The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Mohammed Saad Abubakar, and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, were among the eminent personalities that gathered in Ilorin, Kwara State, to offer a special prayer for Nigeria.
The prayer, which was led by the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Mohammed Bashir Salihu, formed the major highlight of the 10th Annual Usman Danfodiyo Lecture.
Other eminent personalities that attended the prayer session included the representative of the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Justice AbdulLateef Kamaldeen, who is also the grand kadi of the state; and Dr. Zakir AbdulKarim Naik, who delivered the 10th annual Usman Danfodiyo’s lecture.
Naik, a Malaysian national, spoke on the topic “The Concept of God in Major World Religions.”
The Secretary General of the NSCIA, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Professors Badamas Yusuf and Abubakar Aliagan, the Mutawali of Ilorin, Dr. Alimi AbdulRazaq, and the Zanna of Ilorin, Engr. Yusuf Sagaya were also in attendance.
The Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Mohammed Bashir Salihu, led others in praying to God to prosper Nigeria and restore peace to the troubled parts of the country.
In his remarks after the prayer session, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, asked adherents of the Islamic religion to seek knowledge about people of other faiths to promote peaceful coexistence in the country.
He also admonished Muslims to acquire “knowledge about the words of God and work with them to become better human beings.”
The Sultan said the purpose of the annual Usman Danfodiyo lecture was to encourage Muslims to acquire knowledge and share it to strengthen Islam.
“The Sokoto caliphate was founded on knowledge and not on illiteracy; hence, it’s an obligation on all Muslims to seek knowledge, bequeath such to their children, and spread the right knowledge about Islam to check the trend of fake news,” he added.
The Monarch said the choice of Ilorin for the lecture was done deliberately to demonstrate that Muslims are “one big family.”
“Why Ilorin, somebody may ask that question. It is because we are one family, and it is important to share knowledge and educate people across the globe.
“We are here to educate ourselves about what our forefathers did to strengthen Islam. They didn’t bring Islam to the world; they followed the words of God and strengthened it,” he added.
Sultan praised the choice of the guest lecturer, whom he described as an international scholar of repute, and urged the attendees to share the knowledge acquired and work with the words of God.
According to him, it is one thing to hear the word of God; it’s another thing to work with it. He therefore asked Muslims to work with the words of God so that they can become better human beings.
