Muslims have been urged to turn mosques to research centres, where people can learn many things as it is done in some other climes. This was stated by Dr Saheed Timehin of the Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Arts, Lagos State University, Ojo as a guest speaker at the commissioning of Division 7 Central Mosque, Magodo, Lagos Branch. Timehin spoke on the topic “The Role of Mosques As Centres For Education And Social Engagement” at the event hosted by Jama-At-Ul-Islamiyya of Nigeria at 13, Rt. Hon Mudashiru Obasa Street, Magodo, GRA Phase 2, Shangisha, Lagos. The commissioning was also used to launch a fund raising of N500 million for J.I.N International Schools, Magodo, Lagos.
 
The Special Guest of Honour at the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ibrahim Olanrewanju Layode, commended the Jama-At-Ul-Islamiyya of Nigeria on the project, while promising to continue to promote the Islamic religion in the state.

Dr. Timehin decried why Muslims appear not to take care of mosques, adding that a scholar once said that it is better to believe in life after death and that if there is no life after death, then one will continue to sleep.

“It is safer to believe that there is God and ensure that you have a good relationship with Him. The relationship should be that between a slave and the master. If you are not happy with God, go out of the sky and stop breathing his air. All mosques belong to God and it is a place dedicated to worshipping God no matter the name given to it. It should be a research center.

“A Muslim can pray anywhere he wants, but the place where Muslims gather that we call mosque must be a place to remember God. It is not where you talk about yourself, it is about God. Here, in Yorubaland, we don’t have a better understanding of mosques. They think it is a place to compete with money. It is where you fear God. It is the first school, it was where Prophet Muhammad taught people,” he said. The scholar stressed that a mosque is not just about religion, and that the first university in the world started from a mosque. Dr. Timehin said that in those days, all mosques had libraries, classrooms and that scholars lived there. He added that it was a place for Muslims to resolve issues, adding that the first parliament in Islam started from a mosque.

According to him, everything was done in the mosque, saying that all the mosques in Arab countries are being taken care of by people. He said that a mosque should be opened 24 hours a day, but that they close mosques now because of the way people behave.

“A mosque should be revered. We can do all sorts of learning in a mosque. In Iraq, all their mosques have libraries and all the Imams have offices. The Imam should have visiting hours to attend to people. We should have all these in our mosques. Mosques are known for good things generally. We don’t even get good messages in many mosques these days. An Imam should be able to talk to anybody.

“We should rehabilitate our youths in the mosques. They behave anyhow because parents don’t have time for them. They treat motivational messages in many churches today. Many Imams don’t know how to get motivational messages from the Quran. An Imam should know something about everything because you will be talking to a lot of people. In those days in Iran, when you get to their mosques, you will see that they are places of learning.”

They do all sorts of workshops to help the people. It is a place to chart new path for Muslims, and plan for peace in the society.

“We can invite people from other religions. Christians invite us for programmes because they have places to host guests, but we don’t invite them since we don’t have places to host them. In some countries, they have places for research and people see mosques as a place for social engagements. This mosque has several features and we can add others. It should not be for Juma’at prayers or marriages alone. They should organise workshops and seminars there,” he said.

He, however, said that Muslims are not being organised for programmes, while he said that mosque should have many activities and that people should know that Muslims know the values of a mosque. “A mosque is a place where Muslims decide political future and make political choices. You can invite politicians among you to educate us on issues and we can set political agenda there. “There are many roles a mosque can play in a society, and there should be vocational centres in a mosque,” he stated.