This is the week in which Nigeria’s renowned ‘Citadel of knowledge Emeritus’, popularly known as Markaz, Agege, celebrates scholarship in full regarlia in the month of May, every year. In the first week of May every year, great men and women of letters from all walks of life, and from most countries of Africa, Europe and Asia, assemble on the campus of that great institution for a whole week.
This unique innovation began in 1998, six years after the demise of Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, the great founder of Markaz.
The ingenuous idea initiated by the current Rector of the Institution Sheikh Habibullah Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, is aimed at keeping aglow, the illuminating touch of learning, which was the hallmark of the late Sheikh Adam Al-Ilory’s lifestyle while alive.
Presentation of Papers
In the week, scholarly papers on various issues of interest and of concern to Islam and the Muslim Ummah are presented. Debates and symposia are also organized to resolve some knotty contemporary and primordial questions hitherto unanswered even as plenary sessions are held to deliberate and decide on further way forward.
Markaz Alumni
For the alumni of Markaz who often come from various parts of the world, ‘Scholars’ Week’ is a reminding forum of the good old days to update their knowledge and broaden their views of life. It also serves as an interactive session for professionals, clerics and scholars in other fields of learning. The week is like a modern day ‘Ukaz’ of yore in the Arabian Peninsula, where all valuable elements of scholarship used to compete for global intellectual attention.
Languages of discussion
The primary language of discussion, while the celebration lasts, is Arabic. This does not however limit the exercise to Arabic language alone. Presentation of papers in English, French and Yoruba is also welcome since no particular language has monopoly of knowledge. Nevertheless, Arabic is made the primary language of discussion for two obvious reasons. First is to provide scholars with an avenue to exhibit their Arabic knowledge and thereby boost their scholarly horizon in the language of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Second is to encourage the current students of Markaz and those of other Arabic and Islamic Institutions of learning who may be interested in imbibing the culture of scholarship par excellence which helped the founder of Markaz to pave scholarship way for others in life.
The 100 Greatest Nigerians of the century
At the twilight of the 20th century in 1999, the management of that magazine, led by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, (now the Director Geneal of News Agency of Nigeria), thought of putting together in a chronicled document, the most prominent 100 Nigerian men and women of the 20th century. The publication was entitled ‘PEOPLE IN THE NEWS 1900-1999: A SURVEY OF NIGERIANS OF THE 20TH CENTURY’.
Contributors
Some prominent Nigerian newspaper, editors, columnists and other versatile (but non-journalists) writers were selected and commissioned to write about the selected great Nigerians. Yours sincerely was one of them. And the two personalities assigned to me as an Islamic columnist were the late Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory and Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi. The 498 page book which was publicly presented with pump and pageantry at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Lagos can be called Nigeria’s 20th century ‘Hall of Fame.
Who is Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory?
To know who this colossal personality was, please, read elow what I wrote and was published in that book about Sheikh Adam Al-Ilory and his established famous Institution called Markaz:
“To Muslim communities of West Africa, two names (Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory and Markaz are synonymous and often used interchangeably. Only a few people know that Markaz is a name of an Institution while Sheikh Adam is the name of its founder. Both names jointly symbolize revolution not only in the method of propagating Islam in the sub-region but also in entrenching the divine language of the Qur’an in the heart and brain of those Muslims. The late Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory was both an Islamic scholar of international repute and a revolutionary.
Profile of Markaz
With the establishment of Markaz in 1952, Sheikh Adam introduced unp[recedented modernity and standardization into the study of Arabic and Islamic learning in West African sub-region, especially Nigeria.
No 20th century Muslim scholar, dead or alive, has had such a profound impact on West African Muslim communities, in terms of Arabic scholarship and Islamic propagation as Sheikh Adam. Before he established Markaz, there were scholars and there were madrasahs, (Qur’anic schools) no doubt, but such schools operated within a very narrow scope as their teaching methodology was very primitive and anachronistic
The old methodology
In the old madrasahs pupils were merely handed over to muallims clerics by their parents for tutoring without any agreement on what to teach them and for how long. Thus a pupil could serve his teacher for as long as 20 years or more in the name of learning to recite the Qur’an.
The Great Revolution
Sheikh Adam, who also passed through this pseudo servitude, noticed the anomaly and resolved to change it. To succeed in doing that however, he realized that he needed to equip himself educationally. Therefore, he moved from scholar to scholar, as a student, searching for any relevant knowledge that could assist him in fulfilling his dream. Two of his teachers in that process were Alfa Namaji (a Nupe cleric from Niger State) and one Alfa ‘Esin nio bi wa’ an Ilorin man who settled down in Ibadan, (now Oyo State). He also studied under a number of other knowledgeable Islamic clerics.
His academic sojourn in Cairo
He arrived in Cairo, Egypt, in the early 1940s, where he had an academic sojourn at the prestigious Al-Azhar University which is the oldest University in the world today having been established about 970 C.E by one Jawhar, a ‘Fatimid’ front liner.
In Cairo, Sheikh Adam saw with admiration how well organized madrasahs were and dreamt of estabkishing one on his return to Nigeria. He studied the Egyptian curricula of education and methodology of teaching both at the elementary and secondary schools levels.
Establishment of Markaz
With just meagre financial resources but relentless determination, he established his dreamt Markaz in Abeokuta, now Ogun State, on April 16, 1952. The Institution which was to become the centre of revolution in the teaching of Arabic and Islamic education in Nigeria, started with just 19 pupils and four teachers including Sheikh Adam himself. The founder’s foresight, however, would not allow Markaz to remain in Abeokuta for long. He moved the Institution to Agege in 1955.
Uniqueness of Markaz
The uniqueness of Markaz is not to be seen in the quality of education taught to the students alone. The modern teaching methodology and reformation with which the Institution is characterized confirm that uniqueness. It was in Markaz that the use of chalk and blackboard for teaching Arabic and Islamic education was first introduced in Nigeria. Hitherto, the teaching instruments were wooden slates and local ink. It was in Markaz of all madrasahs, that a curriculum was first introduced which classified studies into subjects while pupils were distributed into classrooms according to their levels. It was in Markaz that pupils of Arabic and Islamic education first wore uniform and sat on chairs rather than on floor while writing with pencil or pen in notebooks. It was in Markaz that written examination was first conducted as a means of assessing and promoting pupils from class to class while certificates were issued to successful madrasah graduates as a measure of their level of education. It was in Markaz that such facilities as dormitories, library, printing press and clinic were first provided for students.
Antagonism
However, for doing all these and for teaching students such subjects as syntax, morphology, logic, semantics, philosophy, geography, History, mathematics, and literature, Sheikh Adam was confronted with implacable hostility by the local, traditional Alfas who saw the new revolution as a cultural affront. That hostility became aggravated when Sheikh Adam added a Central Jum’at Mosque different from that of Agege Township to Markaz where he translated the Friday Arabic sermon into Yoruba language. But the courageous scholar remained undaunted.
First graduation ceremony
With the first graduation ceremony of Markaz in 1957, however, which many people watched with admiration, Sheikh Adam won a landmark victory for his revolution. Following that graduation, some ambitious local Alfas swallowed their envy by shelving their pride and enrolled in Markaz as students to improve their knowledge and undergo tutelage in the modern teaching methodology.
Some of these Alfas came from various parts of Nigeria as well as neighbouring countries like Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cote de Voire, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Cameroon as well as Sierra Leone and Senegal. After graduation, each of them went back to their home countries to establish similar Institutions in their domains under the umbrella of Markaz.
Products of Markaz
Today, thousands of products of Markaz and those of the affiliate Institutions are University graduates in various fields of discipline. Scores of them are highly placed in their professional callings.
Today, Markaz can proudly regale in the galaxy of its products who are holding sway in virtually all fields of human endeavour. Among these are Professors such as Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and now the Registrer of JAMB; Professor Abdur-Razak Deremi Abubakar, a former Vice Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State; The late Professor Shuaib Uthman, formerly of Usman Dan Fodio University, Skoto; Professor Murtada Aderemi Bidmus, a former Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, to mention but just a few. There are many other Markaz products with Ph.D. degrees. There are also Medical Doctors; Lawyers; Engineers; Ambassadors; Journalists (including yours sincerely), Architects; Accountants; Bankers; Pharmacists; Surveyors; Civil Servants; Business men and women as well as Secondary School Principals and teachers; name it. They all exemplify the great Institution’s anthem which we often chant emotionally with relish.
His ascetic lifestyle
Despite Sheikh Adam’s financial constraints, and his close relationship with the Arab world, he never sought financial aid from any foreign country. Not only did he believe that such a quest was capable of diminishing one’s social status and dignity, he also resented begging in whatever form as a means of fulfilling an ambition. Naturally, Sheikh Adam was an ascetic person who shunned avarice in all its ramifications. And due to his ascetic nature, he was highly respected by personalities like the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the late General Murtala Muhammed, the late Bashorun MKO Abiola, the late General Abdul Baqi Babatunde Idiagbon and even Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
League of Imams and Alfas
In 1963, Sheikh Adam initiated the formation of the League of Imams and Alfas of the South West of Nigeria. He was a co-founder of that League to which he served as Secretary General till his demise in 1992 after turning down his nomination as President. He was also the initiator and leader of the ten man team that translated the Qur’an from Arabic into Yoruba.
Awards
He was the first black African to win the coveted Egyptian intellectual Gold Medal Award in Arabic Literature, which was presented to him by President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt in 1989. He had earlier, in 1975, won the Muritanian International Award for Islamic Scholarship, which was presented to him by the late President Moukhtar Ould Dada of Mauritania.
Sheikh Adam traveled far and wide in the Arab world, Europe and Asia attending many academic and Islamic conferences where he often presented scholarly papers. He was a member of many international academic and Islamic bodies in Africa, Middle East and Asia.
Born in Ilorin to Alfa Abdul Baqi and Madam Aisha, in 1917, Sheikh Adam who died on May 3, 1992 was married and blessed with many children. One of those children, Sheikh Habibullah Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, is the current Rector of Markaz.
