Ever since I was a kid I had
known of that great and versatile group of Muslims called the Ansar-u-deen.
Their impact has always been felt by the young and old in every nook and cranny
of Nigeria. Identified by their national colour of white and green, the
Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria has gained its uniqueness through immense
contribution to the Ummah of Islam. On the 21st of December, 1923,
about 43 concerned brothers met in a small house on Balogun Street of Lagos
Island and discussed strategies of helping the Muslim Ummah out of the irrational
enslavement principles of the Christian missionaries. The germane question then
was “Who would help this deen?” So the name Helpers-of-the-deen was just
suitable.
At that
time, the Christian missionaries have bombarded the country carrying the bible
on one hand and education on the other hand. If anyone would go to school, he
or she had to convert to Christianity with or without their wish. This forceful
conversion process and crude methodology made education a monopoly of the
Christians at that time in Nigeria. If anyone would escape the sword of
forceful Christianisation, then he has to feign Christian, drop his or her Muslim
name(s) and ‘play’ along. This scenario saw many Muslims convert to
Christianity after continuous and gradual baptism of their subconscious.
The world
court judge and respected educationist, Justice Abduljabbar Bola Ajibola was a
victim of this. When he went to enrol, he was met with that kind of “No Place for Muslims here” response and
was given the only two available options. Drop your Muslim name and get
education or keep the name and go back home. Of course, he went back home but later
made the sacrifice of dropping his Muslim name. Today the whole world knows him
as Justice Bola Ajibola but Alhamdulillah he has kept faith in his Lord, Allah
(SWT). He is also the founder of the outstanding Islamic university, Crescent
University in Ogun State. Rasheed Akinjide now Richard Akinjide is also not an
exception to this. But it seems he finally jumped the fence and turned apostate
to the deen of Allah. Allahu-l-musta’an. We pray to Allah to guide him back to
the path of salvation.
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| One of the numerous mosque projects of Ansarudeen |
With all these in mind, Ansarudeen started
tackling the educational challenges of the Ummah by establishing the first
Ansarudeen Grammar School in Lagos. They also established the first two
Teachers’ Training Colleges in Nigeria. They gradually took the da’wah mission
to the northern part of the country and liberated a lot of Muslims. Today, the
tentacles of the Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria has spread nationwide and there
is virtually no place in Nigeria you wouldn’t find their impact. It’s either a
big mosque or school or some other laudable structures. This can be found even
in Christian dominated places like Ekiti in South-West Nigeria and
South-Eastern states of the country. With over 1500 schools, over 120 local and
central mosques and branches in many countries abroad, Ansarudeen has made a
mark worth of celebration.
Cheers to the founding fathers as we pray Allah continues
to forgive their short comings and shower mercy upon them till the day of
recompense.
Hurray! The Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria is 91!
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