Message for the mosque (cont’d)

The message in the mosque is for the worshippers to be guided on the right path, so that in turn, they can spread it to other people to follow the words of Allah the Almighty.

The Prophet Mouhammed (SAW) was the first to come from the “School of Allah.”

Then Allah sent the Prophet Mouhammed to spread the message to his people.  Sura Ahzab V.45-47: states  “O prophet! Truly we have sent thee as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings.  And a warner.  And as one who invites to Allah’s (grace) by his leave, and as a lamp spreading light.  Then give the glad tidings to be believers, that they shall have from Allah a very great bounty.”

The holy Quran stated in many verses, emphasising that the prophet (SAW) should continue spreading the message forever.

Sura Hajj V.67:”.......But do thou invite (them) to thy Lord: for thou out assuredly on the right way.” Sura Qasas also states in 87-88:” Let no one turn you away from Allah’s revelations after they have been revealed to thee: and invite (men) to thy Lord and be not of the company of those who join Gods with Allah.

And call not, besides Allah, on another God.  There is no God but He.  Everything (that exists) will perish except His Face.  To Him belongs to command. And to Him will ye (All) be brought back.  “Sura Ra’ad V.36 states:”..... say I am commanded to worship Allah, and not to join partners with Him.  Unto Him do I call, and unto Him is my return.”

The profession of Prophet (Mouhammed) (SAWS) on earth was to spread the message of Allah to the people:  to follow the right path, to leave what was forbidden and follow the right way set up by the Almighty.  Prophet Mouhammed continued this way until after his death, and the Almighty rewarded him.

This verse marks the end of prophet Mouhammed’s (SAWS) mission on this earth.  In Sura Maida V.3 states: “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you, And have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”

The Prophets who came before Prophet Mouhammed (SAWS) were spreading the same message.  To follow the right path and Allah’s command.  Sura Araf V. 59 states about Prophet Noah and his people. It said: “We sent Noah to his people He said: O my people! Worship Allah! ye have no other God but Him.  I fear for you the punishment of a dreadful day.”

Prophet Salih was sent to his people to spread Allah’s message stated in Sura Araf V.73: “To the Thamud people (we send) Salih one of their own brethren He said: “O my people ! Worship Allah, ye have no other God but Him........”

“To every people that passed on this earth, I have send a messenger to spread my call (Allah) to worship me.” Sura Nahl V.36 states: “For we assuredly sent amongst every people a messenger, (with the command) serve Allah, and eschew evil.  Of the people were some whom Allah guided, and some on whom error became inevitably (established).  So travel  through the earth, and see what was the end of those who denied (the truth).”

To be able to spread the word of Allah that was done by the prophets; the particular person should have the following: - should understand the message before being able to spread it.

-to believe in the message that it is from Allah, if not your mind can change.  The belief should be in side your heart; noting can turn you away from this message.

-to have connection with Allah; to believe that He is always seeing you and by your side.

If one of these mentioned is missing then the message will not be properly spread.  Only knowledge can help you to be able to do this.  Knowledge is the key to any work, especially the work of the Almighty.

-Since you always mentioned Allah’s name to spread His word, you should be strong and clear in what you say.  Also when quoting the Prophet Mouhammed (SAWS).

If your preaching is not based on concrete evidence, it can create problems for you, because it is not based on the Holy Quran or hadith of the Prophet (SAWS).

According to Imam Ibnu Hambal “knowledge is necessary to man as he needs oxygen.  It is more valuable that eating and drinking.  “One can eat and drink once a day, but oxygen is needed throughout his life time.”

Allah said he is a “learned scholar”.  Sura Zumar V:46 states: “Say O Allah creator of the heavens and the earth! knower of all that is hidden and open.......”  knowledge is valuable to Allah.  He even swear on the pen as in Sura Qalam V.1: “Nun, by the pen and by the (record) which (men) write.”

The first creature on earth Adam was taught by Allah.  Sura Baqara V.31-32: “And the taught Adam the names of all things, then He placed them before the angels and said: “Tell me the names of these if ye are right.  They said Glory to thee of knowledge.  We have none; save what thou hast taught us; in truth it is thou who art perfect is knowledge and wisdom.”

All the Prophets of Allah have knowledge, even the last Prophet, Mouhammed (SAWS) was learned, to be able to preach to the people.  Sura Iqraa states in V.1-4: “Proclaim (or read) in the name of thy Lord and cherisher, who created-created man, one of a leech-like clot.  Proclaim! And thy Lord Is most bountiful, He who taught (the use of) the pen.”

Those who have knowledge of Allah and make use of it are different from the ignorant ones.  Sura Zumar V.9 states: “Say; Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.”

The one spreading the message should not add or subtract anything, should not tell lies to gather people or for money.  He should be straight forward and do it as done by Prophet Mouhammed (SAWS).  Sura Kahf V.29 states: “Say, the truth from your Lord, let him who will, believe and let him will reject.....”

Editor,

Please give me some space to congratulate His Excellency, the President, Alhaji Dr Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, on celebrations marking the 14th anniversary of the July 22nd Revolution.

22nd July is a day that is worth celebrating, because for some of us, it has some independence connotation. I think everybody should agree that what we have achieved within this short period, we couldn’t do it in over 30 years of independence. Gambians should be really proud of His Excellency.

I call on all Gambians - be they at home or abroad – to give the president a hand so that his dream for The Gambia will come through soonest. Insha Allah, the Almighty Allah will guide and protect us, because he has good intentions for The Gambia, our beloved motherland.
Long live President Jammeh; long live The Gambia. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Ali Hydara

U.K

The Imam Ratib of Banjul, Alhagie Cherno Kah and other Imams and Muslim elders in Banjul, last Sunday, conducted  special prayers at the Independence Drive Mosque ahead of the July 22nd celebration and the rainy season.  

The aim of the worship (Ibadat) was to invoke Allah’s blessings on President Yahya Jammeh and the nation for successful observation of the 14th anniversary celebration and a blessed rainy season.

Speaking at the gathering, Alieu Mboge, committee leader of Banjul Muslim Elders said, "we are here today to pray for the commemoration of July 22 celebration and the 14 years of revolution.  The importance of this prayer is to ask Allah to bless President Jammeh and his government for maintaining peace in this country”.

For his part Dr. Ebou Samba, vice chairman of Banjul Muslim Elders said "what we are doing here is to pray for President Jammeh and his government, because the peace we are enjoying here is not prevailing in most other countries in the world". He said that they will continue to pray for peace to remain in The Gambia for ever.

Present at the meeting where hundreds of Muslims in Banjul, including Abdoulie Taal, chairman of Banjul Muslim Committee.

Message for the Mosque (cont’d)

Allah created the earth for man to live on and to worship Him, and sing praises to the Almighty. For all that He has done for him. The Prophet Mouhammed (SAWS) stated:”

All the clean places on this earth where you can pray is a mosque”.

It is stated in many hadiths. It is narrated by Abu said Khudri that the Prophet (SAWS) said:

“The whole earth is a mosque (to pray on) except a graveyard and a toilet.” Allah’s messenger, the Prophet (SAWS) said:” The direction between the east and the West is a Qiblah. Reported by Tumidhi and Al-Bukhari. According to Ibu Umar, the Prophet (SAWS) said: “It is forbidden to pray at seven places: - a dump, a slaughter house, a graveyard, the middle of the path, a bathroom, and where camels sit at a watering place and the top (roof) of the Kaaba”.

The first mosque built by the Prophet (SAWS) in medina is called Masjud Khuba. It was a meeting of worship with the Sahabas. Allah was satisfied with the way they maintain the mosque and even praised them in the Holy Quran.

Stated in Sura Tamba V.108-109:” There is a mosque whose foundation was laid from the first day on piety: it is more worthy of thy standing forth (for prayer) there in. In it are men who love to be purified: and Allah loveth those who make themselves pure. Whose then is the best? - he that layeth his foundation on piety to Allah and His good pleasure? - or he that layeth his foundation on an undermined sand - chiff.

Ready to crumble to pieces? And it doth crumble to pieces with him, into the fire of Hell.

And Allah guideth not people that do wrong”.

After Prophet (SAWS) there where some mosques who follow the teachings of the Prophet Mouhammed (SAWS) to his Sahabas during his time. Among them is Al-Azhar Sheriff in Cairo, Egypt. It is not only a mosque, but a school is included, whatever man has to know about this earth and between him and Allah is taught there. Each and every country has send someone to study in Al-Azhar.

Those students gain a lot of knowledge. After their return they were able to teach their people.

Another well-known place is Mecca and Medina where Islamic Scholars came from - Zitouna University in Tunis. Bani Umaiyata in Damascus Syria respectively.

The scholars who graduated from these schools spread the message of the Prophet (SAWS) throughout the whole world. Allah stated that these scholars are the preachers to lead people in the right direction. Sura Anbuyai V.73: “And we made them leaders, guiding (men) by our command, and we inspired them to do good deeds, to establish regular prayers. And to give Zakat and they constantly served us (and us only).

“There is no service on earth that should prevent them from answering Allah’s call. Sura Ahzab states in V.23-24: “Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah of them some have died and some (still) wait: But they have never changed (their determination) in the least:

The Allah may reward the men of truth for their truth, and punish the Hypocrites if that be His will, or turn to them in mercy: for Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful”.

The Almighty owns all the mosques on this planet. The role of the Imams in those mosques is to lead the daily prayers and preach the word of Allah to the worshippers.

Surajinn V.18:” And the places of worship are for Allah (alone) so invoke not anyone along with Allah.” There is nobody who has the right to prevent any worshippers from entering the mosque to perform his prayers. One can pray in any mosque that the prefers.

Sura Baqara V.114-145 states: “And who is more unjust than he who forbids that in places for the worship of Allah, his name should be celebrated? Whose Zeal Is (in fact) to ruin them it was not fitting that such should themselves enter them except in fear. For them there is nothing but disgrace in this world, and in the world to come, an exceeding torment”. To Allah belong the East and the West: Whithersoever ye turn, there is Allah’s face, for Allah is All- embracing.

All knowing.”

The names chosen for the mosques is for identification, because there are many mosques, but not for ownership.

During the Prophet’s time the mosque was their parliment. He used to receive guests, perform marriages, solve differences between his people, help the poor and the needy. Any mosque that is built because of Allah, should emulate the Prophet Mouhammed (SAWS). In the mosque, there should be space to teach children different skills, like sewng. The mosque is a place to solve problems and not to create it.

The Prophet used to choose learned scholars who are always in the mosque to preach to the worshippers. Sura Tauba V.18 states: “The mosque of Allah shall be visited and maintained by such as believe in Allah and the last Day, establish regular prayers, And pay Zakat, and fear None (at all)accept Allah. It is they who are expected to be on true guidance.

When building a mosque, one should seek the reward of Allah and not to be praised. Allah stated: “There are some people who work a lot on earth, but will end up with nothing, because it was not done for the Almighty. Sura Furhan V.23 states:” And we shall turn to whatever deeds they did (in this life), and we shall make sure Kahf V.103-104: “Say: shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?

To be continued

Lovelines

My boyfriend asks my hands in marriage but I refused. It was not my intention to refuse but due to the fact that whenever I see him it seems that I should take a knife and stabs him. He is married to another lady now but since then I couldn’t eat nor sleep. I think about him all days because I still love him. Is there any solution to this?   

Asiha

Well it is too late to cry when the head is off. I think you need a total deliverance from temptation because you did not give any special reason for this your intention. Before going further I will help you to thank Allah for not allow you to carry out that evil decision. Please try to pray fervently against such evil thought for future purpose. I will advice you to forget about the man because your evil thought has drove him away from you. So take heart and put it beside you so that you can move forward. Your fate husband will come when it is time. Give me a call to talk to you more about this. Good luck!

Message for the Mosque
All the mosques on this earth belongs to Allah.  They are the houses of Allah on this earth prophet Mouhammed (SAWS) stated in hadith “Qudsi” that the Almighty stated.

“The houses of Allah on earth are the mosques, those who pray in the mosques are the ones who maintenance them.  “ The Almighty will vewald the one who perform abolution in his house and go to the mosque to pay a visit (Pray) to Allah.

The “Qibla” of all the mosques is the Kaaba in Mecca. It (Kaaba) is the first place that Allah built on this earth for worship.  It is stated in sura Al-Intan V.96.  “The first house (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka; full of blessing and of guidance for all the worlds.”  

Allah chose one of his blessed prophets called Abraham and his son Ismail to complete the building of the Kaaba and remove all idols, so that people can worship Allah in there. Sura Hajj V.26.  “Behold!  We pointed the site to Abraham, of the (sacred) house, (saying).  “Associate not anythig (in worship) with me and sanctify my house for those who compass it round, or stand up, or bow, or prostrate themselves (theiein in prayer).”

After showing the prophet (SAWS) the Kaaba, Allah ordered him to face the Kaaba when praying with his people.  Sura Baqara V.144. “ we see the twining of they face (for guidance) to the heavens: how shall we turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee.  Tune then thy face in the direction of the sacred mosque wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction.  The people of the book know well that is the truth from their lord, nor is Allah unmindful of what thy do.”

Allah told them; to enter the mosque with clean clothes, clean heart and because of Allah only.  Sura Araf V.31 states: “O children of Adam!  Weat your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer.

Sura Yunus V.87 states.  “We inspired moses and his brother with this message; provide dwellings for your people in Egypt, make your divellings into places of worship and establish regular prayers and give glad tidings to those who believe!”

Nowadays, mosques are different from the time of prophet Mouhammed (SAWS).  The facilities that is available now in the mosques were not so.  They (prophet’s time) used to find a place of worship, covered on top, it was for worshipping the Almighty.

The construction of the prophet’s mosque Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar.  In the life time of Allah’s messenger the (Prophet’s) mosque was built of a adobe, its roof of the leaves of date-palms and its pillars of the stems of date-palms and changing the pillars into wooden ones.  Uthman changed it by expanding it to a great extent and build its walls with engraved stones and lime and made its pillars of engraved stones and its roof of teak wood.

The prophet (SAWS) advised us to cooperate in building a mosque.  He was among the once who brought the sand and bricks in the construction of his (prophet Mouhammed) mosque.

Narrated Abu said Al-khudri that one day he preached and then mentioned about the construction of mosque and said. “We were carrying one above at a time while Ammar was carrying two.  The prophet (SAWS) saw him and started removing the dust from his body and started removing the dust from his body and said: “may Allah be merciful to Ammar, a rebellious group will kill him.  He will be inviting them (his murderers, the rebellious group) to Paradise, and they will invite him to Hell-fire.

Ammar said “I seek refuge with Allah from Al-fitan.”

The person who build a mosque for worshippers will be highly rewarded by Allah.  Narrated Ubaidullah Al-Khaulani: “I heard Uthman bin affan saying, when people argued too much about his intention to reconstruct the mosque of Allah’s messenger, you have talked too much i heard the prophet saying whoever build a mosque, with the intention of seeking Allah’s pleasure Allah will build for him a similar place in Paradise.”

Prayers

We continue our discussion on prayers. Allah always answer to our prayers, but we are not satisfied with the way that our prayers are answered. It does not mean that Allah does not have anything left or there is just a little left. The Creator is always around and has everything that do not finish. Sura Munafiqun V.7 states.“....But to Allah belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth; but the Hypocrites understand not. “Sura Fatir V.2 states: “What Allah out His Mercy doth bestow on mankind none can with hold; what He doth withhold. None can grant. Apart from Him: And He is the exalted in power, full of Wisdom.”

Nowadays muslims do not take the islamic religion seriously. They worship in their own way, instead of following the right path.They perform their daily prayers at their convenience.

When they are busy doing other things, the prayers have to wait for them. During the month of fasting, they do it at the time that suits them. Now Zakat is not given out properly, they do not care about the poor and needy. Only a few perform the pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca and its is one of the five pillars.

Evil is encouraged now instead of good deeds.As for wealth, they can get it any how, whether it is legal or illegal. Now money is our religion. Sura Takathur V.1-2 states:” The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things) until ye visit the graves”. Now people do not worship, Allah or teach their children how to do it.  They are not afraid of Allah.

Allah commands us to turn back, leave every forbidden act and worship Him, so that He will always be there for us. Sura Zumar states in V.54-59: “Turn ye to your Lord (in repentance) and submit to Him, before the Chastisement comes on you: After that ye shall not Be helped. And follow the best that which was revealed to you from your Lord Before the chastisement comes on you - of a sudden, while ye perceive not. Lest the soul should (then) say: Ah! Woe is me! In that I neglected (my duty) towards Allah, and was but among those who mocked!

Or (lest) it should say: If only Allah had guided me, I should certainly have been among the righteous!

Or (lest) it should say when it (actually) sees the chastisement: If only I had another chance, I should certainly be among those who do good!

(The reply will be:) Nay But there came to thee my signs, and thou didst reject them: thou wast haughty, and became one of those who reject faith”.

Allah wants something from man and vice versa (man also wants the same thing). If man does what our Creator orders, then he will be rewarded and will not be punished tomorrow.

It is narrated that Mu adh bin Jabal said! I was riding behind the prophet on a donkey and he said to me O Muadh, do you know what is the right of the slaves upon Allah?

I responded:” Allah and His Messenger know best”. He continued:” The right of Allah upon His slaves, is to worship Him alone and never to associate anything with Him. The right of slaves upon Him is not to punish any person who does not associate anything with Him”.

I said: “O Allah’s Messenger, may I not give the glad tidings to the people? He replied: “No, do not inform them lest they rely on (this promise and lapse in their service to him)”.

It is narrated by Hudhaifa bin Al Yaman that:” the people used to ask Allah’s Messenger about good, but I used to ask him about evil for fear that it might over take me. Once I said, O Allah’s Messenger! We were in ignorance and in evil and Allah has bestowed upon us the present good; will there be any evil after this good? He said “Yes” I asked” will there be good after that evil?” He said, “yes, but it would be tainted with Dakhan (that is little evil) “I asked” what will its Dakhan be? “He said: There will be some people who will lead (people) according to principles other than any As Sunna (legal ways). You will see their actions and disapprove of them. “I said “will there be any evil after that good?”

He said: “There will be some people who will invite others to the gates of Hell, and whoever accepts their invitation to it will be thrown in it (by them).” I said” O Allah’s Messenger! Describe those people to us.” He said “They will belong to us and speak our language”. I asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! What do you order me to do if such a thing should take place in my life? “He said: “Adhere to the group of muslims and their chief”. I asked “If there is neither a group (of muslims) nor a chief (what shall I do)?” He said, “Keep away from all those different sects, even if you had to bite (that is eat) the root of a tree, till you meet Allah while you are still in that state”.

Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice-president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs on Friday, received Archbishop Cardinal Theodore Adrien Sarr of Senegal in her office at State House, Banjul.

Accompanied to State House by Patrick Robert Ellison (CSSP), the Bishop of Banjul and Pierre LM Sarr, liaison officer between the government and the Catholics in the country, Cardinal Sarr’s visit was meant to celebrate with the Gambian Catholic family of his nomination as Cardinal by Pop Benedict 16th, on 24th November, 2007, in Rome, Italy.

Speaking to journalists soon after his audience with Vice-President Njie-Saidy, Cardinal Sarr expressed deep appreciation at the warmed welcome accorded to him by both the Catholic and the Muslim communities in The Gambia. He stated that his visit is also meant to join the Gambian Catholic family in celebrating and thanking Allah for such a gift through Pop Benedict 16th.

“During my nomination as Cardinal, both Catholics and Muslims in Senegal, The Gambia and the entire West Africa were deeply touched. This manifested that we are the same, more particularly The Gambia and Senegal. I honoured the invitation of Bishop Ellison to visit The Gambia and celebrate with the population, as well as thank Allah as Cardinal is very important in the Catholic faith,” he said.

He then called for Muslim-Christian cordial relations, saying “we should be united, ensure peace. This is what God needs”. He then highlighted some issues in his discussion with Vice-president Njie-Saidy, including nurturing the continuous excellent Muslims-Christian relations.

For his part, Patrick Robert Ellison (CSSP), the Bishop of Banjul, described the visit as important to the Catholic community, noting that being a Cardinal is very important and a special privilege.. He stated that there are only 120 Cardinals in the whole Catholic church around the world. “So if an African and a Senegambian is nominated by Pop Benedict 16th as a Cardinal, both Senegal and The Gambia should be proud of it,” he said.

He then highlighted the relations that Cardinal Sarr has in The Gambia and described the visit as not only because he is a Catholic, but as a member of the Sarr family whose immediate family are also in The Gambia. He then stated that the visit will greatly strengthen the faith of the Catholic community, saying “Cardinal Sarr is a man of God, faith and deep conviction and someone who has great concern for Muslim-Christian relations”.

During his four-day visit, Cardinal Sarr was hosted to a reception, celebrated a mass at St Peter’s Church in Lamin, where he confirmed 60 young Gambians into the Christian faith. He also met the elders of the Supreme Islamic Council last Saturday and attended a celebration at the Cathedral Church in Banjul on Sunday before his departure yesterday.

(1976: the Year of Soweto’s youth and the beginning of the end for Apartheid)

A personal appreciation

by Dida Halake, Daily Observer, 2006,

"Dwell on the past and you lose an eye;

forget the past and you lose both eyes"

Russian proverb

This book, with the blessings of Allah, is responsible for the lives of Hassan Kah-Halake, Jainaba Jallow-Halake and little Hassan Jallow-Halake, my three beautiful Gambian children. Similarly, it is also responsible for "HassanKunda" compound in Kotu, "Al-Hassan Library" at Kotu Senior School and "Al-Hassan Madrassa" in Mandinari. It is also responsible presently, in 2008, for the work that I do as the MD and editor-in-chief of the Daily Observer in The Gambia. Yes indeed, just a book bought off the shelf in a Scottish University bookshop in 1977, and then taught in my London school in 1992, brought me to The Gambia for the first time in 1993 … and the rest, as they say, is history.

Like many of us Africans, I have had a spiritual meeting with Alex Haley, although I never met him in person while he was alive. The 1950s, 1960s and 1970s can fairly be described as decades of Black Renaissance and people like Haley shown a torch in the path that many of us tried to follow most willingly.

As a school-boy Librarian in Nairobi in 1975, I ordered and read Alex Haley’s mind-blowing Autobiography of Malcolm X – which, with the writings of Frantz Fanon and Steve Biko, firmly established the route my intellectual development, and community education career, has taken during the past 30 years. My first reading of ROOTS the book was in 1977, but my first real experience of the story was in 1978 when British TV dramatized it. It was from ROOTS that I learnt the importance of the above Russian proverb above as it applies across African societies – listen to Haley the Griot:

"A famous Moro was to visit their village … five of his students were with him, each carrying bundles that Kunta knew would contain treasured Arabic books … first he read from the Koran, then from unheard of books such as Taureta La Musa, the Zabora Dawidi and the Lingeeli la Isa . . . The past seemed with the present, the present with the future; the dead with the living and those yet to be born; he himself with his family, his mates, his village, his tribe, his Africa; the world of animals and growing things – they all lived with Allah. Kunta felt very small, yet very large. Perhaps, he thought, this is what it means to be a man". ROOTS p.104/105

"Perhaps he thought, this is what it means to be a man" – or, perhaps, this is what it means to be rooted in the continuum of a human society.

The tragedy of much of Africa and the Black Diaspora today is that the specifically European practice of slavery and colonialism shattered so violently that continuum; that "oneness" with one’s past, with one’s present, with one’s society, with one’s God; ultimately that sense of being at one with one’s SELF. Reading at the same time a history of my own Ethiopian-Kenyan Oromo people entitled GADA: three approaches to the study of an African society by Dr. Asmarom Legesse, I became very aware of the need for us Africans to understand and appreciate our past histories, cultures and traditions as we face a new future in a Global Village dominated by MacDonalds, CNN, Will Smith and Hip-Hop.

The other day I sneaked-up on my two and a half year old daughter Jainaba with a video camera as she sat in the Bantaba imitating her grandfather’s prayer recitation: "Allahu Akbar!" she shouted at the top of her voice … just as her ancestors have done in this part of Africa for a thousand years … then she distributed the Zakat! Whenever I get the urge to bring Jainaba to the UK, I watch that short video clip on my computer and get re-assured that my determination to have her growing up in The Gambia is absolutely correct.

Kunta’s response to the biblical stories told by his teachers in this western corner of Africa is no different to that which we grew up with in the Horn of Africa. Our connections to the world of the prophets is such that I called my father "Abba" – not in the biblical religious sense but because it is the only word for father amongst my Oromo people. Reading GADA excited me in the same way that Alex Haley was moved when he met a Gambian diplomat at the UN while researching ROOTS and discovered that the word "bolong" meant "river".

Suddenly he linked his slave ancestors and their stories about "bolong" to a specific place in the world, suddenly he found his "roots". Of course, I was born into my people and lived amongst them for 7 years, but refugeenisation and subsequent European miss-education meant that I was alienated from my own history and cultural background by the time I became an adult. In the pages of GADA the name Dida seemed to be the most common amongst the historical individuals mentioned and even an area called "Dida Galgallu Desert" was on one of the maps in the book. Wow! It blew my mind just as the word "bolong" below Alex Haley’s mind when he spoke to a Gambian diplomat at the UN in New York.

I was a student in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1978 sharing a Pan-Africanist flat with two other African students, one an Igbo from Port Harcourt and the other an "Americo-Liberian" from Monrovia. The Igbo areas happened to be one of the main slave exporting centres of Nigeria and Liberia happened to be one of the two places in West Africa where freed-slaves were returned – hence the "Americo-Liberian" identity.

At our College we were quite political and very involved in radicalizing other African students to support the African struggles for freedom both in the then Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and in the then racist Apartheid South Africa. I was thrust to the forefront of all of these as the African Students’ Representative on the Student’s Union Executive (an old Scottish newspaper cutting remains to remind me that we fought for basic things like housing too).

The Rhodesian student ("Zimbabwe!" he would shout to anyone who called his country after the hated Englishman) was an amazing character. He was the only one from amongst our group who enjoyed beer (thanks to British civilization, the African countries they settled such as Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda are the most violent, most alcoholic and consequently Aids-ridden ones in Africa today – rather odd that BBC’s Focus on Africa never mentions this fact of British civilization!).

My Zimbabwean friend’s reaction to the dramatization of ROOTS on British TV remains vivid in my mind to this day. Whenever ROOTS came on TV, he became deadly silent and totally glued to the TV set and remained so until the programme ended. At the end, he was so emotionally charged that any discussion of what we had just seen seemed impossible.

In African countries like The Gambia, which thanks to the hated mosquito remained un-grabbed by Europeans and survived the worst of European colonialism, people will find it difficult to understand why Mugabe and Mandela would rather die than compromise with the settlers and their governments in Europe – in ROOTS they had to cut off Kunta Kinte’s foot before he would agree to be called by the slave-master’s given name of "Toby".

But what Kunta Kinte and his kind were fighting so hard to safeguard, our cultural heritage and African identity, many of his descendants seem too embarrassed to claim nowadays. One of the things we lose very quickly, whether it is our young people at home or adults living in Europe and America, is the self-respect and dignity that we learnt early at our mothers feet whether growing up in the Kenyan highlands or the Fulani heartlands of Guinea’s Futa Jallon:

"… displaying the dignity and self-command that his mother had taught him were the proudest traits of the Mandinka tribe" ROOTS, p. 21

Because we wish to imitate Will Smith and Eddie Murphy who shout and scream like lunatics in the "Prince of Bel Air" and "Police Academy", we forget the dignity and respect of our cultures and behave in the same manner infront of our elders. But it is not my intention to blame young people for going astray. Another Russian proverb says that "A fish rots from the head down". If young people go astray, it is because of the lack of proper guidance from their elders.  

Ten years ago, while I was running Mandela Supplementary School in Notting Hill for 100 African and Caribbean students, a local school head-teacher sent a student to ask if she could borrow my set of ROOTS videos to use in her school. I wrote her a note asking "In what context do you intend to use the videos?" I know it sounded very unreasonable of me, but I remembered my Zimbabwean friend’s reaction all those years ago when in ROOTS he simply saw "the evil that white people were doing to black people".

That is not what ROOTS is about, but it is quite easy for people, and especially young people, to see it that way when seen out of context. As a teacher, I have always tried to ensure that my pupils do not adopt a "victim mentality", especially in relation to racism. I have equally had long arguments with the main Black newspaper in London, The Voice, which always seems to put horrific things happening to Blacks in Britain on the front-page. I am aware of deaths and violence against Blacks (think of dead Stephen Lawrence and Gambian Sey amongst countless others) but I don’t want to see headlines week after week showing the racism Black Londoners are suffering because this reinforces a victim mentality.

The millions of Africans and Diaspora Blacks struggling in the West to maintain their families back home in Africa and the Caribbean are, to me, success stories. When I see an African sweeping Victoria Station in London, I am aware that his salary is likely to be feeding and educating a dozen members of his family back home in Africa.

He is a success story, not a failure because he is doing menial work. ROOTS the book and ROOTS the movie must be seen in this light: as a success story of a whole nation, the African-American people; a success story of survival and achievement against overwhelming odds, because that is exactly what the author set out to write (Kunta Kinte’s heroic struggle against slavery and de-humanization paved the way for Condy Rice to become Secretary of State and for Baraka Obama to vie for US Presidency – as surely as night follows day, even if Ms Rice may not wish to acknowledge it!).

ROOTS the movie is very misleading for us Africans – because the movie was made for a Western mainly-white audience. Whereas the first one hundred and forty-nine (149) pages of the book is entirely about Kunta’s life IN Africa, the movie jumps into the conflict between black and white within TWO minutes or so of the start. That is good drama for white folk, but it totally undermines the message of the first one hundred and forty-nine pages of the book - which is, I repeat, all about Africa, Africans and African culture.

The first one hundred and forty-nine pages of Alex Haley’s ROOTS is a historical testament to African tradition and culture. To this end the book opens with a most powerful sentence:

"Early in the spring of 1750, in the village of Juffure, four days upriver from the coast of The Gambia, West Africa, a man-child was born to Omoro and Binta Kinte".

Leaving aside the fact that we can do the journey to Juffure in a couple of hours today, this first sentence describes the most important event in all human-life; and from the beginning of the book sets out to describe a highly organized and civilized human-society; a society that is "at one with itself". On the eighth day after the birth of the man-child, the villagers gathered at the home of the new parents to welcome a new person into their midst and named him Kunta, after his Mauritanian grandfather. The father Omoro was most proud of his son, and invited everyone in the village to the naming ceremony and at the important moment whispered the name "Kunta" into the boy’s ears for:

"… Omoro’s people believed that each human being should be the first to know who he was".

Wow! All of us who have named our own children know first hand the pride and the joy that Alex Haley is describing here. As such, these first parts of ROOTS become a social commentary and a historical document for us. Besides which, inspite of the rigours of life and the struggle for everyday survival, it should remind us to value the life of each individual in our society.

Those who criticize Africans for being "out of the office" to attend numerous naming ceremonies and funerals fail to appreciate the love and respect Africans afford their kin-folk, young and old. Maybe we have our priorities the right way round. In England the young are so busy accumulating wealth that they have no time for their elders.

They send their "pensioners" to one-foot-in-the-grave hotels, euphemistically called "Old People’s Homes"! By way of contrast, I can affirm that my 85-year-old neighbour in Mandinari has a habit of walking around with a machete cutting branches off his mango and orange trees. Haley gives us minute descriptions of life based around the village gardens:

"The size of each woman’s plot was decided each year by Juffure’s Council of Elders".

When my mother-in-law came to live in Mandinari from Basse, the Alkalo gave her a plot on which to build a house for her family and a garden to farm. This is what Dr. Nyerere of Tanzania termed Ujamaa (African Socialism) and it ran through all African societies.  The tragedy of today’s Africa where millions of Aids orphans live in rubbish tips like animals shows how far some parts of Africa, such as Kenya, have lost a culture where:

"… fatherless boys got special privileges under the forefathers laws. Such a boy could start following closely behind any man, and the man would never object to sharing whatever he had" ROOTS p.62

As a society we would do well to remember and cherish our African culture of sharing the little that Allah has blessed us with. If I remember correctly, it was Gambia’s own Father Cleary who said many years ago that "we have enough for everyone’s need, but we don’t have enough for everyone’s greed".

Chapter 3 of ROOTS describes the failure of the rainy season, the hunger and the people’s prayer to Allah. Failure of the rains leads to hunger and starvation to which the young and the old are normally the first to succumb. As a child, I recall a newly born sister passing away in the middle of the night and the sadness of this infant’s departure was captured in the sad but gently dignified sobs of the women.

Even as a five-year old, I lay quietly in the darkness of the African village suppressing my emotions; just as I did forty years later when the father of a dead Gambian infant sat in dignified silence next to Imam Fatty and myself on the ferry to Barra - with the small bundle neatly wrapped in a blanket laid at our feet. The tragedy of infant mortality is something that is unfamiliar to those of us living in Fajara, Kotu and European cities but still remains common in villages across our continent.

 It is with tremendous gratitude that I appreciate President Jammeh’s utter commitment to the mushrooming health centres across The Gambia – and the simple but life-saving efforts at enabling all mothers of young children to obtain impregnated mosquito nets (just imagine the number of children’s lives saved by this simple act).

When the villagers’ prayers are answered, and the heavy rains impregnate the land, the result is green lushness and abundance; happiness, singing and joy throughout the land:

"… the village rang again with the yelling and laughing of children after the long hungry season".

The season of plenty brought joy and happiness all around and everyone was at peace.

Education of the young was taken very seriously and began very early in life, first at the feet of mothers and grandmothers through practical lessons and stories, then from older siblings who passed on what they had learnt from their fathers, and finally from the village elders, warriors and griots who were depositories of the tribes knowledge, history and wisdom:

"When a Griot dies", wrote Alex Haley, "it is as if a library has burned to the ground"

A bit of an overstatement since no Griot, by definition, ever died without passing on their knowledge to the next generation; but the point is made of the importance of the griots and elders as keepers of the society’s wisdom, history and culture. The Arafang, teacher, was strict and expected the young men in his charge to take their education very seriously:

"… the Arafang warned them that as long as they attended his classes anyone who made so much as a sound, unless asked to speak, would get more of the rod …he brandished it fiercely at them" ROOTS p.30 .

The adults took the task of educating their youngsters very seriously. Of course, we are becoming a book and internet society and more and more of social history and culture is now preserved and passed on in these new forms (ROOTS itself is now a historical document for African people, both at home and in the Diaspora). Again, I must express my delight at the strides The Gambia has made in the education sector during the last decade.

To Alex Haley we must say a big "Thank You". He paid a heavy price in his own personal life to give us ROOTS. We, on our part, should strive to cherish our history and keep what we can of our African cultures, accepting change as part of human existence and evolution.

"When deeply rooted, one is prepared for every opening; or as Aimé Césaire expresses it, porous to all the breathings of the world".

I would end, therefore, by recommending to the Department of State for Education that the first 149 pages of ROOTS should be adopted for school study as part of the history curriculum, bearing in mind the Russian proverbs warnings about forgetting our past.

Zakat

Zakat is a fundamental pillar of Islam.  It is important to remind wealthy Muslims of the significance of this Pillar, which requires them to give out a portion of their wealth to Allah.

Zakat is an important pillar that is ordained by Allah.  It is a way of purifying one’s wealth and also to secure it.  It is an obligation which has to be performed by all Muslims.

It has been mentioned 82 times in the Quran.  The reason why Zakat is obligatory is given in both the Quran and the hadith.  It is said that it started in the early days of Islam in Mecca.  But during that time the amount of wealth to be given out was not limited.  People just gave out Zakat as they wished.  A large number of scholars agreed that a regulation was made as to how much one should give out for Zakat.

This regulation is called Nisab.  The Quran however clearly states the authority given to the Prophet by Allah, in order to collect Zakat from his people.

Sura Tawba V.103-105 states: of their wealth take alms, that so thou mightest purify and sanctify them, and pray on their behalf, verily their prayers are a source of security for them: and Allah is one who heareth and knoweth.  Know they not that Allah doth accept repentance from this votaries and receives their gifts of charity, and that Allah is verily he, the oft-returning, most merciful? And say: work (righteousness) soon will Allah observe your work and this messenger, and the believers.  Soon will ye be brought back to the knower of what is hidden and what is open.

Then will he show you the truth of all that they did.

Zakat is again mentioned in Sura Nur V.56: So establish regular prayer and give Zakat and obey the messenger.  That ye may receive mercy.

In the hadith the Prophet (SAWs) revealed that those followers of Allah who pray five times, keep the fast in the month of Ramadan, give out Zakat, and avoid any thing Allah pro-hibits, will have the gates of heaven opened for them when they die.

The Prophet also stressed that Zakat should be given out so that one’s wealth can be purified and secured.

Give out alms to get away from sickness is stated in the hadith.  So therefore, it is necessary for us to give out alms make supplications so that we can be saved from evil and santa.

Those entitled to Zakat would definitely be the heedy.  Sura Tanba v.60 states: Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds): for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to truth): for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah: and for the way farer: (Thus it is) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of know ledge and wisdom.

So many scholars are convinced that the need for Zakat is to assist the poor man’s problems.

Consequently, Zakat should not be sent to distant places while those needy and close to you are suffering.  Some even say that the Zakat should not be taken or sent more than 80 kms away from one’s residence, except the needy are not in your area.

In many Muslim countries, you have what are called Zakat houses, and they are places where Zakats are taken to. The officers in charge of these houses would then distribute the gifts to the poor and the needy.

The Gambia being a small country, people tend to know each other.  Consequently, it is very easy for the wealthy, the well to do, to identify the needy and the poor and give them their Zakat.

All Muslims should pay Zakat, taking into consideration that whatever you have is from Allah, and he is capable of taking it from you at anytime and in anyway.

Sura Tauba v.34-35.. And there are those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah: anounce into them a most grievous chastisementy.  On the day when it will be heated in the fire of hell, and with it will be Branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, this is the (treasure) which ye hoarded for your selves taste ye, then, the (treasures) ye hoarded for yourselves: taste ye, then the (treasures) ye hoarded.

The Almighty wants Zakat to be  given out when healthy and strong as stated in Sura Munafiqun v.10. And spend something (in charity) out of the substance which we have bestowed on you, before death should come to any of you and he should say, O my Lord!  Why didst thou not give me respite for a little while?  I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good “But to no avail will Allah grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come and Allah is well acquainted with (all) that ye do.”