ’90s, adding that the Alimosho branch has continuously held Ramadan lectures for over 20 years now.
“The holy month of Ramadan is a month that we cherish so much. We use the opportunity to admonish Muslims on various issues. The primary objective of this programme is to provide a platform where people can receive the words of Allah, where they can be admonished and taught about their religion and also get some contemporary issues sorted out.
“Besides all these, we believe the programme will be an avenue for Muslims to benefit from other things such as medical check-ups, networking and so on. We usually have medical doctors come around and they solve people’s problems and the ones that can’t be solved are referred immediately to government hospitals. Over the years, we have improved our medical check-up.”
Why we chose the theme – Coordinator
Speaking on the choice of the theme, the Alimosho Coordinator said there are too many crises around the world and in Nigeria in particular, and Muslims must learn to live in peace and harmony with people of other religions.
Dr Sodiq Alatise, who took a session on health, advised Muslims to always engage in exercise, saying it can prevent some common orthopaedic conditions, especially obesity.
“There are developmental conditions and acquired conditions. People are born with acquired conditions. Some of these conditions cannot be prevented. In other words, we cannot modify the risks involved. While others are preventable such as weight, obesity and lifestyle-induced problems from alcohol and fat consumption,” he explained.
Dr. Alatise urged Muslims to champion the positive co-existence and be mentor to others.
“Living together is compulsory and adding value in peaceful living is what Islam stands for. That’s MICA Alimosho is propagating this with this year’s theme so that the Ummah can embrace this whole heartedly,” he added.
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