RAMADAN AND THE GODLINESS IN YOU: MY ENCOUNTER WITH AREA BOYZ By Rasheed Abubakar

NAIRA BET JOINT

There is Godliness (Ar-rabbaaniyyah) in everyone, no matter how terrible they might be. My recent encounter with some street urchins popularly known as area boys, who were also preparing for Ramadan, has proven so.

No doubt, area boys are known for their reckless lifestyles and hooliganism. We live with them and obviously, we’re aware of the troubles they cause. But when the month of Ramadan approaches, the Muslims among them amend their ways and lead a Godly life.

I intentionally listened with rapt attention to the conversation between two popular street urchins at Ijeshatedo area of Lagos days ago, for the purpose of this article. Sir Fathy (real name, Abdul-Fatah) just left his regular gambling joint, when he met ID (real name, Idowu), who challenged him in their local street parlance – Were!! E ma wo oloriburuku yi sha! O si n ta naira bet. Ti awe ma beere l’ola. Oo le kuu re, walai! – meaning – Mad man! See this unfortunate being. You still playing naira bet, when Ramadan begins next week! I swear, you can’t die a noble death!”

AREA BOYZ: WON TI DA GOBE SILE...

Sir Fathy replied, Oga gbagbe! Mo ju n be. Omo boi lati sare shey runs kekere ki awe to beere. Osha mo, ti awe ba bere n’sin, no more betting. A ma kawo so ke fun saati ramoni ni. K’omo boy sare je nkan ti ma fi s’awe. O saa mo. jeun soke n tie – meaning – Brother, forget it. Don’t mind me. I have to quickly do some “runs” before Ramadan starts. As you know, once Ramadan begins, there’s no room for betting and gambling. We will have to submit ourselves to the Great One. Let me quickly earn some cash to feed myself during fasting”.

The last Solatul Jumah (Friday prayer) of Sha’ban, the month preceding Ramadan, was over-crowded in most central mosques in Lagos, because of the arrival of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Sir Fathy was among a handful of Muslims who bought Islamic items at Folawiyo Central Mosque, Surulere, Lagos, in preparation for the Holy Month. I guess it was from gambling money he purchased a new jalabia (robe), cap, rosary, among others.

Did I hear you say ‘gambling money’ to prepare for Ramadan? Exactly, that’s what he did. But before you condemn him, there are many so-called Abdul-Fatahs (Sir Fathy) among the fasting Muslims out there. Forget about the fact that he’s a street urchin who earns his living from gambling, what about you? Do you think your source of income is pure enough for you to maximize the rewards of fasting in the month of Ramadan? Think about it now!

Who am I to judge you, but what is certain is that it’s a sin for anyone to eat from haram – things Allah has forbidden, not to talk of taking it to observe Ramadan. There will be no reward of fasting for such a person.

Allah (SWT) warns in the Glorious Qur’an, “O ye who believe! Eat of the good things wherewith we have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He whom ye worship.” (2:172)

In another verse, He (Allah) says, “O ye Messengers! Eat of the good things, and do right…” (Quran 23:51)

In the hadith of Abu Hurairah, Prophet Muhammad (saw) told his companions, “Allah the Almighty is good and accepts only that which is good.”  

The Messenger of Allah narrated the case of a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty and who spreads out his hands to the sky [saying]: O Lord! O Lord!-while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully, so how can his invocation be accepted.” The above narrations showed that it’s important we are conscious of what we eat, drink and where we get the money to buy those things we wear, especially in the month of Ramadan and beyond.

But, come to think of it, what’s so unique about Ramadan that suddenly transforms many unrepentant sinners to God-fearing beings. Why is the month special to many people, irrespective of their personalities, especially somebody like Sir Fathy who spends most of his life gambling?

The answer to the question lies in the hadith (sayings) of the Prophet (peace be upon him), when he said, “During Ramadan, the gates of hell are closed, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the devils are in chains. An angel calls out: ‘O you who intend to do good deeds, have glad tidings. O you who intend to do evil, refrain, until Ramadan is completed.”

That’s the secret. Ramadan is the most sacred of all months. Everybody wants to benefit from the holy month by enjoining good and refraining from evil. That’s why most fun spots, especially bars, clubs, etc that have long enjoyed high patronage of Muslims, witness low turn-out. Most conscious hoteliers too reduce their activities to honour the month.

GODLINESS

Truthfully, if you can become godly in Ramadan, then it’s possible for you to be godly throughout the rest of your life. Forget about the unchained devils, he’s your enemy, my enemy, and you should not allow him and his agents to mislead you.

According to the Qur’an, Shaitan succeeded in misleading our first parents, Adam and Hawwa (Eve), and has promised to mislead his progenies (you and I) from following their Lord’s guidance. Surah Al-A’raf (Q.7; 16-17), Shaitan said to Allah, “Because You have sent me astray, surely, I will lie in wait against them (human beings) on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, You will not find most of them as thankful ones…”

My brethren, godliness can be attained, even after Ramadan. Shaitan wants you to be swimming in sins, but you must fight your ways to desist from all forms of sin. Although it’s not easy, the following steps would help you achieve godliness.

1. The worship of Allah

You should at all times know that it’s only Allah alone we worship and Him alone you seek for help. You should not seek other lords beside Allah, not to seek other helper, protector or gods beside Allah. (Study the following verses, Q3: 164, Q.3:162, Q.3:14)

2. Fear of Allah

But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts. Verily paradise will be his abode. According to Qur’an 79: 40-41. Imam Al-Qurtubi commented: “his fear of Allah while on earth that made him to abstain from sin when he was about to commit it” (Al-Qurtubi 19\208)

3. Know, you can’t hide from Allah

Truly, nothing is hidden from Him, in the earth or in the heaven, says Allah in the glorious Qur’an, 3: 5. “It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declares it openly, whether he hid by night or goes forth freely by day.” Qur’an, 13:10, “And Allah is with you (by His knowledge) wheresoever’s you may be. And Allah is All-seer of what you do.” Qur’an 57:4. Always know that Allah sees you.

4. Self Evaluation

There is need for sincere evaluation of one’ self, the essence: “Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah, verily Allah is All-aware of what you do.” Qur’an 59:18. Also, “That day shall you be brought to Judgement, not a secret of you will be hidden.” Qur’an 69:18 For instance, Umar bin kathab (the second caliph of Islam) used to beat his leg and say: “What have you done today.” Another companion, Ibn Summah, a devout, once counted his days on earth, when he was 60 years old. It totalled 21,600 days. He screamed: “Am I going to meet Allah with 21 500 sins?! How if I commit thousands of sins every day?!” he collapsed and fainted.

A. Practical steps to achieving self evaluation

Consciousness at all times. Prepare an answer for all your saying and deeds. Belittle your righteousness. Do not undermine your sins, Have a time for self evaluation. Reflect on all your action for the period. Thank Allah for your righteousness. Rebuke yourself for your inactions and all misdeeds. At bed-time know that it could be your last night. If eventually you wake know that it is a respite for you to repent and it could be the last. Be sad when you miss an obligation. Be sad if you do not increase in virtue. Know that your time ticks away very quickly. Review your actions at every Salat and make mend.

B. Repentance of Allah

Essence of repentance: To desist from all forms of sin, to regret all past misdeeds, to determine never to return. It is obligatory: “And repent to Allah all of you, O believers, that you may be successful” Qur’an 24:31. Also, “And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed the wrongdoers.” Qur’an 49: 11And the Prophet says: “A repentant from his sin is like who had never committed one.” All sons of Adam are fallible. The best among the fallible is the repentant.

C. Conditions of repentance

To be remorseful, to desist from sinning, to determine never to take other people’s belonging, to do righteous in place of every sin. “…verily the good deeds remove the evil deeds” Qur’an 11:114, “and follow every evil deed with a good one. It will wipe it off…” said the Prophet (peace be upon him).

D. Benefits of repentance

The one with a satisfactory soul: he sustains his repentance and makes up for his past misdeeds and never thinks of going back. That is the perfect repentance (at-taubatun- nasuh).

The one with a reproaching soul: he is consistent in his repentance from major sins but sometimes commits minor ones unconsciously but quickly repents.

The one with a weak soul: he is inconsistent in his repentance. Follows his lust and deliberately sins again but wishes to repent again.

The one with an evil soul: repents for a while but quickly returns to his sinful life without thinking of repenting again.

5. Remembrance of death

As Muslims, we should always do remember of death at every time, this will make you to fear Allah and shun evil.

INTERVIEW: HOW WE SEARCH FOR THE NEW CRESCENT – MOON SIGHTING COMMITTEE

IMAM SHUAIB

IMAM Abdullahi Shuaib is the Executive Director/CEO, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation; and a member of the National Moon-Sighting Committee (NMSC) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), in his interview with RASHEED ABUBAKAR speaks on the preparation for the 1436 A.H (2015) Ramadan fast, and the procedures in searching for the new moon… 

How prepared is the moon sighting committee for this year's Ramadan fast? 

The National Moon-Sighting Committee (NMSC) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has always been up to its task. We have been very consistent with the task given to us. Since last year to date, the Committee meets regularly at least every month and we do submit our monthly Moon-Sighting Report to His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto who is the President-General, NSCIA vide the office of the Secretary-General, NSCIA. Importantly, it should be mentioned that a few days ago, a high-powered members of the Technical Sub-Committee of the NMSC led by our Chairman, Dr. Hafiz Wali took some proactive measures to visit some of our respected traditional leaders with a view to ensuring that the Muslim Ummah speaks with one voice on moon-sighting issue. We hope to sustain this approach of interacting with the leaders of the Muslim Communities across the country on moon-sighting issues insha Allah. 

There were controversies last year over sighting of moon which questioned the credibility of the committee. Some people said the commencement of fasting in Nigeria is by consensus, and not based on moon sighting? 

What's your take on this? Point of correction, there is nothing wrong with the credibility of the NMSC. As a matter of fact, members of the Committee are accomplished personalities. We have experts, professors and Islamic scholars of high repute as members of the Committee with over 20 years experience on moon-sighting. It will be uncharitable for any person to try to impugn on the credibility of the Committee. Having said that, the NMSC does not carry out its work based on consensus. 

As mentioned earlier, we search for the new crescent every month across the six geo-political zones of the country and reports to the Secretary-General, NSCIA who has been very very supportive just like His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto. To be specific, when the lunar moon is 27 of each month, we send out information to all our members across the country as well as some individual(s) and organisations with passion for moon-sighting to search for the new crescent on the 29th evening of its cycle and revert to the NMSC with their reports either positive or negative. 

Having received all the sighted reports, the NMSC collates and then make its recommendation based on the sighted report (either positive or negative) to the appropriate quarters for dissemination. Therefore, the NMSC does not submit its report based on consensus. Rather its report is usually based on actual moon-sighted (positive or negative) and also in accordance with astronomical calculation. 

 Why do you think Nigerian Muslims, particularly societies or organizations should have confidence in the leadership of the committee?

 From the foregoing explanation given about the pedigree of members of the NMSC and their modus openradis, I want to appeal to all and sundry to be patient with the leadership of the Muslim Ummah especially on moon-sighting issue. It is very embarrassing to note that we have a National Moon-Sighting Committee inaugurated by the number one citizen of the Nigerian Ummah, and yet some individuals/organisations are not prepared to cooperate with the Committee but ready to undermine its function. 

The Qur'an enjoins us to cooperate on piety and righteousness and avoid actions that may lead to bickering, enmity and controversy. Once again, I appeal to all and sundry to give the leadership of the NMSC a chance to perform its duty for the sake of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah. 

For the benefit of our readers, can you tell us the procedures in moon sighting? 

 First and foremost, you must be knowledgeable about when to search for the new crescent. The NMSC has its own criteria for moon-sighting which are based on the understanding that scientific methods would be used to enhance the method prescribed by Shari’ah to validate the birth of the new moon and sunset; while sufficient time between both would be given as practiced globally particularly in many Islamic Countries. That the scientific methods of moon-sighting are to be complementary and supportive to the Sharia’ah system while the latter remains paramount. To be specific, the NMSC set out its guidelines for moon-sighting as follows: 

Sighting of the crescent (hilal) must be by actual human naked eye or aided eyes in accordance with the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who said: “Fast upon sighting it, and break the fast upon sighting it, and should it be obscured, then complete thirty days of Sha’baan.” Bukhari and Muslim (see Hadith 1221 of Riyadus Saliheen). Also, the Prophet (SAW) after seeing the hilal used to supplicate that “O God, cause this new moon to come upon us in safety and sound faith, security and submission. My Lord and your Lord is Allah.” Tirmidhi (In adhkar of Nawawi Hadiths nos. 473 – 474). 

Again, after seeing the crescent, the Prophet (SAW) used to say: “A crescent of goodness and guidance, a crescent of goodness and guidance, a crescent of goodness and guidance. I believe in the One who created you; I believe in the One who created you; I believe in the One who created you. Praise be to the One who caused the previous month to depart and brought us this month.” Abu Dawoud (In adhkar of Nawawi Hadith nos 475). 

From the two aforementioned supplications of the Prophet (SAW) especially the statements “My Lord and your Lord is Allah” and “I believe in the One who created you” the Prophet (SWT) clearly indicated that he was addressing the moon directly i.e. while looking at it. Also for this criterion, modern instruments such as telescopes, binoculars, and astronomical calculations etc can be used to assist and verify the accuracy of the sighting. 

Sighting must be after conjunction (moon birth): Scientifically and logically, a baby can only be seen after its birth! Hence the moon must have been born (i.e. after conjunction) and be present in the sky above the horizon, before it can be seen. With advances in scientific knowledge in astronomy, the time of conjunction (or completely dark Astronomical New moon) can be exactly computed. If the sky is clear, sighting must be seen by a large number of people. This is in accordance with a report credited to Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad required a large number of witnesses (for a town) when the sky was clear. 

Large group of observers vs Individual (solo) Observer: It is easy for an individual to mistake an artificial object in the sky for positive appearance of new crescent, even before conjunction (stories abound on how people have mistaken artificial objects for new crescent and unknowingly the Authorities had accepted such reports in the past). Hence report should be accepted from groups of people consisting of at least 12 members, as it will be hard to agree on false sighting and the basis of these submission is as follows: 

During the period of Pious Predecessors the following incident was reported of Hadrat Anas (RA) (then at a very old age) claiming to have seen a crescent when everybody else at the same location could not see it. Then on removing the white hair from his eyebrow of Hadrat Anas (RA), was asked to see again. Now he could see no ‘crescent’. (See Aujaz al Masalik v.5, p.21, Tantawi’s Irshad p.154, Bain Al-Sunnah wal Ijtihad by Nimr p.50 etc.). 

Report of sighting by individuals is to be verified by competent scholars in both fiqh and astronomy such that the solo observer must be made to answer the following questions: the exact time of the sighting, when the crescent was first sighted? The position of the crescent to the sunset point at the time of sighting: was it at the right of the sunset point? Was it at the left of the sunset point? Orientation of the crescent (direction to which the crescent horns point to) 

As we welcome the blessed month, what's your candid advice to Nigerian Muslims? 

Muslims should be focused on the goal of Ramadhan which is Taqwa. In other words, all our intentions and actions should be Taqwa-driven at all times.

MAI CONDEMNS ISRAELI OFFENSIVE IN GAZA

- Calls world leaders to end the massacre

by - Story by Rasheed Abubakar (rawshield123@gmail.com)
 

 

Gaza under fire

 Muslim Awareness International (MAI) has condemned in strong terms, the ongoing onslaught by Israeli government against innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, calling on the international community and good-spirited fellows of the world to mount pressure on Tel-Aviv to stop the bombardment.

In a statement, the Director of the Nigerian-based NGO, Engr. Luqman Balogun said it is worrisome, though not surprising, that Israel could carry out this horrific crime against the Palestinians in Ramadan, Muslims' holiest month.

In the last one week, hundreds of lives, including that of 18 members of the same family have been lost and properties worth billions of dollars vandalised by the occupation government, yet the world shows apathy.

The body bemoaned the US and the international community for their double standard and unconditional support for Israel to kill innocent people in Palestine.

innocent children, victims of Israeli offensive

Engr. Balogun said, "We are not happy with the reaction of the United States that Israel has the right to defend itself by killings civilians in Gaza, as this would not bring an end to the crisis. It would rather fuel Israeli aggression to kill more people, in the name of fighting HAMAS. We believe that the world has been bias when it comes to Palestine especially the HAMAS leadership in Gaza.

"It's high time Israel and the international community stopped seeing HAMAS as a terrorist organisation if truly they want peace in the Middle East. It's a great injustice to compare HAMAS with other terrorist organisations. HAMAS is a legitimate government in Gaza. It won the mandate to govern the people since 2006 with a landslide victory, and despite Israeli's siege, the government has always been on the side of its people by providing dividends of democracy."

MAI called for an immediate end to the killings of civilians in Gaza and charge the United Nations to investigate Israeli's regime for unjustified military action against humanity.

It would be recalled that Israeli government accused HAMAS for the kidnap and eventual assassination of three Israelis. HAMAS denied involvement in such act, yet Israel insisted and used the opportunity to begin brutal airstrikes that have killed not only Muslims, but Palestinian Christians as well.

protest in Nigeria courtesy of MAI

"This is not just about Muslims, it's about humanity, because there are Christians in Palestine who are also victims of Israel aggression. Humanity is one irrespective of who they are. The world should collectively decry Israel and mount pressure on its leaders to stop the show of shame and disregard to human lives."

While we called on the United Nations to investigate the circumstances that led to the dead of Muhammed Abu Khudair - a Palestinian teen - who was found dead in Jerusalem, having been kidnapped and burnt at the stake.
We urged the body (UN) to enforce its resolutions against the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the settlements conflicting with international law in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

MAI is an non-governmental organisation based in Nigeria. It concerns itself with events that affect humanity globally and Muslims in particular.

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THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE CHIBOK ABDUCTION

...too many answered questions!

abducted school girls

Nigerians woke up on Thursday, April 14, 2014, to the news of the abduction of over 200 girls from Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) in Chibok town, Borno State by the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents. The news came at a time when Nigerians were yet to recover from the Monday bomb blast that rocked Nyanya Motor Park, a few kilometres from the Federal Capital City, where scores of people lost their lives and property worth millions of naira vandalised.

It is over 50 days now and the helpless girls have not been found.

JANATHAN: Shekau, i am warning you ooo. surrender now and receive amnesty or else...

Secondary schools in Borno State had earlier evacuated their students from the schools after the insurgents killed 59 boys in Federal Government College, Buni-Yadi, Yobe State on February 25.  However, some schools were selected for students in SSS3 to write their WASSCE. GGSS in Chibok was one of the schools where the examinations were conducted and students from different schools were merged to write their exams there.

On the fateful day, the Arts student were said to have completed their examination. They were reportedly told to go back home immediately after their exams. While some of them went home, others remained in school with the science students who were waiting to write their Physics paper.

254 girls were said to have been in their dormitory when the insurgents struck. 40 girls reportedly escaped while they were being transported leaving 234 girls behind. The escapees said the insurgents, who were dressed in the Army uniform, said they wanted to transport them to a safe place since they received reports that the school would soon be under attack. They said they jumped out of the vehicles when one of the other vehicles developed a fault. The other girls were reportedly transported to Sambisa forest, South of Borno State, the sect hideout.

A lot of mysteries have surrounded the kidnap of these girls and several questions have been raised by critics. One of the questions is the exact number of the abducted girls. Varying figures have been released among which are 219, 234, 254, 276 girls. This disparity, among others, have made some people (such as Asari Dokubo) to insist that are no missing girls.

One of the mysteries is how 40 girls would escape without being shot. One could argue that the insurgents left them because they already had a lot of girls. Another is how the girls were transported without being noticed, not to talk about being challenged by any of the villagers. If they had been transported by Hilux trucks as claimed, how many trucks would they have used for over 200 girls? Also a mystery is why the names and pictures of the abducted girls and those that escaped were not released by the school and WAEC. It was argued that the pictures and names of the escaped girls couldn’t be released in order to ensure their security.

SHEKAU: See you, do you think you can arrest me? i will sell the girls, there is market for them...

Another question is why the kingpin of the insurgents, Abubakar Shekau, releases videos to say exactly what people say happened to the girls? Shortly after the kidnap of the girls, the media speculated that the girls were being sold and married off to neighbouring countries of Chad and Niger with a bride price of N2000. Shekau released a video on the 5^th of May to say he would marry them off and sell them saying there is a market for selling girls. Later, some people said he was forcefully converting the girls to Islaam. On the 12^th day of May, he released another video of the girls dressed in Hijab and reciting the Qur’an. This video sparked controversies.

The first is how majority of the girls who were not Muslims and had never recited the Qur’an could recite fluently. The second is the exact location of the girls. Sambisa forest is said to be a “forest”, but in the video, the location of the girls didn’t portray the forest we were made to believe. One wonders if they are actually in a forest or not. The third is that the girls looked neat and well-fed. This generated a question of how the insurgents got the money to provide Hijab (Muslim attires) for all the girls. Definitely, the money would be coming from somewhere and the food items would be bought from a market.

Another bothering issue is the way the government is handling the issue. It took the President nineteen days to publicly speak on the abducted girls. He didn’t believe that the girls are abducted in the first instance. The Nigerian Armed Forces have not been able to find the exact location of the missing girls and their kidnappers. Truth be told, if they really want to locate them, they would have done that. The videos are being uploaded on the internet; the IP address can be traced to get the location. The Nigerian Forces looking for the girls can easily trace which bank large amounts of money are being withdrawn from and which markets food items were being purchased in large numbers. Also is how he is uploading the videos. Is he using a generator or he is PHCN powered? Who pays the PHCN bills or where do they buy large quantities of fuel to power their generator? 

PATIENCE JONATHAN: Na only you waka come?

The display of the First Lady on National television also prompted lots of reactions first of which was her reaction was 22 days late. Her exhibition prompted an article written by Tunde Asaju titled, Change the Joke Jesters. He wrote, “The First family is a circus, the security chiefs are the jesters the government is a comedy of errors and nobody is amused except the courtiers, contractors, the ten percenters and the rented crowd. The idiotic way of handling serious issue of embarrassment rubs off on the global recognition earned by our citizens abroad... What a shame that our ship of governance is sinking or at best adrift, our Captain is either too inebriated to handle the situation or at best has left the ship to hunt fingerlings. Change the joke jesters, nobody is laughing.”

One other developing issue is the foreign-aid. The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and China offered to help Nigeria find the missing girls. While some Nigerians have hailed their efforts, others are against it. Personally, I believe if Nigerian government is serious about fighting the insurgents, they would have done so a long time ago. The reality of the situation with the United States and the so-called world super powers is that, whenever they go into a country for “interventions”, they leave it worse than they met it. Take a look at Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya and a host of others. Those countries are worse than when the U.S. went there. We also need to understand that they once predicted Nigeria would not remain as a country after 2015. This implies that when Nigeria was being created in 1914, it was not intended for it to last beyond a hundred years. It was an experiment. I wouldn’t be surprised if Boko Haram is their creation and being funded by them to destabilize Nigeria so that they can come in for assistance and split the country. After all, Taliban was a CIA creation to fight the former USSR.

- story by Safiyyah AbdurRasaq (Our correspondent, Abuja)

INSIDE NUSAYBAH/ABDULWASI’ ENCHANTING NUPTIAL

...ALL THE GLITZ AND GLAMOUR OF THE COLOURFUL NIKAH

the couple

The adqun/walimatul Nikah of Nusaybah Dasola, the first child of seasoned Islamic scholar, Shaykh Dhikrullahi Shafi'i and AbdulWasi Ademola Orenaike, an Abu Dhabi-based Network Security Administrator, on Saturday, May 24, 2014 at Regal Hall, Solebo Estate, Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria, surpassed its billing.

The enchanting nuptial was graced by prominent islamic clerics and different Islamic organisations in Nigeria, particularly members of The Muslim Congress (TMC); Al-Mu'minaat; Muslim Students' Society of Nigeria. Among the personalities were Mudir, Markaz Salam, Shakh Ramadan Moshood Jubril; professor of Inter-Religious Dialogue, Prof. Murtador Bidmos; Shaykh Thaoban Adam; Chief Imam of Lekki, Shaykh Ridwanullahi Jamiu.

Others were Shaykh AbdulMajeed AbdulFatah, shaykh Abdul Fatah Kalejaiye, Mutiu Anthony (Easy and Quiet), Ustaz Qasim Bidmus, Ustaz Sulaiman Adedigba, Shaykh Is-haq Ayandiran, Shaykh AbdulGani Adenle, Shaykh Ibrahim Jeje, Shaykh Tajudeen Gbadamosi, Shaykh Qamardeen Bello, among others prominent guests.

The great occasion started with the opening prayer and recitation of the Qur'an, followed by the soul inspiring lecture by Ustaz Tajudeen Yusuf. The moment everybody was waiting for, the solemnization, was conducted by Ustaz Bilal Shittu, who declared the lovebirds man and wife, having fulfilled the rites of Nikah including the Mahr of One Thousand Riyal (Arabian currency).

It was indeed a great entrance for the new couple as they expressed their joy and hope of betting things. Claded in flowing Arabian outfit -Jelbaab with hijab and a pair of shoes, Nusdhik, as the bride is fondly called by friends, said, "I am short of words", when AL-FAHM asked her how she's feeling getting married, adding, "I have many reasons to be happy, not just because I am getting married, but because Allah has spared my life to witness this Day, Alhamdulillah - I am grateful to God."

The excited groom told AL-FAHM how the journey began. According to him, it started about six months ago. There wasn't any kind of physical meeting but there was conversation through phone calls, social medi; whatsApps and Viber, etc.

Nusaybah is a graduate of Islamic Studies from the prestigious University of Lagos (UNILAG). She hails from Iwo, Osun State, while the groom, who just flew-in into the country from Qatar is a graduate of Electrical Engineering from Lagos State University (LASU). He's proudly "Ijebu-ite", Ogun State born dawah worker.

AL-FAHM brings you the glamour of the nikah in pictures, as captured by Abdur-Rasheed Abubakar

guest lecturer, ustaz tajudeen yusuf (left)

 

bride with mum (right) and step mum (left)

groom's mother (left) and sister (right)

with smile, the groom asked bride's father, Would you give me your daughter to marry?

with joy, the bride's father replied the groom, "I give you my daughter wholeheartedly"

 

 

and now, the elated bride said she accepted AbdulWasi' wholeheartedly, with Islam.

receiving her Mahr of 1000 riyal

prof murtado Bidmos, thanks for coming

Sheikh Ramadan admonished the groom, "be a good husband"

PRAYER TIME: bride grand-ma (left) and siblings

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