Steps Towards Attaining Unity – Sheikh Sharif Adam

During the night session of the unity Week lecture, Sheikh Sharif Adam El-Yaqoub from Minna delivered a lecture on Steps towards Attaining unity of the Ummah. Sheikh Sharif is a renown scholar, a lawyer and presently the Chairman of Sharia Implementation Committee in Minna, Niger state.

Sheikh Sharif started by expressing the issue of unity as stated in the holy Quran ‘and holdfast to the covenant of God, and do not be disunited amongst yourselves’ stressing that unity is a command from Allah and therefore is a necessary duty upon Muslims.

Sheikh Sharif Adam delivering lecture on steps towards attaining unity.

He outlined the following points:-

1. 1. A Muslim shall practice Islam according to his understanding without condemning other people’s views.

2. 2. Muslims must imbibe the habit of telling the truth without prejudice adding that though there are external forces in causing disunity amongst Muslims, the internal forces, which come through Clerics by condemning others, are much more dangerous.

3. 3. Muslims must avoid calling other Muslims as unbelievers.

4. 4. Clerics must speak the truth to the people about any matter, even if it goes contrary to their previous teachings or understandings.

5. 5. Islam is testifying the two Shahada (Laílah Illallah, Muhammad Rasululla), five daily prayers, Zakat, fasting, and Hajj. Whoever believes in the above and stand by them is a Muslim.

Sheikh Sharif concluded by calling on Muslims to go into further readings and research and thanked the leader of the Islamic Movement for organizing such a gathering.

Sheikh Zakzaky also expressed his appreciation for honouring the invitation. He further highlighted that part of the enemies plot on Muslims is to cause disunity through poverty, poor sanitation due to inadequate water supply and moral decadence. They also want to give Islam a different meaning, example they want to change the meaning of Jihad to different thing.

They enemies also, the Sheikh added, always try to remove values of Quran, Ka’aba and Friday Congressional prayers. People read Quran without practicing its teachings, Hajj should serve a forum for discussing problems amongst Muslims from all nations and to strengthen unity, but Muslims during Hajj are kept far away from their brethren of other countries. Many mosques are built in one city just to disunite the Ummah.

Sheikh Zakzaky also called on Muslims to read books of other Schools of Thought as that will help in proper understanding of the message of slam and would strengthen unity amongst Muslims.