Aljamahatul Quadiriyah Islamic Movement urged peace and prayed for Nigeria, as no fewer than 10,000 members of the group across Africa gathered at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, to pray for the nation.
As part of commemorating the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (Eid-ul-Maolid), the Muslim faithful held a colourful procession from Idi Araba to the National Stadium.
The Qadiriyya group is one of the most influential Tariqa Sufi orders in Africa. Named after Abdul Qadir Gilani, from Gilan, Iran, with its many offshoots, is widespread, particularly in the non-Arabic-speaking world, especially in East and West Africa, including Nigeria.
At the yearly Maolid Nabbiy and prayer for the Nation, the Chief Host and Khalifah Qadiriyyah Lagos, Sheikh Soliu Jamiu Amasa, noted that citizens have a role to play in tackling the hardship.
According to him, “We should pray for our nation. We should pray for our leaders. When we support our leaders with prayer, they will get it right and everything will be okay.
“The government cannot do everything. So, at our level, we should be our brother’s keeper to see through this current economic downturn. On security, we should assist security agencies with relevant information. We all need to be security conscious in our various communities.”
The Khalifah Qadiriyyah reminded Muslims to emulate Prophet Muhammad as a perfect embodiment of good character. “We should also learn to tolerate ourselves and live in harmony,” he added.
The chairman on the occasion, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ably represented by former Chairman of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim, commended the movement for bringing thousands of Muslims together for the annual Mawlid Nabiyy, saying the celebration is unprecedented.
“We have leaders who have come from all over the country present here; from Kano, Abuja, Maiduguri, and so on. May Allah accept this as an act of Ibadah from all of us. May Allah grant our country peace.
May Allah grant our country prosperity. May Allah guide our leaders, in particular the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. May Allah give him good health. May Allah make our country overcome all the economic challenges that we are facing,” he prayed.
Representative of the Lagos State Governor, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Olanrewaju Ibrahim Layode, also lauded the movement, saying the state acknowledges their great activities promoting peace and development.
“On behalf of the Lagos State Government, I congratulate the Qadiriyyah movement on this important occasion. As a group, we have seen a lot of great activities the Qadiriyyah movement has done in the state. We thank you for your efforts.
“As a government, we will continue to support organisations that are promoting peace and development in our state.
We will extend our various welfar and society safety programmes to members of your group as an integral part of the state.”
The grand Khalifa of Tijaniyya for Lagos State, Sheikh Aminullah Abd’Salam Akoshile, who was a guest, said the hardship is a test from Allah, noting that Muslims should be patient and prayerful.
“The reality with us currently is that we have hunger ravaging the country, and there is hardship. But it’s part of the test of Allah. He said in the Qur’an that he would occasionally test us with hunger and other things. And there would be glad tidings for those who are patient.
“We need prayer. Therefore, we should continue to pray for our leaders and our country. We will come out of this.”
Also present at the event was Iyaloja General of Lagos State and President Tinubu’s daughter, Alhaja Mujidat Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, who was turbaned Iya Adinni of Qadiriyyah in Nigeria and Africa, for her contributions towards the development of Islam through the Sufi movement. She sued for patience, charging Nigerians to keep hope alive that everything would be better very soon.
“My message to all Nigerians is to please exercise a little more patience. Everything will be alright; it’s just a matter of time. We need to keep our hope alive. There is an economic downturn all over the world, and not in Nigeria alone. But we pray Allah will see us through.”
In his remarks, the Chief Missioner and Founder of Al-Abrar Foundation, Sheikh Adam Muhammad Raji Adebayo called on Muslims to return to Allah, noting it’s the antidote to the current hardship in the country.
“The antidote to this hardship is for us to go back to our creator. We should talk to the Almighty Allah because whatever is happening is in His decree. So, if truly we believe in destiny, we should all go back to our creator, pray to Him and seek His assistance in the current hardship. Importantly, we should seek forgiveness from Allah because we all have committed sins one way or the other,” he said.
