Dr. Abdullahi Omotoke Awelenje, the National President of Rahmat Islamiyya Association of Nigeria in this interview with Facing the Kaaba urges muslims to continue to preach peace adding that peace must be strongly emphasized when commemorating Hijrah 1436 A.H.

About Rahmat Islamiyya

Generally, we have been pursuing our three-point agenda since inception which is the improvement in the membership drive, capacity building and propagation of Islam. In doing these, we have been associating with other Islamic organizations. We have been able to establish branches in Oke Akoko, Ilorin, Ogunlowo in Ogun state including the just commissioned one at Aguda, Surulere. We also about N800million project going on in Ijeja also in Ogun State. We are hoping to launch in December insha Allah.

Celebration of Hijrah

Apart from the Eid-il-Fitr and Eid-il-kabir, all other ones are commemorative. I have observed over the years, that one aspect of the Hijrah celebration that has not been explored is the migration of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.) from Makkah to Yathrib in 622 CE. May be there might have been Islam, if Allah had not allowed the Prophet to leave Makkah when he did. Just before the Hijrah, the challenges were too overwhelming for the physical man, Muhammad. Immediately he got to Madinah, there was succour.

Lessons

The lesson is that Allah will always tell the righteous what to do at the appropriate time when there were challenges. Again, the decision itself was a tough one, because, leaving Makkah, center of activity to Yathrib, could not have appealed to him. For example, if somebody says you should leave Lagos and go to Shaki, you may not want to take the advice. But the prophet knew that Allah had all the plans in place and knew how every thing would end. In essence, it was a divine set up and that was why as unattractive as the option was, it was the way out. So, Allah had prepared Yathrib for him before the order to go there. This was attested to by the rousing welcome, they gave him when he entered Yathrib.

The second lesson is that Allah did not send the Prophet to come to world to kill people before they accept the religion, but as a Warner and a giver of glad tidings. Allah says in the Quran that “we did not send you to the world except to be a mercy, Warner and giver of glad tidings.”

So, if there was no no, hijrah, it must have meant that Allah did not want the Prophet to complete the message, because there was no way he would have stayed in Makkah and continued the message without boodshed. Even after he came back to Makkah, there was no fighting, it was a peaceful conquest. So, the lesson of peace, must be strongly emphasized when commemorating Hijrah because the establishment of Islam was not violent.