By Abdulwahab Oba
Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then he’s heard no more. It’s but like a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. What an ephemeral world. Today you’re strong and agile; tomorrow you’re feeble and week. Yesterday you were on top of the world; today no one knows you exist. That’s the complexity of life. But, the life is simple if man realises its ephemeralism. Nothing is permanent, nothing is constant except change. The day must become night and the night must become day. The young must become old, and the old must pass on.
If only man realises it: the day you’re born, you’re brought home, but your umbilical cord is buried. That’s a pointer that one day, you will return to be buried. But man is so forgetful that he forgets that one day he would be buried. He remembers his birthday, his children’s birthday, his wife’s birthday and the day he married. But not a single thought for his burial day or the day of judgement. While man must learn to forget those who wronged him so that he would not seek for a revenge; revenge belongs to Allah who reward appreciately; seeking revenge perpetuates evil, he must learn to remember every day that there’s God who sees and judges every action. If man take congnisance of His omnipresence, he will be less devious, diabolical, treacherous and rebellious.
Man should also endeavour to forget those he helped so that he does not expect a reward from them. Human beings remember only the present but easily forget the past. You are most likely to be disappointed if you naturally and ideally expect reciprocity from man. Remember the day of death and the day of ressurection. Every man shall be judged and rewarded fairly. God is the greatest, the mightiest. Before Him, there was none, nor shall there be any after Him. He brings forth day from night and night from day. God creates the living from the dead and dead from the living. He has power over all things. He gives and withdraws power from whom He wills.
The world has been blessed with great men of great minds with immeasurable impact on humanity. Every man is being remembered for the influence impact on the world. Today, King Pharaoh is remembered for what he took the people of Egypt through while Jesus, even though a little above thirty years of age, becomes a world reference point in evangelism. Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah remains the greatest influential despite been an unlettered Arab born of a noble family. Sir Abubakar Sardauna, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikwe, Mallam Aminu Kano, Joseph Tarka, Waziri Ibrahim and a host of others have also in one way or the other been indispensable parts of our history.
Since the era of Sheikh Alimi, Ilorin has had a number of great Islamic scholars who have dominated its Islamic, Arabic and mythical space. The recent of such scholars are Sheikh Kamaldeen Al-Adaby, Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, Khalifah Akeyede, Agbondo, Sheikh Apaokaji, Sheikh Abdullah Qudus Koro and others. Sheikh Mohammed Kamaldeen was a preacher and teacher who rarely exhibited his mysticism prowess. Sheikh Adam was a teacher, preacher, writer, poet, historian with seldom practised mysticism.
Sheikh Abdullah Qudus, the seal of his generation, though more known for his mysticism, was an educationist, pious and firm whose legendary generosity I’m yet to notice among his peers. I once asked him where he derived his generosity from when I noticed how people flocked to him requesting financial assistance. Baba Sheikh Qudus’ response was that we came with nothing to this world and shall return empty handed. And truly, he’s left empty handed except with the prayers of those he helped spiritually and financially. The Arabic school he established has continued to produce limitless number of Islamic scholars for the future.
Baba Sheikh Qudus has gone almost unexpectedly with bounties of his knowledge, he shall never be forgotten for the numerous lives he touched. Baba might be firm and didn’t tolerate sloppiness, he was very accommodating and tolerant. He was a firm believer in tradition and heritage. Sheikh Qudus died a bold and courageous man. He saw death coming and was ready for it. He was just short of telling those close to him that death was imminent, but he showed enough signs for those who cared to read between the lines.
But will another Qudus ever surface here? God never creates a vacuum. God that brought Sheikh Habeebullah Adam Al-Ilory after the death of his father, will not allow Koro and, in deed, Ilorin without another Korowy. May the souls of our scholars who have given Ilorin its enviable name rest in peace. May thousands of Nda Salaty, Sheikh Adam and Sheikh Kamaldeen, Akeyede, Agbondo continue to emerge in Ilorin. May Allah preserve those who are still alive for more years to come. May Allah count Sheikh Qudus and those before among His blessed souls. May God comfort the Emir, Imams, clerics and all people who one way or the other benefitted from Sheikh Qudus.
*Oba can be reached via e-mail: abdulwahaboba@gmail.com
