Almighty Allah declares in the Holy Qur’an, Suratul- An’am, 6:161-164: “Say: ‘Verily my Lord hath guided me to a way that is straight a religion of right the path (trod) by Abraham the true in faith and he (certainly) joined not gods with God’. Say: ‘Truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice my life and my death are (all) for God the Cherisher of the Worlds’. Say: ‘Truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice my life and my death are (all) for God the Cherisher of the Worlds: No partner hath He: this am I commanded and I am the first of those who bow to His Will’. Say: ‘Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than God when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)?’ Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is toward God: He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed. It is He who hath made you (His) agent’s inheritors of the earth: He hath raised you in ranks some above others: that he may try you in the gifts He hath given you: for thy Lord is quick in punishment: yet He is indeed Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.”
Since the commissioning of the Africa Islamic Research Centre (AIRC) of the Islamic Mission for Africa (IMA) by now President Bola Tinubu on June 16, 2001, we have been expanding the frontiers of the organisation through the establishment of branches across Africa.
Beyond the fact that groups of Muslims kept coming to start Assalat prayer sessions with the IMA Prayer Book, and seeking to be a branch of our Sunday weekly prayer branches, we were sending representatives from among the men and women to hold prayer sessions with such groups for four weeks consecutively, and then appoint two to four members in the mission board to be leading the azkhar, and inaugurate a branch for them.
It was through such methods that IMA Assalat branches expanded to Osiele, opposite Federal College of Education, Abeokuta; Kobape, and Mosunmore (the three branches being coordinated by Ustaz Daud Adisa Bashir and Sister Aminat Owoyemi).
The IMA has over 30 branches in Lagos at Agege, Ifako, Lekki, Papa-Ajao, Ketu, two branches at Sango (Central and Ilogbo), Ibeju-Lekki, Okun Idabo, Ikotun-Egbe, Ajegunle, Orile Agege, Iju-Isaga, Meran, Ikotun-Egbe, Ojokoro (Ahmadiyya Bus Stop), Ifako-Ijaye, Mosunmore, Iju-Isaga, Ogba-Ikeja, and Gbagada, Lagos.
We had great support in the expansionist programme for IMA through our matron, Alhaja Toyyibat Yusuf Adeniji (of blessed memory who died on October 17, 2015 at the age of 96). She was the proprietress of Toyyibat Group of Schools, Gbagada, Lagos.
Apart from the IMA branches in Gwagwalada in FCT-Abuja; Warri, Delta State; Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Iwo in Osun State; Owode branch in Oyo State; Ilorin, Kwara State; and in Ogun State, we have branches in Ijebu-Ode, Ayetoro, Ilaro, Ilara, Igangan, Olohunda via Ayetoro, Ifo, Onigbedu, Ita-Oshin, Wasinmi, Ewekoro, Imala, Ilar, Abule-Egba, among others.
The IMA branches extended to London, United Kingdom, Abuja, Cairo, Egypt; Gambia, Senegal, Benin Republic at Port-Novo, Ketu and Ajase, Ghana, South Africa, Malaysia and many more.
In the branches, we used to send some of our members from the headquarters in Abeokuta, including our librarian, Hajj Taofeek Sekoni; Hajj Kamarudeen Ilesanmi and others, to conduct the Assalat/Azhkar prayer sessions for the members at the new branches as contained in the IMA Azkhar Prayer Book for some weeks, and after that they appoint some members to be conducting it for them from among the members of the mission board.
By the time we had the 10th anniversary of IMA in Abeokuta in December 2006, we have had over 150 branches in different parts of Africa, Europe and Asia.
All the branches participated in the activities of the 10th anniversary of IMA, and we had meeting sessions with the representatives of all the branches as part of the 10th anniversary programmes, including anniversary lectures, dinner, awards, among others.
The 10th anniversary merit awards of IMA were given by the president, Judge Bola Ajibola, SAN, to those who actively contributed to the establishment of IMA, including myself as the Secretary-General.
More so, Almighty Allah declares in the Holy Qur’an, Al-Imran, 3:145 on the showing of gratitude: “Nor can a soul die except by God’s leave the term being fixed as by writing. If any do desire a reward in this life We shall give it to him; and if any do desire a reward in the hereafter We shall give it to him. And swiftly shall We reward those that (serve Us with) gratitude.”
Meanwhile, the sponsorship of members of IMA to the holy land in Makkah and Madinah, Saudi Arabia, for the performance of Hajj was a regular feature in the organisation.
Apart from the sponsorships by the IMA, we had donations of Hajj tickets to the organisation by individuals, organisations, and governments, including annual donations of Hajj tickets by our Treasurer, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (2003-2007) and re-elected as senator (2019-2022), after serving as governor of Ogun State for two terms between 2011 and 2018.
At least from 2002, we were having at least five Hajj tickets per year with regular two Hajj tickets from Senator Ibikunle Amosun, usually distributed among the members of staff; men’s wing; women’s wing; the branches and the youth wing.
But in 2005, we had 20 Hajj tickets with five from Senator Amosun, five from the Federal Government, two from the Ogun State government, four from IMA and four from others.
The Hajj sponsorships were allotted to members as enumerated above, but we lost the chairman of the Abuja branch of IMA at the Hajj in 2005, retired Colonel Dele Salahudeen in the Army. May Almighty Allah accept him to Aljanna Firdous, Ameen.
Almighty Allah declares on Hajj in Suratul- Baqarah, 2:197-202 thus: “For Hajj are the months well known. If anyone undertakes that duty therein let there be no obscenity nor wickedness nor wrangling in the Hajj. And whatever good ye do (be sure) God knoweth it. And take a provision (with you) for the journey but the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me o ye that are wise! It is no crime in you if ye seek of the bounty of your Lord (during Pilgrimage). Then when ye pour down from (Mount) Arafat celebrate the praises of God at the Sacred Monument and celebrate His praises as He has directed you even though before this ye went astray. Then pass on at a quick pace from the place whence it is usual for the multitude so to do and ask for God’s forgiveness. For God is Oft Forgiving Most Merciful. So when ye have accomplished your holy rites celebrate the praises of God as ye used to celebrate the praises of your fathers yea with far more heart and soul. There are men who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us (thy bounties) in this world!’ But they will have no portion in the hereafter. And there are men who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and defend us from the torment on the fire!’ To these will be allotted what they have earned and God is quick in account.”
May Almighty Allah accept our da’wah efforts as act of worship, Ameen.
