Abdulwarees Solanke
In the Muslim World, Ramadan fasting is less than two weeks away. But as I stepped out on the morning of Easter Sunday, a Christian festival that signals the end of 40 day Lent, the Christian fast, I noticed that the streets were barren of banners that often proclaim boldly, Lets go A-fishing. Also, there was no happy or Merry Easter in the air.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that last Sunday, the Palm Sunday, palm fronds that usually fly in the air on the Sunday preluding Easter were not on the floors at all. Then I remembered that the Good Friday, a day that signifies to the world that Easter is two days away, was this year too dull.
So, It’s no news anymore that Easter 2020 for many Christians who cherish its festivity was a colourless festival under a Corona Infection pandemic lockdown. As Muslims, it is showing us the likely colour of Ramadan this year. It may not be festive, colourful or active. The signs are there already.
This is because some weeks to Ramadan, a surfeit of public lectures is staged by prominent Muslim organizations. That of the University of Lagos Alumni Association, UMA, which I am member is one. That annual lecture is for us a Reunion.
Scholars are even sourced from beyond our shores to present seminar papers outside the realm of religion. The lectures interrogate germane issues in the polity or public sphere, serving as Muslims contribution to understanding and resolving public issues and problems.
On such day, the University of Lagos campus is literally a carnival, and indeed the entire university community sees it as part of its annual calendar. It is originally scheduled for next Sunday, April 19. Now, we putting it off.
Other organizations normally spread theirs in the weekends that run through the month of fasting. Unless there is an open up of the cities or relaxation of the lockdown in the next one week, many of our lectures will be cancelled.
In Lagos for instance, the Wahab Iyanda Folawiyo Memorial Ramadan Lecture is held in conjunction with Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation. It pulls entire Lagos under its expansive Blue Roof. Unfortunately De Blue Roof may not welcome Muslims this year for the lecture, De Blue Roof won’t also be any blue or colourful for this years’ edition of the Abdulazeez Islamic Foundation Ramadan Lecture.
But beyond Ramadan Lectures that are characterized by many side attractions are other activities of spiritual import. Ramadan is the month of the Quran. So, for its entire period, gatherings called Tafsir, what we know in Yoruba as Taosiri in our youthful days will be affected.
Tafsir is the exegesis or elucidation of the Quran by scholars of note, Imams or Mufassirs. It is a practice most common in our communities in Ramadan. They take us through themes and subject matters in the Revealed Book of Islam. We are soaked in the depth of their intellectual and philosophical explanations of very esoteric matters of life in this Holy Scripture of Islam.
We pray Allah to bless the souls of Sheikh Abdullah Adam el-Ilory, Sheikh Mubarak Asile and Sheikh Mustapha Zuglool all distinguished Islamic scholars who established equivalents of Centre for Islamic Sciences and Arabic Language Studies, referred to as Markaz in their life to raise generations of Muslim scholars.
Despite their passage, their Markaz were always alive for Tafsir in Ramadan because they left behind worthy successors sustaining their legacy of Islamic erudition. In Ramadan, Sheik Ramadan and Sheik Gamawi Tafsir are still alive in their respective Markaz.
