Maulud Dec. 2017

OPENING SPEECH FOR THE WELCOMING OF THE GUESTS OF THE SEAL OF ALL PROPHETS AND THE LEADER OF ALL CREATIONS WHO CAME FROM ALL NOOKS AND CRANNIES TO BE AT THE ZAWIYA OF OUR SPIRITUAL GUIDE, THE VENERABLE SHEIKH AHMAD ABULFATHI (MAY ALLAH BE PLEASED WITH HIM) FOR THE COMMEMORATION OF THE BIRTH OF OUR NOBLE PROPHET SAW

DELIVERED BY:

OUR SPIRITUAL GUIDE, KHALIFA AND THE KEEPER OF THE ESSENCE OF SHEIKH ABULFATHI OUR LEADER ALIYU AHMAD ABULFATHI

MAY ALLAH BLESS HIS LIFE IN ITS ENTIRETY

DATED 12^TH RABIUL AWWAL 1439H

EQUIVALENT TO 1^ST DECEMBER, 2017

In the name of Allah the most beneficent the most merciful

Praise be to Allah the all-knowing the wise, Lord of the great throne, who favoured us from His boundless kindness by sending the noble Prophet ﷺ and his scripture which is the most truthful of all sayings and he (the Prophet ﷺ) is of great character. To him we offer the best salutations and complete blessings and unto his family and friends who are embodiments of vigour, passion and peace. And to those who follow in their righteous path until “The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, But only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart”.

May Allah be pleased with the seal of all saints, the icon of all mystics, our spiritual guide Abil Abbas our Master Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani. As well as our guide and support Abil Ishaq the embodiment of overflowing essence and obvious miracles Sheikh Ibrahim Inyass Al-Kaolack and to all his vicegerents (Khulafa) in this world until the day of judgement.

Salatil fatihi …

Subsequently:

I submit unto Allah the most gracious the most high that made this great opportunity available to me to express my overwhelming happiness for receiving you and welcoming you to this blessed gathering and to this auspicious zawiyah to which you have gathered from various destinations. On this note I wish to say on this auspicious celebration: “oh brethren in Allah you are highly welcomed to your second home and your second zawiya. Please feel free, relax, and dine just as you would in your home that you left to come over here in expression of your immense love which proudly abounds this occasion of his birth ‘ﷺ. It is quite clear that you feel fulfilled on this day and in this zawiya. There is no ambiguity on what you hold in your hearts which is purely the love and reverence for the Prophet ﷺ, which prepared you to come forth for the celebration of his birth just as you clearly expressed love for our honourable Sheikhs, above all your love for our spiritual guide Sheikh Ahmad Abulfathi (may Allah be pleased with him and purify his descendants). There is nothing else left for me to say at this point in time other than: May Allah reward you abundantly for this achievement and keeping with this covenant since the days of Sheikh and for staying on this path by Allah’s will. This bright flame shall be passed on to our children and grandchildren for generations upon generation to come until Allah inherits the earth and all that is in it, and He is the best of inheritors.

B. Call for unity and cooperation amongst brethren:

Dear brothers; honourable guests of this glorious occasion on this auspicious day. I think it appropriate for me to dwell on this topic of unity amongst Tijjaniyah brothers. Especially among zawiyahs in which ever town they may reside and in whichever place and whatever community, nation or tribe. We must be completely strong enough in order. Verily – oh brothers – strength of unity between ourselves is what the impetus needed from us to tackle enemies of our religion and enemies of this pathway of blessing. The pathway our honourable Sheikhs treaded as well as our great fathers. Of essence in this message that I call on us to strengthen is to seek knowledge, and that our children should imbibe self-discipline. Yes, we must be equipped with knowledge and gnosis and we all know that no nation surpasses a nation nor a community surpasses another community except with the power of knowledge especially of science and technology, and on this basis – oh brothers – all efforts must be made to seek knowledge in all our zawiyahs.

C. The scourge of communal or tribal affiliations:

Of the social illnesses we witness and hear of from many societies from time to time arise from the attitude of boasting nationalism or tribalism. This attitude of discordance always amounts to specific good and always ends up achieving negative results. Just as we are all aware, Islam vehemently opposes call to tribalism or ethnicity and frowns upon those who advocate it. As the saying of the Prophet ﷺ goes “he is not among us he who calls for apprehension. Allah SWT said in the following verse:

“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you…” (Quran 106:13).

The position of Islam is quite clear on the feeling of pride of one’s tribal affiliation or ethnicity and it is difficult to comprehend that some us hold on to this ignorant principle that the Prophet ﷺ vehemently fought against with all he was blessed with in strength for 23 (twenty three) years of his life. This is what some sick group of people are bringing into our zawiyahs, it is thus obligatory on us to expunge its existence from our zawiyahs. We must realise that our zawiyaha are built upon and abides to the codes the Prophet ﷺ lived upon along with his companions. We are very much aware that the Prophet ﷺ lived with non-Arabs. We would find a good example in our Master Salman al-Farisi who attained high ranks and moderated affairs to which the Prophet ﷺ said about him “Salman is a member of my household”. He lived with the Prophet ﷺ with his head held high. If we turn closely to examine the zawiyah of our spiritual leader and saint of this era Sheikh Ibrahim Inyass (may Allah be pleased with him) you would realise that it is an exemplary zawiyah that embraced all nationalities, tribes and different kinds of people originating from different countries and different cultures. There is no tribe you seek that you wouldn’t find in Sheikh Ibrahim’s (may Allah be pleased with him) zawiyah. And we did not hear any of these disciples saying to each other that this belongs to this tribe or that belongs to this country in order to underestimate or cause rancour among each other. If that was the case in the zawiya of Sheikh in Senegal, then where did some of get a reference point from to discriminate one zawiyah from the other grouping them into “Hausa” or “Fulani” or “Shuwa Arab” or “Babur Bura” or “Kanuri” and many other tribes.

Truly by Allah, this is a sickness introduced which is unknown to our Sheikhs. If they know this they would never tolerate it and would never allow it in their midst because such acts are acts of separation amongst brothers. For those perpetrating such cruel act; stop immediately. We would not allow this to entrench itself in any our zawiyahs, we therefore call on the true and faithful murids to keep away from anything that may result in division into ethnic, tribal or communal. We all are murids and students of Sheikh Tijjani (May Allah be pleased with him), he does not segregate amongst his students and he does favour them on the basis of their ethnic or tribal affiliations. If this is the case, then why do we create discord by provoking tribal sentiments? Are we not obliged to follow in their path and spiritual training? It is imperative for us at this moment to trace back our step unto this path of our Sheikhs so that our children and grandchildren can follow in our footsteps.

In summary, everyone should know and be aware that all Tijjaniyah zawiyah wherever they are located flourishes under the umbrella of Sheikh Tijjani and Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Kaolack (may Allah be pleased with them). It is vital that we drink from the same cup of successorship as our predecessors have drank before us, verily all water must return to its natural path. May Allah establish us on what loves and is pleased with.

D. Celebrations in commemoration of the birth of the Prophet ﷺ 

Dear brothers, honourable guests of the master of all existent ﷺthere is no doubt that our conviction in the conduct of this great celebration would not change and would neither be shaken in whatever manner. Because all that we do in this celebration is built upon the foundations of Islamic shariah and we have concrete evidences to support it. Certainly every true believer across the globe in every town and city expresses their joy for the birth of the Prophet ﷺ beginning from the era of the Prophet ﷺ through the reigns of the guided successors and followed successively by those that came after them unto this present day of ours. Those that excluded from this joy are the deprived that we shouldn’t pay attention to. Even those who do not identify with Islam expressed happened on the birth of the Prophet ﷺ as it was related in the story of Abi Lahab   overjoyed with the birth which our Sheikhs have always told us on occasions like this.

Oh distinguished guests let me take a leaf from the greatest succour and saint of this era Sheikh Ibrahim Inyass (may Allah be pleased with him) to elaborate to us the importance of such a gathering we are holding today as was conveyed to us by Sheikh Ahmad Abulfathi (may Allah be pleased with him and us all).

Sheikh Ibrahim Inyass said the following:

The duty of maulid celebration is derived from the following verse of the Glorious Quran:

“All that we relate to thee of the stories of the apostles, - with it We make firm thy heart:…” (Quran 52:120).

We have related to you the essence of the Prophet ﷺ in order to strengthen our heart with faith in what have been handed to us which we are certainly aware of.

 - Wise sayings of Sheikh – “verily Allah made him great, a greatness which He never conferred on any one of His creations even of the prophets, messengers, angels. That also reflected on the selection of his father’s and mother’s lineage from Adam and Hawa until Abdullah and Aminah. He was never afflicted with ignorance and glad tidings of him were always given by Allah in all time periods even before his arrival, this is a great form of greatness”.

In the same context Sheikh said:

Competition in the love of His beloved ﷺis appropriate; for he is the beloved of Allah, whoever truly loves Allah would unfailingly love his slave and beloved (the Prophet ﷺ) as well. Knowing the Prophet ﷺ, his biography, his manner of handling issues is vital. For knowing him well translates into knowing his destiny, and the religion he came with (Islam). Accepting the religion is as a result of accepting him, and uplifting of the religion is as a result of great efforts and personality for there is not to enduring happiness except in his religion of peace which overshadows all other religions (Extracted from the book Jawahirul Rasail – Collection of letters by our spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmad Abulfathi – may Allah be pleased with him- Chapter 2 page 14).

There are clear firm provisions expressed in the glorious Quran and Hadith of our noble Prophet ﷺstill the ignorant one who are envious and dark hearted decry why we proudly uphold this celebration  of the Prophet ﷺ and proclaims it an “innovation”. This is a surprise to us. If the gathering of Muslims in any place, any town or at any location in this world for the remembrance of Allah, reciting poems of praise on the noble Prophet ﷺ, having discourses on his biography and recalling his character and essence and to enliven the gathering in the reality of the messenger of Allah ﷺ. If these are all ignoble innovations, then what is Sunnah oh you renegades who have exited out of the guidance of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ? But you have heard and realized that your masters and Sheikhs of misguidance that fired up this chaos (chaos of takfir – labelling one as an infidel) and separation between Muslims and having spent fortunes to sustain it have now realized their evil acts and are beginning to show regret on their faces with regards to what they have been built by their fathers and Sheikhs for over a century. Now they have begun to cleanse their thoughts and ideas and have realized that they have trampled upon the rights of many Muslims that do not share their opinions and apprehensions as well as do not adhere to their Wahhabi takfiri doctrine which has caused much destruction and bloodshed in Islamic nations.

E. Countdown to the beginning of the end of Wahhabism:

Oh lovers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ present in this auspicious gathering, some of us may have listened to the televised interview of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammad Bin Salman dated 26/10/2017m aired on Sky News regarding the emirates issues on politics, religion and economic developments. What matters to us here is the Prince’s response to extremism: “We return to what we were before, moderate, moderate Islam, open to the world and to all religions. We will not spend the next thirty years of our lives dealing with destructive ideas. We will destroy them today. We would end extremism very soon” he said.

Yes, this is a very good decision and a good statement. This is what our eminent scholars have stood by for generations and we have continued to struggle for this. Now they are destroying their homes by their own hands and those of the believers, reason oh you who possess intellect.

If the second in command in Saudi Arabia categorically says that “Verily, Saudi Arabia was not like this before (was not on this path in the 1970s), and that 70% of the Saudi youth did not harbour this ideology in 1970”.

This statements are signifies that the Prince affirms that extremist ideologies found their origins in his country, accordingly the scholars and Sheikhs of his country initiated and transmitted this ideologies to the rest of the Muslim world spreading differences in opinions and apostatizing whoever does not agree with their view of Islam and they vehemently went against Awliyah (sufis). They attributed inappropriateness to these Awliyah and questioned their worth in the sight of Allah. They then established takfiri (apostatizing) organisations in all countries and the entire Muslim world what is not appropriate. They established the ideology of apostatising all Muslims that do not identify with their takfiri madhhab and acted severely upon them. They invested heavily financially in the institution of discord among Muslims, opened up Islamic centres and schools to which they sent their takfiri Sheikhs to countries in order to create disunity and strong differences between Muslims.

With regards to the stand made by the Crown Prince on extremism and extremists, I most welcome this stand; however statements alone are not enough as they need to be backed by concrete actions. On this note we want to see the actualization of the statement of the Crown Prince in order to bring an end to the established chaos and bloodshed in various Islamic countries. When these chaotic situations come to an end we shall pray on tis with four takbeer, the funeral prayer for Wahhabism and their brethren.

J. Regarding the exegesis of the Glorious Quran:

Oh honourable brothers, guests of the owner of the station of Mahmud on the day of witnessing. You may recall that the exegesis of the Quran is an important aspect of the religion. But at this moment we need to realize that Quran exegesis cannot be done by just anyone. One needs to fulfil the requirements for doing so as well as understand its principles by undergoing vigorous scholarship as mentioned in most great books of Islam which I need not mention here because of time and logistic constraints.

The issue of Quran exegesis is an issue requiring advocacy (daawah), and we know quite well that not everyone is eligible to conduct seminars (waaz) or provide Islamic guidance except with the fulfilment of the special requirements because when Allah SWT enjoined us with advocacy He did not make it obligatory on every one of us. He selected only a section of us to carry out this task by His saying:

“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity” (Quran 3:104).

On this note, it is inappropriate to conduct exegesis of the Quran without fulfilling the requirements and following the strict regulations set by scholars in this field.

H. To whom it may concern:

It has become imperative to draw the attention of the concerned authorities with regards to those who claim to have the requisite knowledge to conduct the exegesis of the Glorious Quran. These people are grossly deficient in the required knowledge for such, hence whenever they preach or conduct exegesis all we hear from them are abuses and apostatizing (takfir) as well as cursing of revered scholars (ulama). I consider this a very disgraceful act and a clear violation of peace and order that have resulted in religious conflicts, as well as tribal altercations in various places especially in the north of the country and most specifically in Jos. This city has become the epicentre of ethno-religious conflict that was brought about by interpreting and holding on to a distorted interpretation of the religion. The takfiri preachers brought this calamity on to Jos as they were foot soldiers of the Wahhabi ideology. It is therefore vital for the relevant authorities to take responsibility for the protection of peace and stability and prevent this group of people from further propagating their dangerous ideologies in the name preaching, not only in Jos but across the entire country. It is related in a hadith that the Prophet saw said:

“Whoever calls his brother (Muslim) a kafir, then he (the caller) has become one of them (a kafir)”. – narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.

I. Importance of peaceful coexistence between people of different religions, communities and ethnicities:

Oh lovers of the Prophet ﷺ, you might agree with my view that this country of ours is home to at least 250 different tribes just as it houses different religions and faiths. Based on this fact, it is evident to us that it is paramount that we learn how to coexist in peace amongst ourselves. We should not be prejudicial against other religions, politics, or social existence of others if we really wish to live in peace. We being Muslims should be fully aware that Allah SWT said in the great Book that:

“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error…” (Quran 2: 256).

Allah SWT also said:

“If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed, - all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!” (Quran 10: 99).

He also said:

“Say, "The truth is from your Lord": Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it):…” (Quran 18: 29).

Human beings are diverse and differ from each other with regards to their religions, their tribes, and their beliefs. This is how Allah wills to position each of us; it is not a matter of choice ab initio (it is just as He willed it). Our being of different religions and tribes does not give us the licence to kill and fight each other, it however is supposed to gives an impetus to reason about the wisdom behind creating us differently. He said in the Holy Book:

“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you…” (Quran 49: 13).

So if you think you are more honoured than someone else, then be aware that honour is obtained through righteousness. For righteousness is the scale for honour. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“O people, verily your Lord is One and your father is one. Verily there is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab or of a non-Arab over an Arab, or of a red man over a black man, or of a black man over a red man, except in terms of taqwa (righteousness)”.

Based on these evidences, it is clear to us – oh honourable brothers – that honour in Islam can only be attained by virtue of righteousness, and never by being of a specific tribe. Every tribe has a right to live in peace and dignity wherever they are and in whichever country they may be. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “You are all from Adam and Adam is from clay”. This statement is very true as our country comprises of different types of people.

J. An event that occurred in the days of Sheikh which I vividly recall:

Oh guests of the Honoured Leader of all existing creations ﷺ the discussions given above triggered a memory of an event that transpired in the days of my father Sheikh Ahmad Abulfathi (may Allah be pleased with him). Summarily, a delegation of youth who were students of the Bayero University Kano paid a visit to Sheikh (may Allah be pleased with him). They were discussing with Sheikh on issues relating to security and social coherence in the country. As they discussed the status of coexistence of non-Muslims in Muslim community, their sick thoughts was that they should get rid of non-Muslims and eliminate them. When Sheikh understood their crooked stand by their lack of tolerance for non-Muslims he rose from his reclining position and sat, and then asked them: what do you intend to do about them? It is Allah who placed you (Muslims) where you inhabit just as Allah placed the non-Muslims in the same place as you and vice-versa, what is your problem with that? You should realize that if you think of ambushing them and killing for the simple reason that they are not Muslims, then verily such actions would not end peacefully. This would result in negative consequences the extent of which no one knows except Allah SWT. If you do so here, the ripple effect would be that brethren and kin would seek revenge and begin killing your Muslim brothers living amongst them and the cycle continues. This despicable act you are thinking is completely wrong and detestable.

Sheikh continued, saying: strive to show people that are non-Muslims the true picture of authentic Islam. Strive to show them the tolerance of Islam towards adherents of other religions, this is in summary. My father did not stop there; in fact he gave them many examples of how Muslims lived peacefully with people of different religions. “If one goes to places in the south of this state (southern Borno), you would find a Muslim parent living in the same roof with his non-Muslim son and vice versa. But to kill or fight someone for the simple reason of not been a Muslim is not right. For example if Muhammad kills Paul because Paul is not a Muslim, undoubtedly this would cause Paul’s family to seek revenge  by killing Muhammad, then it would escalate to a full blown religious conflict, then when would it stop?” Building on this admonition of Sheikh to these youth, I wish to call upon all of us to avoid fighting and desist from hatred on the basis of differences in religion and ethnicity if we really want to live in peace in this country.

K. Efforts of the government to restore peace and normalcy to this country:

Verily at this juncture we need to commend the tireless of efforts of this government to restore peace to this country, especially the federal government. It is plain fact for the objective citizens that the government is continuously working tirelessly within its capacity to protect and preserve this country. We must support the efforts of this government absolutely in order to achieve the goal of restoring peace to our state and country. We ask Allah SWT to assist them with His gracious assistance. Oh Allah, assist our security forces with respect to the various efforts and the responsibilities on their shoulders for the provision of security to this blessed country of ours.

L. Trial of members of the Jamaati Ahli Sunna Li Daawati Wal Jihad also known as Boko Haram:

Before anything, none is ignorant of when and where boko haram originated from, by virtue of our being inhabitants of this state specifically or from the northeast generally. Those living in the three most affected states in the northeast are not ignorant of the wanton destruction of lives and properties, the dispersion of citizen thereby becoming refugees, innocent children turned to orphans that found themselves affected by this fight for no fault of theirs. Nobody knows the number of victims of this destruction except Allah SWT. What the media outlets are reporting about the extent of destruction are just mere writings of ink on paper. The question I need an answer for “what happened to those members of this group that caused chaos and bloodshed that were arrested by the government”? The answer to this is they were arraigned in courts, the courts completed its proceedings and the outcomes of the court in Kainji, Niger state are the following:

a.  

Some were released on the basis of lack of concrete evidence presented to the judge to convict them

b.  

Some were sentenced to between three and thirty years prison terms

c.  

Some were sent to rehabilitation centres to change their ideology and then reintegrate them back into the same community they lived before they were initiated or recruited into Boko Haram.

These are the outcome of the trials after their seating. The question is what kind of communities do these courts want these people to return to? Is it the community that they killed their men, kidnapped their women, turned children into orphans, burnt their houses, oh Judge? I believe the outcome of the judgement is obvious for everyone to see and assess. The point is that the court wants these people to be rehabilitated by preaching to them in order to change their religious ideology, so that they may return to true guidance and correct their mode of thinking. They believe that when they are adequately rehabilitated – according to those that dispensed the judgement – they can be returned to the same community in which they committed atrocities, killed people, kidnapped women and caused enormous devastation. Would this measure succeed?

The answer to this question would either be a positive or negative one but time shall tell. We did not anticipate such outcomes from the courts.

M. Entry of new crimes into our country:

We all know that membership of boko haram is a crime and it is tantamount to treason; however there are other crimes that we need to draw the attention of the government to in order for them to put in more efforts to eradicate our country of these crimes. Most importantly is the crime of kidnapping for ransom which we normally hear of in the seas globally and nationally. The other crime is that of daylight robbery. These crimes are destroying the good of this country as we know it. We enjoin our government and security forces to accelerate efforts to quickly bring an end to these dastard crimes. The crime of kidnapping innocent people for ransom and that of robbery are both grievous crimes that individually are capable of destroying a country’s economy and social security. We pray that Allah SWT brings back durable peace to our country for the sake of the Leader of all in existence ﷺ.

N. Is there any reward for good – other than good?

Oh brothers in Allah, it is important that I begin my statements with the above verse. When a human being performs an act of good towards his fellow bother with the belief that he has fulfilled he desire of the one in need, he would definitely expect something good in return even if it doesn’t materializes. At least it would be appropriate for the one helped to express gratitude to he who has helped him out.

Unfortunately this is not what obtained with us. What I am trying to say with all these rhetoric is that we the people of the Tariqa Tijjaniyah in general and faydati Ibrahimiyyah in particular were called upon to campaign and vote for candidates. We expended all our efforts during the electoral campaigns that brought the current administration into power. We supported this governments especially the federal government with the motive that our rights, interests and culture would be protected and that our people would be uplifted. They came into power by Allah’s will through these supports, but did they (the politicians) fulfil the obligation required of them? Has any of our Tijjaniya brethren obtained any good from this government? I ask again, as at today what is it that we have gained from the immense support we gave you all? What remains of this government is just one year and three months? And Allah said:

“Is there any reward for good – other than good?” (Quran 55:60)

Where is the goodness we got from our support? We are well aware of how those that declared us apostates and cursed our revered Sheikhs are being compensated with positions in the government despite not assisting during the campaign periods. How many votes did they deliver? As of now they are the ones with top positions, living in pomposity and grandeur for which their investment (political) is not commensurate with. We have realized with a sense of nostalgia that our political calculations were wrong and underestimated those we supported. We had great hopes that when he ascends power the status of our people would change for the better but until now he has done nothing for us although we are sure of what the days to come hold in stock.

For this reason, I presume there is a need for a new political calculation if nothing changes, even as we are also citizens of this country and have many that are qualified for government positions as well. Whatever disciplines of science, technology, economics, social sciences, political science, applied sciences, health sciences, management and many more, there are professionals and competent people amongst us the Tijjanis too in all fields of endeavour. We are not in any way inferior to those he has brought close to himself despite our extra physical financial and moral support during his period of political need. We do not need anything from these statements except that wrongs be righted and justice, to be fair to us as well. Would we be included in the government? Is it not also our rights as citizens? These questions would be answered in the days to come. It is apt for us to prepare for the future with the facts of the circumstances we have today. For every action there is a reaction and we shall tackle such incidents in the future with the benefit of hindsight.

Closing remarks

It is obligatory on me to end this speech with complete submission to Allah SWT in gratitude for His blessings upon us and for giving us the strength to fulfil His injunctions on us and hold this auspicious and gargantuan gathering for the commemoration of the birth of the Prophet ﷺ. I seek from Allah that He places all we have done for Him on this day by eulogize the Prophet ﷺ, reciting the Quran, and invoking His remembrance (dhikr) on the scale of good works on the day of judgement. I wish to extend my gratitude to all those who travelled against all odds to this Zawiya. I also express my hearty gratitude to true brothers who came from afar to celebrate this blessed day with us, such s brothers from Republic of Chad, Cameroun, Mali, Libya, Sudan, Niger and many other countries.

I pray unto Allah with His beautiful names to return you all safely back home in peace and fulfilment. May He reward you abundantly for this good act of commemoration of the birth of the noble Prophet ﷺ. My appreciation also goes to all those that assisted and contributed to the success of this great gathering in whatever capacity, the name are quite numerous to mention. I pray that Allah SWT reward each of you with Hi excellent rewards for the sake of the Prophet ﷺ. It is imperative to extend our gratitude to those who have been supportive and assisted in the success of this occasion, most especially the Executive Governor of our state, Borno, Alhaji Kashim Shettima who always lends his support to the best of his ability. May Allah reward him abundantly and those who associates themselves with this zawiya. I pray that Allah bless us with more Muslims like him.

This speech is inconclusive without expressing appreciation to the members of the press especially the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Borno Radio Television (BRTV). May Allah reward you with excellent rewards. Live in blessings always.   

Obtain beyond what we hope for you in good,

Enjoy the moments of joy in your lives.

May peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all.

Thank you very much.

Your brother in Allah forever:

Khalifa of Sheikh Ahmad Abulfathi,

Khalifa Sayed Aliyu Ahmad Abulfathi.

Salatil fatihi ….

Dated:            12/3/1439H

Equivalent to:     1/12/2017M