* Warns against sending only average students to religious schools
By Yinka Salaam, Osogbo
Parents across the spectrum have been urged to equip their brilliant and promising children with virtues and religious education, in addition to modern knowledge, contrary to the usual practice of sending only less-brilliant children to religious schools while enrolling the brilliant ones in universities.
The Proprietor of Mujaddidun Islamic Institute for Qur’anic Memorisation, Arabic and Islamic Knowledge, Ustaz Habeeb Shittu, made the call at the 4th Islamic Convention, Complete Qur’an Memorisation and I’daadiyah Graduation Ceremony in Okuku, Osun State.
He noted that obedient and brilliant students also deserve to be morally equipped, memorise the Qur’an and be exposed to religious knowledge to achieve greatness in life, but parents often send troublesome children to religious schools.
“Many graduates of this Institute are doing marvellously well in higher institutions in Nigeria and across the world — US, UK, Egypt, Dubai, Jordan and many other great countries. This is because they are well nurtured with the right virtues, morality, refined civilisation and modern knowledge, in addition to memorising the Qur’an and learning Islamic knowledge.
“We have, however, noticed that many parents erroneously believe only average students deserve to be pushed to religious institutions. On the contrary, every student needs the knowledge. No knowledge is a waste.
“In fact, from experience, we get better results by putting just thirty per cent effort into willing and brilliant students than what we get when we put 100 per cent into an average student.”
Ustaz Shittu, who noted that education at a tender age has a lot of positive impacts on students, congratulated the parents and graduands for their patience and sacrifices.
He thus urged Nigerians to ensure a balance between the academic and moral development of their children to maximise the benefits of the education they acquire in modern and conventional institutions.
Do not be carried away by monetary incentives
The guest speaker, Sheikh Ibraheem Raji, advised the graduating students to memorise and learn for the sake of Allah, the Deen and humanity, rather than for the sake of money or material gain.
He acknowledged that a Nigerian Qur’an memoriser, Maryam Ibrahim Dan’Azumi, was recently rewarded with about ₦120 million for conquering the world, but said the amount was nothing compared with the spiritual and celestial benefits of memorising the Qur’an, which he described as the greatest literature in the universe.
The advice came on the heels of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s congratulatory message to the young Nigerian girl from Gombe State for emerging as the winner in the women’s category at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’anic Competition in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Maryam defeated contestants from 132 countries to win SAR300,000, approximately ₦120 million.
President Tinubu described the achievement as a source of national pride and commended Maryam’s elder sister, Hajara Ibrahim Dan’Azumi, who also won the 18th Hashemite Jordan International Qur’anic Competition for Females in 2024.
He described the sisters as inspirations to young Nigerians and praised their parents, teachers and mentors for supporting their development.
Another guest speaker, Sheikh Qamarudeen Ballo, reminded the young graduands that the graduation was just the beginning of greater academic achievements in life, urging them neither to rest on their oars nor be carried away by the euphoria of the celebration.
Sheikh Ballo urged the parents to be practical guides and exemplars for the young graduands so that the knowledge they have acquired would not be in vain.
Reacting on behalf of the graduands, Balqees Yisa-Adeniji, who emerged as the Best Graduating Student in Qur’an, thanked the parents for their sacrifices and for finding it worthy to enrol her and her colleagues at the Mujaddidun Institute, despite the distance and financial challenges.
She also reminded her colleagues to see the achievement as the start of a new beginning and the dawn of greater heights in the future.
The Qur’an memorisers are: Haafidh Waliyullah Oyerinde Omotayo, Haafidh AbdulLateef Ibrahim Oloyede, Haafidh Abdullah Abdul-Azeez, Haafidh Isa Abdullah Khalifah, Haafidh Umar-Faruq Sulayman, Haafidh AbdulRahman Jum’ah Ayomide and Haafidho Balqees Adedoyin Yisa-Adeniji.
The Qur’an reciters are: Qaari Sa’eed Adebowale Kehinde, Qaari Abdul-Baasit Adebayo, Qaari Umar Ayandeji, Qaari Sherif Aderibigbe, Qaari Adam AbdurRahman, Qaari Abdus-Sobuur Abdul-Jaleel Irewole and Qaari Muhammad Raji Desire.
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