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The family of Alhaji Abdul Fatah Kareem Apooyin has donated a new Mosque to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria.  The Mosque is located at Apooyin Village, Omi-Adio, Ibadan, Oyo State. Amir (Head) of the Muslim Organization, Dr. Mashhud Adenrele Fashola commissioned the place of worship, with several dignitaries both from within and outside the Jama’at in attendance. It would be recalled that the family built and donated Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Central Mosque Omi-Adio a few years ago.  The family also plan to donate a three-bedroom mission house to the Jama’at after completion. Dr. Fashola led the first ever Juma’at prayer at the new Mosque and discussed at length, on the purpose of man’s existence, mosque building, and means of seeking nearness to Almighty Allah. Amir warned members not to be worldly and materialistic but be prayerful, truthful, steadfast and be cheer giver in the way of Allah at all times.  He urged members to be regular in Salat with full concentration and reflect on the teachings and lessons contained in the Holy Quran. Speaking on the topic: “Importance and Blessings of Mosque Building,” the Missionary Incharge, Maulvi Afzaal Ahmad Rauf emphasized that the main objective of building Mosque is to fully engage in the remembrance of Almighty Allah and if this is not achieved, then all the resources put together become wasted. He stated that another reason for Mosque building is for Muslims to gather themselves in the place of worship in order to promote unity and brotherhood among one another. “Relationship with Allah is not satisfactory hence members are going backward day by day in moral and spiritual aspects.  The Mosque should bring about the much needed moral and spiritual change in our lives,” Maulvi Ahmad Rauf noted. The senior cleric further requested all donors of Mosques to refrain from wrongdoings if they aim to derive maximum benefits from Mosque building. He added: “It is also the responsibility of the donors and members of the local Jama’at and Circuit to ensure that true believers worship in the Mosque, and the mosque should never remain empty.” Maulvi Ahmad Rauf thus called on Jama’at members to strive and build Mosques in every streets and region where there are five to ten (10) houses in order for all Muslims to enjoy congregational prayers. The Chief Imam of Omi-Adio, Alhaji Abdul Lateef Abiola in his speech commended Apooyin family for the Mosque building and opined that the place of worship has really publicized the community.  According to him, the new Mosque was a huge blessing to all members of the community. Dr. Omoyele, President of Omi-Adio branch of Ahmadiyya Community appreciated the presence of important personalities who graced the occasion and informed that the branch has a lot of Mosque building in progress. Other dignitaries who attended the commissioning include: the General Secretary AMJN, Alhaji Abbas O. Iromini; Sadr (Head) Majlis Ansarullah Nigeria (Elders wing), Alhaji (Engr.) Abdul Waheed Adeoye; the National Finance Secretary, Alhaji Abdul Ganiyu Idris and the Jalsa Officer, Alhaji Mufadhil Bankole.

Depression is a medical condition or a mood disorder that is characterized by a persistent feeling of sadness, loss of interest in activities, insomnia, unintentional weight loss or gain, poor academic grade, loss of appetite.Being in a state of depression is not exactly the same as feeling gloomy. Feeling sad could be after the loss of something or someone precious, losing a competition, or simply not achieving a set goal. Depression, on the other hand, has to do with a persistent and consistent feeling of being down and gloomy. Before an individual can be termed as depressed, the feeling should continue for at least two weeks. This is to ascertain that it is not a particular matter that is on a person’s mind. Depression and Bipolar Disorder are two sides of a coin that people often mistake one for the other. Depression is unipolar, which means that there is no up period in the episodes, but Bipolar Disorder includes episodes of excess energy. While a depressed person is sluggish, has no interests in doing rigorous activities, and wants to stay in bed all day, a person with Bipolar Disorder is hyperactive and is always engaged in energy exerting activities. They are two extremes of the same rope. There are different causes of depression, which range from changes in neural circuit activity, genetics, type of personality of the individual, environmental factors, psychological and social factors. A person’s personality and outlook towards life can cause depression. If an individual has low self-esteem, such an individual would be affected deeply by social changes and unacceptance from neighbors, friends, and family. This would make them sink into a depressed state of mind. Also, social factors like continuous exposure to violence and abuse can make people, especially children not strong psychologically and affect self-esteem. It makes them more vulnerable and prone to heartbreaks.Life can be a reason for an individual to be depressed. Some people are not mentally strong enough to understand and process the tides of life event and are plunged into depression when they experience it. A childhood trauma like rape, abuse, a life-threatening disease, or trouble making friends are sure ingredients for craving loneliness, being moody, and having suicidal thoughts.Whether male or female, young or old, depression affects anyone no matter the age. It could set in early in life or later due to some circumstances. However, or wherever it may set in, there are different ways in which one can treat depression. It can be through talk therapy or taking medication. This proves that depression is a medical issue and not a metaphysical weapon to destroy people.Islam is a perfect religion. It is the path that Allah has set for anyone who wants to attain paradise. Allah says in Q 5:4 that “…I have perfected your religion this day, and completed my favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion…”.Islam has solutions to all problems. Among the cures that Allah has provided for mankind is the black seed. A tradition of the prophet (saw) goes thus that “take the black seed regularly. It is a cure for all diseases except death”. A major cause of depression is the segregation and exclusion of people in society. A child can easily get depressed if such a child does not feel loved or accepted among his peers, at school, home, or in the family. A verse of the Holy Quran, Q 4:37 states that “Serve Allah, and join not with Him any partner, and do good to parents and kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (traveller), and those whom your right hand possess; for Allah loves not those who are arrogant”.A tradition of the Prophet (saw) states that “the person who breaks the bond of kinship will not enter paradise”. This verse and hadith are proof that Allah has enjoined on man goodness to his family and neighbors, and has enjoined mankind to be kind one another.Adherents of Islam are required to treat everybody they meet with kindness, and this ensures that people around them will not feel left out or hurt. Greeting people and smiling are some of the kindest gestures which can help alleviate anxiety. A hadith translates, “Do not disdain a good deed, no matter how small it is, even if it is meeting your brother with a cheerful face”. (Sahih Muslim). The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at preaches ‘Love for all, hatred for none’. This advocate for peace in the world. A fundamental aspect of peace is to care for people. A tradition of the prophet states that “none of you is a true believer till he loves for his brother, what he loves for himself”. Wanting the good for friends and neighbours amount to caring and praying for them. When someone is in need, it is our duty as Muslims to help in every way possible. With this, people do not feel left out, and even when an individual has depression, there would be the love to help bring the person out of it. Children, who have been exposed to trauma, child abuse, and harsh words have the tendency to be depressed. Islam cautions one from the use of harsh words. “Do not speak with a statement for which you may have to apologize tomorrow”, (Ibn Majah). The above hadith buttresses the use of kind and healthy words to soothe people. When people are conscious of what they say, they become conscious of how their words affect others. Islam is a religion of brotherhood, where everybody is supposed to care for the growth of the Ummah, and the betterment of the adherents. From checking up on one’s neighbours, to helping out physically, spiritually, financially, and helping them grow, no one is left behind. In such a religion that seeks to integrate humanity into a family structure, every adherent should take it upon themselves to help anyone in need.

A UK-based TV station has been fined £75,000 by Ofcom after broadcasting hate speech about the Ahmadi community, amid growing fears that the religious group is facing persecution. Channel 44, an Urdu-language current affairs satellite channel, broadcast two episodes of a discussion programme featuring a guest who “made repeated, serious and unsubstantiated allegations about members of the Ahmadiyya community”, the broadcasting watchdog said. The guest, who appeared on the Point of View show, which was made in Pakistan, claimed Ahmadi people had “committed acts of murder, terrorism, and treason as well as undertaking political assassinations”. The same guest also claimed the Ahmadi community, which has its roots in northern India in the late 19th century, was favored in Pakistan at the expense of orthodox Muslims. The ruling comes during ongoing concern over discrimination against the Ahmadiyya movement, a minority sect of Islam that faces persecution and violence in Pakistan and Indonesia as well as hostility from some orthodox Muslims in Britain. The Ahmadi community moved its global headquarters from Pakistan to south London in the 1980s, after a constitutional amendment declared its followers to be non-Muslims and they were later barred from practicing their faith. During the programmes broadcast by Channel 44 in early December 2017, Ofcom said the guest “made remarks that attributed conspiratorial intent to the actions of the Pakistani authorities towards the Ahmadiyya community”. Ofcom found the channel breached three clauses in its code, covering the context of offensive material, hate speech, and derogatory treatment of religions or communities. Arguing that Pakistani officials had “inducted” Ahmadi people into the police and education department, the guest called on the country’s people to “rise up” against this. Expressing Regrets City News Network (SMC) Pvt Ltd, which runs the channel, aside from the £75,000 fine, it was ordered to broadcast a statement about the ruling. The firm expressed its “regret and sincere apologies for the failings in the compliance for these two programmes”. It described the failings as unintentional and said it did not intend to cause offense to the Ahmadi community. Similar fines on hate broadcast Last year, a community radio station was fined £10,000 after broadcasting “abusive and derogatory” statements about the Ahmadis. Radio Ikhlas, based in Derby, suspended a presenter and broadcast an apology after a radio phone-in that discussed the beliefs of the Ahmadi community in offensive and pejorative terms. In 2013 a TV station was fined £25,000 after broadcasting two programmes subjecting the Ahmadi community to abuse. Takbeer TV, a free-to-air Islamic channel, made the offensive broadcast.

The world of men is filled with men of wordsWords of saints they speakSpeak to them and see if you will not feel like a sinnerSinner first in your own eyes and then to humankind Humankind has mastered the art of deceitDeceit through righteousness in the eyes of allAll pretending to one another, masking their true selfSelfless to a select few and selfish to many more More and more, the fabric of hypocrisy is widely wornWorn by those you least expect and those you truly respectRespect is a currency of insincerity, spent with caution as though it will finish from regular useUse people before they use you and make you useless Uselessly, we hanker after paltry gains that we will leave behindBehind to those who have no idea of how we laboured for the richesThe riches we earned by mastery of impunityImpunity hinged by hypocrisyHypocrisy girded by dishonestyDishonesty fueled by small-mindedness Small minds lieLie – the craft they think will make them fly highHigh in the eyes of men but low in God’s presenceThe presence that makes all else immaterialImmaterial to all those you lied to, lied for, lied about and to you You are righteous to people in your faithFaithful only to your friendsFriendly only to those from whom you seek benefitsBenefitting from being ruthless to othersOthers of different skin, ethnicity, religion, gender, status, and education Education should cure you of hypocrisy becauseHypocrisy is from within where education makes the transformationThe transformation that tells you life is a transitionTransition in space and timeTime to meet and part, time to exist and extinct, time to be and be no moreMore to life there’s than just a transactional exchangeThe exchange you must! Your house with a coffin or graveyard, your time with eternity, your companions with loneliness… Loneliness will be the lot of the hypocriteThe hypocrite who smiles from a mileWhose words of praise have become triteBut whose heart is filled with bileIf you don’t know any hypocriteIt’s probably you don’t know yourselfBe free of hypocrisyAvoid it as you would leprosyThe hypocrite never finds favour with God and menDon’t serve me hypocrisy… it’s dirty and creepy!

Saturday, 23rd March 1889 will forever remain a unique and historic day in the history of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in particular and Islam in general.  It was a remarkable day when Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah(Peace and blessings of Allah be on him) accepted the hands of 40 sincere and faithful servants in allegiance to the Ten Conditions of Baiats (Initiation) and established the community which he named “The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.  This oath of allegiance was taken at the house of a spiritual preceptor Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan in the city of Ludhiana (Punjab India).  Hazrat Maulvi Hakim Noor-ud-Din was the first person to have the honour of taking the first Baiat.  This was a revolutionary yet a very modest beginning to a new chapter in the history of Islam. 130 years after this day, the Community is spread across over 200 countries in Africa, America, Asia, Australian and Europe.  The membership of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Community is in the millions and is increasing every day.  It is the most dynamic and positive religious force on the earth today.  In the face of all adversity, the Community teaches the true Islam globally in all its purity. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the foremost Islamic organization with a central spiritual leader, known as the Khalifa of Islam.  Over a century ago, the Promised Messiah(as) reminded his followers of God’s promise to safeguard the message of Islam through Khilafat (the spiritual institution of successorship to prophethood).  The Community believes that only spiritual successorship of Khilafat can uphold the true values of Islam and unite humanity. Five spiritual leaders have succeeded the Promised Messiah(as) since his demise in 1908.  Its fifth and current spiritual head is His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(AS). Under the leadership of Islamic Khilafat, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has now built over 16,000 Mosques, over 500 schools and over 30 hospitals.  It has translated the Holy Quran into over 70 languages.  It propagates the true teachings of Islam and message of peace and tolerance through 24 hour satellite television channel, Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (MTA), the internet – www.alislam.org and print media – Islam International Publications. The Community has been at the forefront of worldwide disaster relief through an independent charitable organization, Humanity First International. Annually, followers of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community mark 23rd of March as “The Promised Messiah(AS) Day.  This year is not an exemption as the Jama’at clocks 130 years on Saturday, 23rd March 2019. In his latest Friday sermon, the Amir (Head) Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria, Dr. Mashhud Adenrele Fashola said the anniversary was neither a birthday celebration nor jamboree.  He stated that Masih Maoud Day remembrance has to do with the spiritual and moral uprightness of all members.  He also said the importance of the day is to reflect on the teachings of Masih Maoud. “In terms of knowledge, no one is closer to the Holy Prophet(SAW) than the Promised Messiah(as).  If not for the advent of Prophet Muhammad(saw) we will not be existing today.  It is good to celebrate the companions of Holy Prophet(saw).  Their life styles are unparalleled, inconceivable and great.  We cannot match them in attributes.    We will be ungrateful if we don’t celebrate Hazrat Masih Maoud Day.  Our existence would be like that of an animal if not for his emergence,” Amir opined. Dr. Fashola affirmed that Prophet Muhammad(saw) was the greatest of all mankind due to his unflinching love for humanity showed through the sufferings and a lot of sacrifices he made, adding that it is incumbent on all Muslims to always invoke Darood (Praise) on him to receive abundant blessings from Almighty God. He noted: “The love Imam Mahdi(as) has for the Holy Prophet is unquantifiable.  It is a pity on those who neglected the advent of Imam Mahdi. They are practically neglecting the Holy Prophet of Islam.  Imam Mahdi came to continue the good works of the Holy Prophet(saw).” Highlighting the importance of the advent, the Amir said Imam Mahdi(as) came to teach complete obedience to the commandments of Almighty God.  That he (Imam Mahdi) brought back the peaceful teachings of Islam.  He further said the Promised Messiah brought back the spiritual and moral legacies of the Holy Prophet(saw).  He said that the advent led to the establishment of Khilafat Ahmadiyya. The Lagos State Branch of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria also marked the Masih Maoud Day at the Tahir Mosque, Ojokoro, Lagos. Maulvi Afzaal Ahmad Rauf, the Missionary Incharge who was the special guest of honour at the programme stated that it is imperative for all members including the children to follow the footsteps of Imam Mahdi(as) who was regarded as a staunch follower of the Holy Prophet(saw). He informed that the Promised Messiah(as) engaged in a lot of sacrifices and indeed observed fasting for a period of 60 days, all for the victory of Islam.  He said the dedication and supplication of Imam Mahdi towards this achievement cannot be overemphasized. “Imam Mahdi cherished Almighty Allah throughout his life.  Let us all love God and sacrifice our money, time and children for the sake of Allah.  The Promised Messiah was ever ready to sacrifice everything about him in the way of Allah.  Let’s inculcate the love of Allah in ourselves and our generations as exemplified by Imam Mahdi(as),” the Missionary Incharge said. The senior missionary sees the celebration as an opportunity for all members to renew their pledge and turn a new leaf.  He further advised that members must give complete obedience to Imam Mahdi and all the instructions of the Khilafat. Missionary Abdul Haadi Babarinde of the National Headquarters discussed on the topic: “Love and Obedience of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah(as) to the Holy Prophet(saw): An Excellent Model for Spiritual Upliftment.  He said Imam Mahdi expressed his love for Prophet Muhammad through obedience.  That he demonstrated the love in practices and way of life. He advised all Muslims to develop true love for Prophet Muhammad and follow his excellent virtues.  He said it is the best way of showing love for Almighty Allah. Another lecture titled: “Hazrat