* Lekki Muslim Ummah organises Ramadan Da’wah Workshop
Lekki Muslim Ummah (LEMU) has held the March 2025 edition of its quarterly Da’wah Workshop with a consultant neurosurgeon, Dr. Abdulhaadi Tihamiy affirming that fasting in the month of Ramadan has a lot of health benefits to the human body, including controlling obesity, weight gain, and other chronic illnesses.
Dr. Tihamiy, while speaking at the Ramadan Da’wah Workshop held on Sunday, 9th March said Ramadan falls under what is called intermittent fasting in the medical parlance, adding that it has been found to be very resourceful in allowing the body system to relax, detoxify and recuperate.
Themed: ‘Poverty Alleviation: The Role of Islamic Philanthropy’, the programme held at the Vice Admiral Jubrila Ayinla Multipurpose Hall, Lekki Central Mosque Complex, Lekki, Lagos.
Speaking on the topic: ‘Health Benefits of Ramadan Fasting’ during the first session, the consultant neurosurgeon said constricting feeding to twice a day like it is during Ramadan (sahur and iftar) makes people healthier.
According to him, “It’s been discovered that after that 29 or 30-day fasting, there would have been a significant reduction in weight, to the extent that those who were obese before fasting would have better health after.
“It has also been found to be very beneficial to the control of diabetes, especially those that have the type 2 diabetes, to the extent that some people recommend Ramadan fasting or any other fasting of that form as a therapy to those that have non-insulin dependent diabetes.
“During that fasting, there is increased sensitivity to insulin and people with diabetes have better glycemic profile, compared to other periods. People who fast have deductions in oxidative makers. The implication of this is that some chronic illnesses will get better, like arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and several others. So most people that have those conditions will improve during Ramadan compared to other periods,” Dr Tihamiy said.
The consultant, who is the Head of Neurosurgery Unit at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, advised Muslims to eat healthy and moderately during sahur and iftar.
“The concept of eating in Islam is that we don’t eat for the sake of eating; we eat because we need the strength to be able to worship Allah, and do several other things. We eat just as necessary,” he said.
“The concept we are trying to promote is the one our pious predecessors worked with and it helped them. We are a set of people who do not eat until hungry. Also, when we eat, we do not fill up our tummy. The Prophet (SAW) taught his companions how to eat. He told them to allocate one third to food, another one third to water, and the remaining one third to breathe.
“All of us know that a person who overfeeds will not be able to breathe well. When a person is not breathing well, sickness sets in. When you can’t breathe well due to overfeeding, you won’t make good use of what you have eaten. So, to benefit from food, you must be selective of what you eat and eat healthy. Too much of everything is dangerous, especially fat.”
Dr. Tihamiy also stressed that during Ramadan, detoxification is usually at the highest level.
“The liver that is responsible for taking away the toxins of what you eat must have enough time to rest to perfect the detoxification process. It is during Ramadan fast like this that dangerous chemicals in our body are curtailed enough,” he said.
Fight against poverty individually, collectively: Chief Imam Lekki
In his submission, the Chief Imam of Lekki Central Mosque, Dr. Ridwan Jamiu, said Muslims should do everything lawful to fight poverty at individual and collective levels.
Dr. Ridwan who addressed the topic, ‘Zakat and Waqf as Tools of Islamic Social Finance’ during the second session said Islam sees poverty as an evil, stressing that Muslims should do everything possible in accordance to Shari’ah to remove it from their midst.
He said, “Poverty comes with so many challenges. You will not be able to educate your children properly. You will not be able to take care of your family. It can lead to divorce, family unrest, civil unrest, and criminality.”
The Chief Imam emphasised the importance of getting a job and working hard, noting that Islam discourages begging and depending on others for basic survival.
He added, however,that zakat and waqf are two critical instruments of social finance and empowerment in Islam.
“Zakat is a pillar of Islam. It is a compulsory deduction from the earnings of a Muslim that has gathered a particular amount of money,” he said.
“Waqf, on the other hand, is a perpetual, institutionalised charity. For instance, you have a property that is income-generating, and whatever income generated from this property is used to support people and empower them or to promote education.
“Many people think masjid is the only waqf in Islam. But in most cases, masjid is not even income-generating. You have to spend on the masjid. But then, we have also raised awareness that the mosque should not just be a place where you come to worship Allah. There are many ways to make the mosque an income-generating entity, whereby the salary of the Imam can be paid from the mosque. An example is turning the mosque into an educational facility.”
How to minimize poverty among Muslims: Dr Salaudeen
Also speaking during the last session, the third guest speaker, Dr Jibril Salaudeen, said there is a need for Muslims to upskill and deepen access to education for them to tackle poverty.
Dr. Jibril, while addressing the topic: ‘Poverty among the Muslims: Causes and Solutions” posited that poverty cannot be totally eradicated, but efforts can be made to minimise it.
“Education, skill level, access to funding, policies of the government, access to Islamic social financing, insurgency, among others, are some of the factors influencing poverty rate, especially in our country.
“Among Muslim organisations, there is a need for us to sit down and define the poverty stand of the country today, look at the challenges, and begin to proffer solutions to the appropriate areas,” he added.
Dr. Jibril, who is the Director of Nungu Business School also explained that government alone cannot solve the issue of poverty.
“They require support from other institutions like Islamic financing, social financing, traditional settings, and so on,” the lecturer said.
LEMU President expresses concerns over Muslims monopolising poverty
Earlier in his welcome address, the President of LEMU, Dr AbdulGaniy Labinjo, expressed dissatisfaction that Muslims have monopolised poverty over time.
He said some Muslims have become so complacent, relying on the provision of zakat and sadaqat.
“As a Muslim, you don’t have to be poor. Muslims tend to believe Islam and poverty are connected. At times, I wonder if it is because Islam enjoins sadaqat and zakat. So, people believe that everything must be free,” he said.
The President added that some Muslims also hide under the guise of qadar (destiny) to relax and make no effort to seek ethical wealth and a better life.
“I don’t believe qadar is what we can sit down and predetermine. My own understanding is that after you have made the efforts, you have tried, you have done your own bit, and it does not happen, it is at best consolatory to then say, perhaps Allah does not wish for it to be like that.
“As Muslims, we accept that but don’t start by saying I’m not supposed to be rich. You should have that can-do attitude,” he stressed.
The LEMU President lamented that the culture has extended to the younger generation of Muslims.
“When you encounter and talk to them, you can see that their thinking is so tuned in a way that they are not aspiring to be anything,” he said.
“No matter what, there are people who will be less successful than others. That is why we have zakat in Islam. But Muslims should not relax, think they are supposed to be zakat receivers and refuse to make any effort.
“I think we should not allow this beautiful provision of Islam to limit us from aspirations in life.”
He also condemned the poor attitude of Muslims towards education, citing the case of the closure of schools for five weeks in some states of northern Nigeria.
“Why are you declaring five weeks? Ramadan, as far as I know, is for 29 or 30 days. Those students are going to grow up and be unproductive during Ramadan because you are training them that is the proper thing to do,” he said.
“Whether we like it or not, education is a tool that provides opportunities for socioeconomic elevation. If you are educated, you are more likely to be able to reason and perhaps uplift yourself.”
Dr. Labinjo said the invited lecturers are eminently qualified to discuss the topic, while expressing confidence that participants would make meaning of the time spent at the workshop.
