Muslims in the country have been urged to forget the farce differences they have towards each other by working together in fighting the advent of Shiaism in the country.
The call was made by panelists who spoke during a three-day seminar, which was organized by Supreme Council of Ulama in collaboration with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Committee for Dawah in Africa, held at Zomba Development Centre (ZODEC) in Zomba.
The event, which assembled over 200 participants from across the country, was held under the theme Shia Sects and Their Beliefs started on Friday and ended on Sunday March 31.
Al-Barakah Charity Trust Director Ibrahim Milazi, who was also one of the invited guests, said it is very sad to see people fighting for trivial issues instead of fighting against the real enemies of Islam.
“Shiaism has penetrated into our country and it is a responsibility of sheikhs and every Muslim to make sure that this disease is not spread to all parts of our country. Whether you are a Sukuti or Qadriya we are all Muslims. Let’s join hands and fight against the advancement of Shiaism,” he said.
Milazi therefore hinted that one of the contributing factors towards the spread of Shiaism in Malawi is poverty and ignorance. He said a lot of Muslims especially in the village are illiterate and poor.
“That is why we are urging you sheikhs to take this task by informing them the beliefs of shias and how dangerous they are in our communities,” said Milazi.
Initially, the event was expected to take place at Assalam Complex in Mangochi in order to utilize the resources of their teachers who are mostly graduates of Madinah University to be facilitators at the function.
However, the teachers turned down the offer saying they are affiliated to the Ulama Council of Malawi and therefore do not recognize the Supreme Council of Ulama.
The Director of the Complex Sheikh Abdullah Muhammad Ballah therefore proceeded to deny Dr Shareef to conduct the function at the Complex.
Speaking after the function, Dr Shareef described the seminar as a success, as evidenced by the high turn up of the participants.
“You have seen it for yourself. This is what Islam wants. There are a variety of sheikhs of their caliber here. You talk of Maulana Narduwi, Mufti Tambala, Mufti Yusuf Kanyamula and Mufti Karim Kamwendo among other sheikhs who have come to share their knowledge with us. I didn’t expect the hall to be full like this – this is a success to our organisation,” said Dr Shareef.
The former Muslim Association of Malawi Secretary General therefore bemoaned the tendency of his friends who shunned away the event and questioned the level of their faith.
“I don’t understand them. After all, this is for Islam not for me (as an individual). The aim of the function is to see how we can fight against these enemies of Islam who are posing a great danger to our (Muslim) society. So, if someone says no I don’t want to come, to which group does he belong to; Islam or its enemies? We need to think about that critically because we may be staying with other people assuming they are our friends yet they are our enemies,” he said.
The Chancellor College Lecturer said his organization decided to engage the sheikhs because they are the ones living with the people in the villages.
Shareef therefore revealed that there are about 36 Malawian Muslims studying Shiaism in Iran and about three mosques have already been built in Dedza.
