By: Nurudeen Ibrahim
In every country that was conquered, the first duty of Islam was to build a mosque in which Almighty God would be worshipped and His Prophet honoured. Attached to this mosque was a school where people were taught to read and study the Qur’an. From this initial point, they enlarged the study of science, literature and art, and, through the appreciation of these sublime things, they collected the treasures of art and learning wherever these could be found. From initiation, they passed on to the great field of creation, and great advances were made to the sum of human knowledge. Schools were founded, great universities established, and libraries were built which laid the permanent foundations of knowledge. These were the great words of Professor Frank Blackmore of the University of Kansas in his famous book ‘History of Human Society’.
Just as mentioned above and as the world could witness in the establishment of the House of Wisdom, also known as Baytul Hikmah, at the time of Caliph Ma’mun and other great minds as an intellectual centre of knowledge. This period was considered the Islamic Golden Age, as the era before was identified as the ‘Dark Age’. The Dark Age was a time when the world was enveloped in ignorance and illiteracy but Islam opened the way and created an insatiable thirst for knowledge. This in turn led to a tremendous upheaval of science in realms hitherto altogether unexplored. Such an extraordinary outburst of intellectual activity was unparalleled in human history.
It was in view of the above that a revolutionary leader and scholar emerged in Africa, the South-West of Nigeria precisely to replicate the like of Baytul Hikma in solving a similar challenge as witnessed in the Dark Age. That revolutionary leader, scholar, theologian, jurist and member of the intelligentsia was no one but the erudite scholar himself and giant of knowledge in Africa, Sheikh Adam Abdullah El-Ilory and the House of Wisdom he established was the Great MARKAZ.
The Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies popularly known as MARKAZ AGEGE, has been, and still, a leading institution since it was established in 1952. Thinking about any good legacy of Sheikh Adam El-Ilory, this institution comes to mind, aside the numerous publications of the Sheikh. The legacies of Sheikh Adam Abdullah El-Ilory have undoubtedly immortalized him and glorified his family.
It was not a deficiency in Islamic knowledge that necessitated my enrolment at MARKAZ as a seeker of knowledge as I had been well trained for 8 years at my first Islamic School before proceeding to MARKAZ.
The habit of research had always been inherent in me especially when people speak ill of something and I suspect such people are not objective but biased in their submission. I went to MARKAZ at a time when people were speaking ill of the centre, especially about the contents and quality of knowledge. They insinuated that MARKAZ teaches Shirk and idolatry or evil machinations, Sand Divinity and Jinn consultation. Some said the only thing you learn there is singing (shi‘r). Since I already knew that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was received in Medina with well composed songs during the Hijra by the Ansar, and of course he together with his companions identified as the Ansar and the Muhajirun were welcomed with the same song after the victory of the Battle of the Badr. In addition to these, on many battle fields they used to sing to boost the morale of the soldiers and lift their spirits as recorded by Dr. Ahmad Zidane in his book, ‘The Battles of the Prophet’. Hassan bn Thabit, Ka‘b bn Malik and Abdullah bn Rawaha were popular singers at the time of the Holy Prophet. They were excluded from the condemned singers and the Qur’an praised them, as recorded in the Tafseer of Ibn Abbas. Since I had no problem with such argument or discouragement, I discarded it and decided to learn more of those songs.
Besides, before going to MARKAZ, many of us had learnt Al-Fawaaqih As-Saaqita, Al-Mahfuuzaat Al-Adabiyya as well as Matn Shaybaniyya and other useful materials containing beautiful songs about the monotheism of Allah, the reward for observing salaat, the punishment for neglecting salaat and the philosophy of life. An inquiring mind is insatiable; I made up my mind to also go and see for myself what the critics called Shirk and Jalabi Operation.
Astonishingly, I discovered that MARKAZ is a centre of conglomerate of Islamic Sciences in Africa. I saw this centre as an ocean of knowledge that you cannot exhaust. I discovered there was more to learn than my initial perception. The teaching staff and instructors were qualified, dedicated, contented and erudite. Everyday was a celebration of new knowledge. I thank Allah that I finally saw what I was looking for. I suspended my plans to study Medicine and Surgery and dedicated myself not to leave any knowledge go unexplored.
After our normal 8.00am to 2.00pm lectures, few of my colleagues and I would go for additional tutorials around Agege in order to be ahead of the class. Our tutorials covered: Islamic Jurisprudence, Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence focussing on Sharh of Nazmil Waraqaat, Arabic Grammar, Arabic Etymology, Arabic Rhetoric and Arabic Versification. After those tutorials, I would proceed to another erudite scholar in Surulere to learn more on Quranic Exegesis (Tafseer), Songs of Imam Shafi‘iy, History of Islam and Arab, Arabic Literature, Islamic Methodology of Teaching, Methodology of Preaching and Islamic Propagation, Sciences of Hadith and Hadith Criticism, and others until I was able to commit most of these to memory. Eventually, I became impregnated and fortified with all these aspects of Islamic Sciences.
At the Great MARKAZ, I had the opportunity to learn as many as 40 aspects of Islamic Sciences, namely:
1. Quran (Quran Sciences and Recitation)
2. Hadeeth (Traditions of Prophet Muhammad)
3. Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)
4. Arithmetic (‘ilm-ul-Hisab)
5. Arabic Language (Lugha)
6. Arabic poetry (Qasaaid and Nasheed)
7. Arabic Grammar (Nahw)
8. Arabic Etymology (Sarf)
9. Arabic Rhetoric (Balaagha) and its three sub-branches
10. Arabic Composition (Inshaa’)
11. Biography of the Prophet (Seera)
12. History of Islam (Tareekh)
13. Quranic Exegesis (Tafseer)
14. Morals and Ethics (Akhlaaq)
15. Arabic Literature (Adab)
16. Principles of Fiqh (Usuul al-Fiqh)
17. Principles of Sharia (Usuul Tashree)
18. Objectives of Sharia (Maqaasid Sharia)
19. Rules of Arabic Versification (Aruud)
20. Rules of Quranic Recitation (Tajweed)
21. Theology (Tawheed)
22. Principles of Tawheed (Usuul Tawheed/Aqeeda)
23. Geography (Jiyuugrafiya)
24. Astronomy (Falak)
25. Philosophy (Falsafa)
26. Logic (Mantiq)
27. Psychology (Ilm Nafs)
28. Inheritance (Meeraath)
29. Da’wah Methodolgy and Ethics (Dawah)
30. Islamic Guidance and Counselling (al-Wa’z wal Irshaad)
31. Islamic Civilization (Thaqaafa Islamiyya)
32. Principles of Hadeeth (Usuul Hadeeth/Mustalah Hadeeth)
33. Uluum (General Sciences and Health Education)
34. Vocational Training (Mihna)
35. Educational System and Methodology (Nizaam Ta’leem)
36. Arabic Calligraphy (Ilm Rasmi)
37. Islamic Songs and Praises (Nusuus)
38. Science of Reading and Revision (Mutaala’a)
39. Islamic Spirituality and Mysticism (Tasawwuf and Sciences of Dua and Azkaar)
40. General Weekly Studies of Contemporary Issues (Barnaamaj)
You acquire all these within 8 years of serious daily training, 8am-2pm with 30minutes break (11.30am – 12pm). Thursdays and Fridays are lecture free but attending Jumu’a lectures used to be compulsory at the time of the founder as part of Khutba (sermon) training.
Apart from the last one, you must write exams for all the courses before you graduate and get certified!
Structurally, the courses at MARKAZ are distributed within the 8 years. There are 3 levels at MARKAZ:
- The Beginners’ Level- 1 Year
- The Intermediate Level- 4 Years
- The Advanced Level- 3 Years
According to Professor M.A. Bidmos in his book A MANUAL FOR THE TEACHER OF ISLAMIC STUDIES, ‘in MARKAZ, Sheikh Adam put in place a methodology that made teaching of Arabic both attractive and effective.’ He said further, ‘three results of Sheikh Adam’s methodology deserve a special mention. These are written Arabic, spoken Arabic and Quranic reading. In Markaz, a tone of reading the Quran with distinct melody was created. It has a charm.’
About the students of MARKAZ, Professor M.A. Bidmos also mentioned in the same book that ‘written Arabic (of MARKAZ students) is favourably compared to the calligraphy in print. The art of speech making by MARKAZ students is characterized by the fluency and eloquence akin to that of the native speakers of the language.’
Furthermore, the establishment of MARKAZ as an institution is to promote ideological moderation (wasatiyyah) and tolerance which makes distinguishes this centre in tackling all forms of religious extremism and indoctrination. Once a person chooses MARKAZ as a centre of his learning, it is assured that such a person will be free from religious extremism, intolerance and indoctrination which are problems of today’s Islam as witnessed across the Muslim world.
At the end of my training at MARKAZ, I wondered why I did not see the shirk, the idolatry, the sand divination, Jalabi operation and other negative things people have fabricated against MARKAZ and its founder. In terms of content and quality of knowledge, nothing has changed when we compare the present day MARKAZ with that of yesterday. It is still the same textbooks of Sheikh Adam that are still being used majorly today at MARKAZ.
MARKAZ has produced great minds and personalities not only as clerics but as leaders of knowledge. Few of them are Professor M.A. Bidmos, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Professor Baqi Agaka, Professor Lanre Bidmos, Professor Abdul Raheem Hamza, Professor Aderemi, Professor Balogun (Late), Sheikh Mustapha Sanusi Zuglool (Late) and so many others.
In conclusion, MARKAZ is nothing but a replica of Baytul Hikma in its own way and has graduated more than 15,000 people from across the world. This is an indication that the work of its founder, Sheikh Adam Abdullah El-Ilory, was blessed as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: ‘When a man dies all his deeds cease except three things: continuous charity, useful knowledge and a righteous son who prays for him.’ All the three mentioned in this narration were gifted by Allah to Sheikh Adam El-Ilory. The Great Centre MARKAZ is a source of continuous charity, his collections of books that are more than 50 in number are sources of useful knowledge that have immortalized him, and aside from his righteous children who are enough as blessings, his numerous students and all those learning at the centre pray for him everyday.
The Prophet of Islam (pbuh) made it clear that what people say of good about us after we depart this life matters a lot for our success and salvation in the Hereafter. This indeed is the end of a great man of piety and how Allah has blessed him. Those alive today do not know how they will end up and what will happen to them after they depart this life.
As we celebrate the 68th anniversary of the establishment of MARKAZ and commemorate the 28years of demise of the legend Sheikh Adam Abdullah El-Ilory, we pray that the Great Lord and Cherisher of the entire universe continuously and endlessly shower His peace and blessings upon Sheikh Adam and his household and all those who sincerely love him and are protecting his legacies.
