Great Speeches
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 21 - SUNDAY 22, DECEMBER 2013
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How we converted 60,000 to Islam in five months, by Sardauna Speech delivered by Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna Premier of the Northern Nigeria at a meeting of Muslim World league held in Mecca Muharram, 1383/1964 AD Dear Brothers, Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
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our days ago, I felt highly honoured when I was invited to speak at a dinner party given by the Pakistani Ambassador on trends of Islamic affairs in the world. Again, I am being called upon this afternoon to address another very important and distinguished gathering of Muslims from all over the world. Before so doing I must apologise to my listeners for my inability to attend the meeting of the Muslim World League which I am proud to belong to. I am confident that you will appreciate that as a head of a young emerging region of Nigeria I always have commitments to attend to most of the time. Your Excellencies: I have been greatly honoured by being selected as the first member of the Constitute Council of this Organisation and I must admit that both myself and my people are very proud of this highest honour. Despite the fact that I had not been able to attend the previous conference, yet, I was able to pursue with all the vigour at my disposal the required expansion of our great religion. Some years ago, I had the privilege of discussing problems confronting our religion of Islam with some Muslim Heads of States. There I made it quite clear that differences exist in some schools of thoughts in connection with how to deal with these Islamic problems. In one school, it has been stressed that the best formation would be that of Arab League, and another school to which I belong feel that we ought to have one organization for all Muslims as God has enshrined in His Holy Book, “The Qur’an”, where it has been emphasized that Muslims are brothers wherever they may be. It is a most difficult task for any individual to carry out a big expansion work of our great religion. It is therefore necessary for us to bring our heads together and formulate a master plan and efficient organization which will be able to withstand the present day world of competition. I have personally devoted my life to the cause of Islam, and because of that, I am prepared to sacrifice, and I am sacrificing already, all that I Posses towards that cause. It will please you dear brothers, to hear that in my endeavour to expand the religion of Islam, I have by the grace of God been able to convert some 60,000 non-Muslims in my region to Islam within a period of five months, i.e. from November, 1963 to March, 1964. Prior to this remarkable achievement, I have successfully been able to build several mosques in as many suitable centres as possible having regard to the resources at my disposal. These mosques have proved to be a great source of encouragement towards Islam particularly amongst the communities of areas where many people have been newly converted. Futhermore, the government of Northern Nigeria of which I am the head, has made arrangements whereby religion is taught in all government schools. Throughout the region there are over a million copies of Qur’an in schools scattered about in every corner of
towns and villages. A Qur’anic Teachers Training College has been opened and an Arabic Faculty has also been opened as part of Ahmadu Bello University. During the colonial era in my country, our learned sheiks were treated with contempt by the imperialists and the result was that they (the Sheiks) do not show any interest in the world current affairs which resulted in the slow progress of Islam. However, my government has now created an Islamic Advisory Committee consisting of learned sheiks who advise me and my government on means of promoting Islamic religion, culture and unity among the people. This committee has very useful work and there is already a sign of achieving our goal. The enthusiasm shown by all, particularly the young ones who are the leaders of tomorrow, is remarkable. I am giving the first report of the committee to our league for information. It is not enough just to accept the advice of the committee but action must follow. Private Qur’anic and Islamic schools are being reorganised and assisted financially by my government. new society under my patronage has just been formed and has been given the name Jama’at el-Nasrul Islam. Its activities cover the whole of Northern Nigeria and a copy of the report on the formation of the society and its constitution is also available for the information of yourselves, my beloved brothers. The society has already embarked on a large scale programme for the training of Muslim missionaries and opening of primary schools one of which is already in operation. A magazine in Nigerian vernacular and English has started to be produced for the improvement of Islamic general knowledge among the masses.
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Dear Brothers. You can see that the programmes on which I am working requires a large scale of international organization as is done by the Christian missionaries. I am therefore appealing to all of us to come together and work out a master plan with all its implications, financial or otherwise especially as there are other forces working against us. In this regard, I may refer to the tremendous financial aid that the Christian missionaries are receiving all over the world from Europe, America, and other Christian countries because of which they are able to provide hospitals, welfare clinics, schools and other amenities, which owing to lack of similar financial aid, we are in no position to provide at present. It is also fitting at this juncture for
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Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna of Sokoto me to mention the numerous attempts being made by the Jews to enter under-developed countries to get them to their side. Barely two years ago had they offered a sizeable amount of loan to the federation of Nigeria. The offer was accepted by all the Governments of the Federation except we in the North who rejected it out right. I made it vividly clear at the time that Northern Nigeria would prefer to go without development rather than receiving an Israeli loan or aid. We took this step only in good faith as Muslims, but not in anticipation of any assistance forthcoming from any of our sister Muslim countries up till now we have not found any alternative but I hope that our brothers that are better off will take note of this. have only given these examples to show how genuinely we in Northern Nigeria have been at times suffering and how single handedly we have been working for the cause of Islam and which we shall continue so long as our lives last. I have earlier spoken of conver-
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It will please you dear brothers, to hear that in my endeavour to expand the religion of Islam, I have by the grace of God been able to convert some 60,000 nonMuslims in my region to Islam within a period of five months, i.e. from November, 1963 to March, 1964.
sion of non Muslim to Islam. I would like to say that this is only the beginning as there are other areas we have not yet tapped. I hope when we clean Nigeria we will go further-afield in Africa. Dear Brothers, I now wish to turn to the activities of our great secretariat. There is no doubt that all of us here witnessed the efficient way the secretariat, under the direction of our able Secretary General, has been carrying out its duties. We are most grateful to the Secretary and his staff and I hope that the high standard of work set up will forever continue to be maintained. I also wish to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Saudi Arabian Government and in particular his Majesty King and his Prime Minister Amir Faisal for their keen interest and initiative in organizing this responsible organization and its constituent council. May, Allah reward them with Jannah, Amen. must also ask all Muslims to do away with three differences of lour, personal gains and petty jealousies and come together and work for the common good of this religion which can act, if strictly followed, as the contenting factor of the existence of our world. Finally, I wish to stress the importance of action rather than words. If we must achieve our aims, all Muslims must unite and act together and I am convinced that Allah will help us in this great task that we face. I pray that deliberations and resolution of our league will be in the cause of Allah. To Him alone we entrust our deeds and to Him alone we look for help and guidance.
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