• As Daaru Sa’adah gathers 300 participants for first Imams’ Conference in Ajase-Ipo
Daaru Sa’adah Islamic Centre, at the weekend, took its Annual Imams Conference to Ajase-Ipo in Kwara State.
Muslim News gathered that the conference drew participations from over 300 Imams in Ajase-Ipo town and neighbouring communities, who commended the initiative as impactful.
Themed: ‘Sound Imam, Sound Jama’ah’, the conference was held on Sunday, 29th September, 2024, at the Ajase-Ipo Central Mosque, Ajase-Ipo.
It was attended by the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, Oba Ismail Yahya Alebiosu, who was accompanied by other monarchs, including the Elesie of Esie, Oba Yakub Ibrahim Agboola, and the Oludopo of Okeya-po, Oba Saheed Opadoye.
Consider Imamship as a job with huge responsibilities, not a mere title, Prof. Alaro tells Imams
Speaking at the conference, Prof. Abdulrazzaq Abdulmajeed Alaro urged the Imams to see their position as a job with huge responsibilities.
The Professor of Islamic Law, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, who spoke on the topic ‘Responsibilities and Duties of Imams’, cautioned against the culture of seeing Imamship as a mere title with ceremonial functions.
“Imamship is beyond being a title; it’s a job with huge responsibilities. The Imam has spiritual, social and economic duties,” he said.
“When an Imam understands his status as an office rather than taking it as a title, it says it all. When you understand that you are occupying a position of responsibility, you will have a better understanding of your roles and duties as an Imam.
“But most unfortunately, the majority of Imams in our environment do not see it that way. Even the way we express it in our local language, we see Imamship as a title. That’s why we see people celebrating their emergence as Imam, picking a date for turbaning.
“Beyond all these, Imamship is a huge responsibility. If we can see it as such, our challenges will be solved. Let every Imam see his office as that of duties and responsibilities, rather than being a title meant for ceremonial functions alone.”
Prof. Alaro said the spiritual role, especially leading prayers, is the foremost for all Imams, noting no other engagement should distract them from it.
“It is bad for an Imam not to monitor the time of solat. An Imam must not be so engaged to the extent of not having the time to lead solat. Some persons are appointed Imams for communities they do not dwell in. This is because they see it as a title.
“Though the Shari’a does not prevent the Imam from fending for himself and working even in government institutions. But it’s bad for weeks, months to pass without the Imam leading solat in the mosque.”
Lekki Chief Imam says the mosque is a multi-purpose centre
In his lecture, the Chief Imam of Lekki Central Mosque, Dr. Ridwan Jamiu, described the mosque as a multi-purpose centre.
According to him, there is more the mosque can do to the society than prayer.
Speaking on the topic, ‘The Mosque as a Multipurpose Centre of Excellence’, the Lekki Chief Imam said the mosque should play a leading role in bringing relief to people in this period of economic downturn in the country.
“The mosque is not just a place where we come together to worship Allah, and to pray. There is more that the mosque can do to society than the prayer. Even though the prayer is the most important thing, the mosque is meant to serve people’s lives socially, economically, intellectually, psychologically and so on,” Dr. Jamiu said.
“The mosque is meant to be a multipurpose centre. It is an educational centre where you learn about your deen, about your life. A mosque is an economic and empowerment centre where people can go for zakat. So for poor people, their needs can be met at the mosque. The mosque is also meant to be a social centre whereby when we have strangers who are stranded, they should be able to go to the mosque, and the Imam will find solutions to their needs.
“The mosque is also meant to be a place of fellowship. We meet one another; we love one another; we check up on one another, to promote peace and harmony.”
Amir Ajala charges Muslims to cater for Imam’s welfare
For his part, Amir Qamardeen Ajala, who is one of the discussants at the conference, charged the Muslim community to cater for the welfare of the Imams.
“Our Imams must be catered for. Those who are well-to-do in the Muslim community should make this their responsibility. Look at our Christian counterparts; they take good care of their pastors,” he said.
Amir Ajala said the conference is a train-the-trainer programme, adding once the Imams are trained, they will be able to discharge their duties effectively and pass the right message to the jam’ah (congregation).
“If we look at our community today, a lot of people that are being called Imams got the position because of their family ties. Some of them are not well grounded for the position, especially when it comes to fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) on solat, and inheritance, among others. Imams are leaders of the masjid, and they must be acquainted with what Allah wants and what His Prophet wants,” he noted.
Olupo calls for more initiatives to support community
Earlier in his goodwill message, the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo urged the Imams to pay attention to the presentations of the various lecturers, expressing confidence they would go home rich in knowledge and insights.
“The resource persons are well known to us. They are knowledgeable and have contributed greatly to the development of Islam. So, I want everyone to listen attentively to them and put to good use whatever is learnt here,” the monarch said.
He commended Daaru Sa’adah for organising the conference in Ajase-Ipo while calling for more initiatives to support the community.
“I urge the organisers to make this initiative a consistent one in our community. I know it costs a lot to put this together. But I want you to be assured that whatever is spent in the cause of Allah will be duly rewarded. I want you to know that we accept this initiative and will continue to support it.”
Program aimed at increasing imams’ awareness: BoT chairman
In his welcome address, a representative of the BoT Chairman, Daaru Sa’adah Islamic Centre, Imam Ismail Yusuf, explained that the conference aims to train the Imams and increase their awareness about their responsibilities as key leaders of Islam.
He noted that the initiative is a brainchild of one of the indigenes of Ajase-Ipo, Alhaja Rahmat Saliu Akansin, in support of the community, particularly Islam and the Muslim community.
“We thank all Imams in Ajase-Ipo and its environs for attending the conference. It is one thing to invite people; it is another thing entirely for them to grace the invite. So, we appreciate our Imams most sincerely, and pray Allah to make it beneficial for them.”
Imam Yusuf said the Annual Imams Conference started in 2016 and has taken place in various communities in Ogun and Lagos States.
“The programme is held once in three months. This is the first time we are bringing it to Kwara State. We have close to 300 Imams participating here today.”
Initiative part of efforts to support my community: Founder Daaru Sa’adah
Founder of Daaru Sa’adah Islamic Centre, Alhaja Rahmat Saliu Akansin, said the initiative is part of her efforts to support the Ajase-Ipo community where she was born and raised.
Alhaja Rahmat, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Ramjasam Investments Nigeria Limited, said her passion for community development and supporting the cause of Islam was developed in childhood.
“With the guidance of my grandmother, I took charge of the cleaning of mosques in my community. I will sweep the mosque, wash the kettles, and do other things.
“In all of these, my grandmother was always monitoring. She would ask to know the list of mosques I have gone to clean. She would not accept excuses. When I told her I didn’t have money to get soap, she would question me, and ask me to take from my feeding money.
“This was how I learnt the essence of sacrifice and supporting the cause of Islam. My grandmother would always encourage me by saying whoever wants to be successful in life will support the cause of Allah and make sacrifices for it.”
The Founder said she keeps most of her philanthropic activities under wraps as part of the lessons from her grandmother.
“I have been supporting the cause of Islam in my way. But I do not like to blow it. This is part of the lessons from my grandmother. She would tell me not to let people know I was the one cleaning those mosques then. But you know there is no way you do good that it won’t get known in some quarters. The beneficiaries or witnesses will do the publicity for you, and there is no way to control that.
“I think that’s how the Olupo got to know about me and my modest contributions to Islam and humanity. He therefore engaged me to see how I can implement projects and programmes that will develop and support our community.
“We are starting with this conference that we have brought down home. More initiatives to support my community will come inshallah,” she said.
She urged parents to always encourage their children like her grandmother did, noting that society will be a better place when parents teach sacrifice.
“I also want to urge the well-to-do people in our communities to understand that there is nothing meaningful in piling up wealth and resources. They should use these resources for humanity. May Allah assist us.”
Participating imams appreciate organisers
Speaking on behalf of the Imams, the Chief Imam of Ajase-Ipo, Sheikh Taofeeq Aliyu Atoloye, appreciated Daaru Sa’adah for the conference.
“We have been yearning for this kind of gathering for so long. So we thank Allah for making it come through. This is what we have been asking for. It is a commendable programme,” he said.
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