* Ansar-Ud-Deen Missioner urges Muslims to invest in Allah’s IPO, support vulnerable families
The National Missioner and Imam of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad, has urged Muslims to invest in charitable causes, describing care for widows and orphans as an investment in the Hereafter whose rewards will not depreciate.
He made the call at the 2026 Scholars and Widows Awards and disbursement ceremony of the Here & Hereafter (H&H) Foundation for Widows and Orphans, held on Sunday, October 11, at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Muslim News gathered that the event featured the disbursement of ₦14,786,700 to 25 beneficiaries in 2026, representing an increase of about 36.9 per cent compared with the ₦10.8 million disbursed to 26 beneficiaries in 2025.
Sheikh Ahmad, who is the chairman of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, drew a comparison with the Dangote initial public offering (IPO), urging Muslims to see charitable giving as an opportunity to invest in enduring rewards from Allah.
“Invest with Allah,” he urged.
He cited a hadith in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) promised closeness in Paradise to those who care for orphans, encouraging Muslims to sustain their support for vulnerable people despite prevailing economic challenges.
The eloquent Muslim scholar also urged widows and orphans not to despair over their circumstances, citing the Qur’anic exhortation: “So do not lose heart nor fall into despair, for you will have the upper hand if you are true believers” (Qur’an 3:139).
He explained that the foundation’s strict monitoring of donations, scholarships and empowerment funds reflected its responsibility to donors and accountability before Allah, rather than a lack of compassion for beneficiaries.
“We are accountable to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. And if you consider what Allah’s Prophet said about monies meant for orphans and their management, you will realise that our roles are not enviable at all. I don’t envy us. I don’t envy us at all,” he said.
Sheikh Ahmad urged beneficiaries to justify the support they received through diligence and accountability, while encouraging donors to remain committed to the cause.
Foundation has supported over 30 scholars, 15 widows
The foundation’s coordinator and member of its Board of Trustees, Alhaji Razaq Asaju, said the initiative was established to address the difficulties widows and orphans face following the loss of family breadwinners.
According to him, the foundation was conceived by Here & Hereafter Investment Company Limited in response to the hardship experienced by bereaved families, particularly when people who previously supported them withdraw their assistance.
Asaju explained that the withdrawal of support from close associates was a wider challenge faced by families who lost their breadwinners, rather than a situation peculiar to the six individuals whose experiences inspired the initiative.
He recalled the deaths of AbdulLateef Adebowale, Sheikh Abayomi, Dr Muhammed Olukade, AbdulHakeem Kola Mustapha, Mansoor Haruna and Kamaldeen Isola Idris, describing the circumstances surrounding their deaths and their families’ subsequent difficulties as part of the motivation for the foundation’s establishment.
Although established by the investment company, Asaju said the foundation’s services were open to the wider Muslim community, irrespective of race or region.
“Since the formal launch in 2010, the Foundation has annually given scholarships to orphans and empowered widows. To date, we have funded over 30 scholars and empowered about 15 widows,” he said, putting the value of its interventions at approximately ₦50 million.
Asaju also celebrated the academic progress of beneficiaries, disclosing that four scholars had graduated, comprising two degree holders and two Higher National Diploma holders.
He urged students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions to remain focused on their education and encouraged parents to provide their children with the support they needed to succeed.
The coordinator also advised widows who had received empowerment assistance to manage the resources productively, work towards financial independence and aspire to support others in the future.
He appreciated the foundation’s donors, sponsors and Board of Trustees for sustaining its activities, specifically acknowledging Alhaja Hajara Adeola and Alhaji Sulaiman Adedokun for their longstanding support.
‘When you help others, you are helping yourself’
Veteran sports writer and national president of the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA), Dr Mumini Alao, urged Muslims to contribute to worthy causes according to their means, stressing that charitable giving extended beyond financial donations.
He said people could support vulnerable members of society by offering their time, knowledge, skills and other resources. “When you help others, you are helping yourself. What we are doing is investing in our own future. You are going to get the reward,” he said.
Alao encouraged Muslims to honour invitations to charitable programmes and contribute whatever they could, noting that such support could create opportunities for beneficiaries while earning rewards for the contributors.
Adedokun seeks more support for vulnerable families
The Group Managing Director of Meristem Securities Limited, Alhaji Sulaiman Adedokun, commended the foundation for supporting widows and orphans, urging Muslims with the means to increase their contributions.
He observed that people often committed substantial resources to conventional investments but overlooked charitable giving, which Muslims believe can yield lasting rewards in the Hereafter.
Adedokun encouraged donors to dedicate a portion of their resources to the foundation, praying that Allah would bless their wealth, expand their sources of income and enable them to give more.
He noted that the resources available to the foundation remained insufficient to meet the needs of all the widows and orphans seeking assistance. He therefore called for sustained contributions and urged the management to remain committed to its mission.
Beneficiary expresses gratitude for foundation’s support
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mardiyyah Eniola Taofeeq, a 300 level Physiotherapy student at the University of Ilorin, expressed gratitude to the foundation for its financial and emotional support over the years.
Mardiyyah, who lost her parents and two siblings in an attack attributed to the Badoo sect in Ikorodu, Lagos State, in 2017, said the foundation’s assistance had helped her continue her education and remain focused on building a future.
She acknowledged the encouragement of Asaju and other supporters, noting that their assistance had strengthened her determination to excel academically and make the foundation and its donors proud.
Mardiyyah, who has benefited from the foundation since 2017, said the support had been particularly valuable during periods of emotional distress and academic pressure.
The ceremony ended with calls for greater community participation in supporting widows, orphans and students, alongside prayers for the beneficiaries, donors and administrators of the foundation.
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