Nurudeen Ibrahim
Icons are people who possess qualities that make them to be worthy of veneration. These qualities exemplified in them attract admiration of other people around them to seek guidance as they journey through life.
One of such exemplary icons is our father Sheikh Abdul Hafeez Abou whose exemplary life necessitates emulation by those younger than him. Sheikh Abou is vast in experience as he has survived generations to link the past and the present. His encyclopaedic memory as he clocks 100 years of age still remains an admiration. His simplicity in lifestyle and contentment distinguish him among so many of his contemporaries as well as those younger than him but remains around him.
A critical look into the life of Sheikh Abdul Hafeez Abou will reveal that Sheikh is none but one of the undeniable signs of Allah to serve as a model for our generation. This does not only manifest in his scholarly erudition but also in his leadership, administrative and mentorship qualities. He is not only a sign in Lagos State but in the whole of Nigeria. This is a fact that remains undeniable. He is a model for the young and the old because of these exemplary characteristics exhibited by his revered eminence that we all should emulate. If we talk of knowledge, Sheikh Abou is leading. If we talk of good relationship with everyone, Sheikh Abou is leading. If we talk of righteousness and charitable services, Sheikh Abou is leading. If we talk about supporting education and promoting knowledge, Sheikh Abou is leading. He is an all-encompassing leader and he will ensure he fights for justice on behalf of the oppressed. He demonstrated that money is not everything in life but good name and legacy and all that we need. With these he remains relevant to everyone including the political leaders. As highly influential as he is, he would not go after the political leader not even the Governor or his Excellency our in-coming president Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (Insha Allah) to seek favour and not even for his children. This is an opportunity that it is hard to find anyone that will miss it. He has so many buttons to press to get what he wants from the leaders of Lagos and even the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria right from the First Republic but the only button Sheikh Abou will press is the button of his Lord (Allah) and will ask Him for whatever he wants. After pressing the button of Allah he remains faithful and pleased with whatever the outcome is.
At age 100, Sheikh Abou still remembers accurately everything that happened from his childhood up to his present age. Sheikh Abou can tell the history of Nigeria as far back as 40 years before the independence of Nigeria. Sheikh Abou will tell you everything about Lagos State including the history of Islam in the City of Lagos. He is not only vast in the history of his homeland but also vast in world history. His second home is Egypt where he studied as a student of Al-Azhar University where he was prepared for what he had been destined to be in future.
Sheikh Abou has been blessed with a special quality which allows him to relate with anyone both the young and the old, Muslims and non-Muslims. His relation with both the young and the old and also his mentoring activities have made him father of a nation. Sheikh is someone that is always concerned with the progress of anybody around him and even those who he does not know from anywhere. His door is always widely opened. Aside from giving all the necessary supports and connections, he would also give financial fortification and intellectual encouragement.
Sheikh’s love for education is another thing that is amazing. Over the years he had sponsored countless people through their educational career and up to Ph.D. level. This is not limited to those he knows or those who are from his hometown but also to those who he knows not and not in any way from his hometown. Sheikh is one of those Lagosians that will never ask if you are a Lagosian before he gives you all that you want. All he wants to hear is that I am a Muslim and I have been asked to come to you. Baba never gets tired of helping people and encouraging people even those who are young to be his great grand-children. His vision for a model Islam in Lagos and Nigeria is yet to be accomplished because he sees further than everyone around him.
Sheikh’s love for education and people of knowledge is magnetic. This must be so because he himself was an educationist. Being a graduate of Al-Azhar University (renowned citadel of knowledge of Islam) and someone who had so much acclimatized with that environment of Islamic epistemology, he watched out for replication of that when he got back to Nigeria. He wished Lagos is another Cairo that has in it Al-Azhar where Islamic knowledge and learning can flourish. Whoever that comes to Sheikh with qualities of knowledge manifesting in him even before he talks, Sheikh would embrace him and give him all the support.
Today I am being celebrated for having about 75 books credited to my literary works and authored by me with more than 80 articles which would not have been possible if not for the continuous support, encouragement and motivation of someone who is more of a beloved grand-father Sheikh Abdul Hafeez Abou. Some of the topics I have written about where given to me by our beloved father Sheikh Abdul Hafeez Abou.
It is pleasurable as we all express our happiness to celebrate Sheikh Abdul Hafeez Abou for his wonderful achievements and all-encompassing roles he played in the lives of so many people. He remains a legend for whoever that is in search of how to journey through this life and become a successful enigma. He is enigmatic and charismatic in every aspect of life. Almighty God has deliberately allowed him to live this long to prove him as a sign to the people of Lagos in particular and to the whole Nigeria in general. We pray that the Almighty should continue to preserve him for us and for the nation.
