Maulud Nov. 2019

Opening Speech Delivered to the

Honourable Guests Gathered at Zawiyah of Our Spiritual Guide, His Eminence Shaykh Ahmad Abulfathi

(May Allah be Pleased with Him)

during the

Commemoration of the Birth of the Noble

Prophet ﷺ

By His Vicegerent:

Khalifa Sayyid Aliyu Ahmad Abulfathi

May Allah be Pleased with Him

at

Madinatu, Old Maiduguri, Borno State
On the 12/3/1441H

equivalent to 9/11/2019M

In the name of Allah, the beneficent the merciful.

All praises are due to Allah the Lord of the universe, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. May the blessing and peace of Allah be upon the most noble of Prophets and the leader of all messengers with whom he perfected His blessings as the seal of all Prophets and a mercy to the entire universe. He also made his day of birth one of the greatest days of celebration in Islam to those who are successful among the righteous. May Allah’s blessings be upon his family, his companions, and those that followed in his righteous path until judgement day. May Allah’s pleasure be showered upon the leader of all saints, our Master Shaykh Ahmad Tijjani and upon his vicegerent our spiritual guide Shaykh Ibrahim Inyass and upon his entire chains of vicegerents.

Salatil fatihi: O ALLAH, send blessings on our Master Muhammad, who opened what was closed, who sealed what had gone before, the helper of Truth by the Truth, the guide to Your straight path, and on his family, may these blessings be equal to his immense position and grandeur.

Subsequently:

O Ye esteemed guests, before I move on to render this address I wish to delightfully and with all sense of responsibility from the depth of my heart express my sincere brotherly love towards you all and graciously welcome you to this Zawiyah. This is a Zawiyah that you are accustomed to and whose doors are always open to you, the Zawiyah of our spiritual guide, and our eminent father Shaykh Ahmad Abulfathi (May Allah be pleased with him). You are all most highly welcomed.

Dear brothers in Allah, guests of this dear occasion. As you know that it is customary on such an occasion to take the opportunity to remind ourselves about some of the things that our teachers and Shaykhs often persistently call our attention to. It has been known to many of you that our Shaykhs have established a solid foundation in the field of Islamic education and adhere to the fringes of our daily dealings with others in society and we are required to do more on the issue.

A. Children upbringing:

It is of paramount importance that parents, and guardians show more concern towards their children, and to consider their needs that only the parents can cater for. I believe that you will agree with me that the deterioration in the fabric of our society and the chaos that have plagued most parts of our nation today can be traced to neglect as well as the indifference shown by parents and guardians towards their sons and daughters. Parents do not care to raise their wards and children with Islamic education and etiquettes from the early stage of childhood. They have discarded their role of moral guidance and forgot the need to support their children in their endeavours of life and thereby neglecting their responsibilities to guide their children on the right Islamic path. This wanton display of parental neglect has led us to the inept social phenomena that we live with today. The fractured social fabric due to parental neglect in turn led to the emergence of the havoc of the so-called (Boko Haram). This Boko haram wildfire is still raging on in this society despite efforts by the government to put an end to it by approaching in different means and ways. We beseech Allah SWT to come to our aid for He is the Most Capable.

B. O lovers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ –

the issue of raising our children well with the right Islamic background requires jointly redoubled efforts and cooperation among ourselves. For our effort to be successful in this quest, it is essential for parents to increase their Islamic knowledge and to be aware that the proper upbringing of their children is a major direct responsibility they must bear. It is very wrong to believe that other people bear the responsibility of our children’s upbringing.

It is of absolute concern that some parents and guardians fail to observe subtle and major changes occurring in their children’s way of life. Many parents often notice a clear change in their children's lifestyle (both males and females) in terms of high-end and expensive clothing and gadgets. However, they (the parents) know that with their economic and living standards the children shouldn’t be able to afford the expensive clothes and gadgets, but they refrain from inquiring further on how and where they sourced such expensive items. Unfortunately, some parents go to the extent of being proud of such an outrageous behaviour exhibited by their children. This is very dangerous and lamentable for the future of our children.

And most dangerous of all dear brothers in Allah are those children who leaves the house without permission for many days while their parents do not know where they are, and with whom they are? What are they doing? And where they are residing? They also don’t know where they get what they eat while away? These are the real pathetic situations in which many parents live with their children today. Permit me to hurriedly ask how long will we continue this phenomenon in our midst? No one doubts that some of the children lives away from their either in isolation or enrolled in schools, especially universities and higher institutions of learning? The parents do not know what they are doing neither do they ask their children how they afford their school fees? Where do they get the necessary funds to pay for their living costs while studying? No one asks them basic questions: Why? Because their fathers are preoccupied with their own causes. I seek Allah’s guidance to lead us to a change in behaviour and correction of this devastating matter.

Since we live in this community as a tightly stacked walled structure, and one part of the structure is dependent on the other. It is mandatory for us all to correct the path of our children and the children of our neighbours, and we should remain steadfast in their discipline if necessary. There is no harm in in assisting each other in raising the moral standards of the children of our neighbours and in so doing being our neighbours’ keepers just as is enshrined in the teaching of Islam.

C. The need to return to the right path on which our Shaykhs and fore-fathers have left us:

O lovers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and guests of the Lord of existence! Imam Malik said:
“The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified except by that which rectified its earlier part.”

Yes, this is a very valid statement. Because if we are to realise our dreams and hopes of unity and victory over our enemies and the enemies of Islam and the enemies of this righteous path, there is no doubt that we must return and imbibe on the teachings and morals entrusted upon us by our venerable guides of this Tariqah and this overflowing flood of blessings (faydah). There is that need to return to complete unification in Islamic brotherhood until we attain brotherhood in Allah, love for the sake of Allah, and hate for the sake of Allah, and visit ourselves (ziyarah) for the sake of Allah. We also must cast away all forms of tribalism, envy, jealousy, and gossip otherwise we would end up from a bad situation to a much worse one. All our Zawiyahs must emulate in every nitty gritty of our social and personal affairs the lifestyles of the Prophet's companions that portrays love, tolerance, and selflessness. There are numerous exemplary models to emulate among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ. May Allah be pleased with them.

D. Exchange of visits (ziyarah) for the sake of Allah:

Distinguished brothers, honourable guests of Mustafa ﷺ, we fondly recall what was obtained during the days of the eminent Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah be pleased with him. He used to personally perform the right of visitation to everyone of us and at times he sends emissaries from his revered disciples and family to visit us and to other countries with his greetings. Those exchanges of visits between Shaykh-al-Islam and disciples are fondly recalled today. We have benefited greatly from those visits because they awakened in us the spirit of true brotherhood, love, and tolerance and we made a lot of progress in this area. May Allah reward him abundantly.

Distinguished guests, I would like to ask a question. Are these visits, which were fortified been in the days of the Shaykh, may Allah be pleased with him still as they were before, in form, context, and content? Have we stained it with impurities and changed its essence? And how did we come to this? And why? Apparently, some of the visitations today are essentially still the same as before, while some changes have taken place in terms of objectives of such visits. I am opportune in my position as the leader of this old Zawiyah and as a successor to the Shaykh to be aware that many do not desirous for the exchange of visits these days because many are suspicious of intent of such visits. At the same time, we must admit that there is a mixture of different kinds of people now and that the tables have turned in an undesirable direction.

Since this has been said: in frankness and ease of comfort, I say maybe there are visitors who visit with a declared purpose being a visit for the sake of Allah, but at the same time they demand for reliefs or funding due to the economic downturn and global moral desecration. They demand the murids and the hosts alike to provide some shelter for them, and everyone knows the unfavourable global and local economic situation. So how can we be glad for visitors to come when we are sure we cannot satisfy their financial demands?

Is this behaviour compatible with the values we have been raised on in this Tariqa?

Do not get me wrong by thinking that I am going against visitations or receiving visitors. On the contrary, I am soliciting that the purpose and objectives of these visitations be rectified to return it to the context we used to know during the days of the guide of this blessedly flooded Ibrahimiyyah path. Visitations that are not self-serving for the desires of the gut of the visitor and that are meant purely for the sake of Allah SWT is always encouraged. Because this drives towards the reflection of love of Allah SWT and Islamic brotherhood. There are many religious anecdotes that expounds the importance of fraternal visits and the expression of our love for Allah. These are the tenets we were trained upon under the guidance of our eminent Shaykhs. May Allah reward them with abundant good.

Narrated by Anisai in a hadith related by Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with Him who said, The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"Indeed, there are around the throne platforms of light on which people sit. Their clothes are light, their faces are light. They are not prophets or martyrs, but prophets and martyrs shall envy them."
On hearing that the Companions said,

"O Messenger of Allah! Describe them to us.” He said, “They are those who loves each other for the sake of Allah, those who sit with each other for the sake of Allah and those who visit each other for the sake of Allah.

Abu Huraira also reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying:

“A person visited his brother in another town and Allah deputed an Angel to wait for him on his way and when he came to him, he said: Where do you intend to go? He said: I intend to go to my brother in this town. He said: Have you done any favour to him (the repayment of which you intend to get)? He said: No, excepting this that I love Mm for the sake of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious. Thereupon he said: I am a messenger to you from, Allah: (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you love him (for His sake) and paradise has been ordained for you” (narrated by Muslim).

The Prophet said ﷺ:

“Indeed, the strongest bond of faith is to love for the sake of Allah and to hate for the sake of Allah.”

There are multiple Islamic sources known to have mentioned the importance of visits and encouraging the expression of love and brotherhood in Allah. Dear brother, for fear of prolonging this topic I wish to put a summary to it here. Verily, exchange of visits between brothers is an Islamic tradition that have been passed down unto us. Nevertheless, we should reconsider the outcome of our visitations whether we have incurred hardship on those we visit. Whether we have indulged in swaying away from the main objectives of such visitations which supposed to be for the sake of Allah. Do we make demands from our Shaykhs or Murids (disciples) which end up entrenching them into more difficulties just to please us? If this is so, then the usefulness of these visits may not live up to the expected objectives or outcomes. And Allah SWT says in the glorious Qur’an:

“On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear” (2:286).

These verse is supposedly very well known to us. So, we shouldn’t overburden each other. Our peculiar issues still exist, to which we are yet to proffer solutions. It is quite unfortunate that despite the keen interest shown by some of us in providing some gifts (hadiah) to some visitors during their visits. But when the visitors depart the hosts/murids displays features of discontent or furiousness to extent of complaining to people that all the visitors cared about was just the material gifts handed to them. Mentioning that they cannot provide all worldly need to the visitors (alas if when the visitors never demanded anything). On this note I beseech brothers and disciples alike to exercise patience and to be aware that their reward is only from Allah SWT and Allah caters well for the righteous. It is relevant for them to know that some of the events that transpires during visitations (Ziyarah) are totally abstract from the teachings of our Shaykhs. In the same vein, sending specific demands from one Zawiyah to another Zawiyah can be quite unrealistic in terms of its reality and essence. It is most important to recall that the Seal of all Saints and the bearer of the flag of this Tariqa Shaykh Tijani may Allah be pleased with him did once recommended the transfer of children from the city of Fez to Ain Madi with an instruction that the host should bear no extra responsibility towards them.

E. The issue of security and the internally displaced persons:

I believe that on this occasion I must acknowledge and commend the efforts of the Government geared towards restoring security and stability to this society. They have done their best in this regard. Everyone knows what we have suffered from Boko Haram atrocities, which caused the forced displacement of many people. This havoc has been going on for the past eleven years. In that context, I wish to make a loud and urgent appeal to redouble efforts to put an end to this tragedy. In the midst of these tragedies, another evil dimension has emerged that is no less catastrophic than Boko Haram, which is kidnapping. People are now being kidnapped in broad daylight, and on highways despite the tremendous efforts of security personnel. No one is sure of the safety of his life anymore when embarking on journeys for visitations or trade. Kidnapping has become widespread wildfire, especially in cities such as Abuja, Kaduna, Zamfara among other cities.

Senior government officials are now unable to travel in their private or official cars except on public trains for fear of their lives and fear of being kidnapped. The train stations have become rife with travellers from all walks of life, leaving only the poor, small-scale traders, and the weak to travel on the highways. The poor (masses) want nothing from the government but to ensure its safety and security. Despite the efforts of the government on these matters, the aspects related to achieving social justice and equity are not properly addressed realized for some poor people. Especially with regard to the distribution of some dividends which are done which high level opacity and injustice which leaves the poor people ending up getting nothing. Hence, the Government's attention is hereby drawn to reconsider these issues so that everyone can obtain their full rights. Which may reduce these insecurities.

F. Moral decadence in the universities and higher institutes of learning:

Dear esteemed brothers, guests of our revered Mahmoud ﷺ, none of us would deny the moral decadence and the spread of sexual abuse, and drug abuse in some universities and higher institutes of learning, where these vices are practiced from rampantly, in addition to practicing sodomy. Institutional authorities have been unable to restrain these people by the legal means we expected from them. They are quite aware that these vices are been practiced by their staff and officers, but they chose not to do anything about it, even though the culprits are known. They know the departments they belong to in the institutions and even their names are known.

But what is the value of not acting seriously to put an end to this issue? Does it mean that they have become entrenched in the system as a norm or they have been swept under the carpet? Whatever the case may be, we must make appropriate moves to expose them for everyone to know them. We are currently faced with issues female students been selected for sexual gratification for her to pass examination of subjects the lecturer taught. If she agrees, she passes but if she refuses, her fate is then to fail in the exam. How can university vice chancellors and leaders turn a blind eye to this despicable act?

As parents and guardians, we must move quickly to confront these transgressors who practice these evil acts that are not acceptable to any sane mind and are not approved by the religion. I have personally written to some university vice chancellors and leaders in this regard. I went to the extent of directly mentioning the departments concerned and even the names of those involved. Unfortunately, they have not taken any positive step forward to fix these dastardly acts and neither are measures placed to prevent further occurrences. We will take a harder step if these abhorrent acts do not stop and we would ensure that our daughters studying in these institutions are safe from the clutches of these wolves.

G. The importance of turning to Allah with prayers:

I hereby at this juncture implore everyone to turn to Allah in prayers for the relief from the adversities we are currently enmeshed in. We are obliged to increasingly seek forgiveness from Him (by increasing recitation of istighfar) and to continuously turn towards Allah with a humble heart. Allah says in His glorious book:

"Call upon Me; I will respond to you." (40:60)

Recall that prayer is a formidable weapon of the believer, and on this basis, we absolutely need to turn to Allah only in fervent prayers.

H. Conclusion and supplications:

It can’t be helped but to bring this speech to a conclusion by first expressing utmost gratitude to Allah SWT for enabling us to hold this glorious ceremony and fulfilling all responsibilities required of us at all levels. We seek Allah blessings on His beloved Prophet ﷺ and ask Him to continuously grant us all the chance to witness this occasion in blessings and wellness for many years to come. I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to all those who have come to this place to share this great joy with us, the joy of the birth of Leader of all mankind, our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. May Allah reward you all for the bonds of brotherhood which you all have conveyed and strengthened through words and deeds, by your presence in person in this Zawiyah, the Zawiyah of our spiritual guide Shaykh Ahmad Abulfathi, may Allah be pleased with him.

In the same context, I would like to express our thanks and appreciation to our brothers who came from outside this country to express the revere this brotherly gathering, and to express their excitation in upholding the traditional essence of this occasion. These include brothers Chad, Sudan, Niger, Cameroon and other countries, may Allah reward you boundlessly for this blessed act of brotherhood.

I also want to use this platform to appreciate and thank our brother the Executive Governor of Borno state Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, for his continuous support and effort towards the success of this occasion. May Allah reward you immensely.

I cannot conclude this speech without thanking all the security personnel; the military, the police, the civilian JTF, and Islamic organizations that came here to preserve and ensure the security and safety of participants in this fragrant anniversary. Topmost of these Islamic organisations are the Fityanul Islam, Jamaatu Nasrul Islam, Jamaatu Al-Nahda al-Islamiyya and all those who have helped in this regard.

I wish to recognise and appreciate the proactive and constructive roles as well as the great enthusiasm shown by the gentlemen of the local and national press in making this occasion a great one. We have witnessed their audio-visual transmissions in all ramification s of the media, and we wish to highlight the positive role they played in the success of this occasion. There is no doubt that they continuously provide us with religious and social services at the same time, may Allah reward you all very much.

Eid Maulud Mubarak!!!

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu. Salatil fatihi…
Your brother always;

His Eminence, Khalifa of Shaykh Ahmad Abulfathi

(May Allah be pleased with him)

Khalifa Aliyu Ahmad Abulfathi

(May Allah protect him and bless his life with joy).

Dated:

12/3/1441H equivalent to

09/11/2019M.