Group tasks youths to imbibe moral values

A group, the Mohammed VI Foundation for African Oulema, has charged Muslim youths to commit to memory the hadith (teachings) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and put it into practice in order to promote moral values in the society.

Foundation’s director, Dr Abdulganiyu Adetunji, gave the admonition at the 3rd national hadith memorisation competition which was held on Friday at the National Mosque, Abuja.

Adetunji, who called on the participants to allow the lesson learnt from the competition be their moral compass, said the competition could not have come at a better time when the teachings of the holy prophet of Islam are being scrutinised by those with limited understanding of his hadiths.

According to him, this year’s competition focused on the Prophet’s character, personality and noble qualities, adding that the contestants competed in three categories covering the memorisation of 100 hadiths.

He said, “This is the third edition of the competition and we pray it will continue for many years. It is very significant for our community because it helps preserve the authentic teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. A Muslim cannot fully understand the religion without understanding the sunnah of the Prophet.

“Our main goal is not merely the competition itself but ensuring that the hadiths these young people memorise shape their character, strengthen their faith and positively influence their daily lives.”

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He stated that the 15 finalists who eventually emerged to take part were carefully selected from among more than 500 applicants through an open online registration process that was meticulously handled by experts in Islamic jurisprudence.

“The first category required participants to memorise 40 hadiths together with their chains of narration (Isnad), which established the authenticity of the Prophet’s sayings. The second category involved memorising 30 hadiths alongside explanations of key terms while the final category required contestants to memorise another 30 hadiths and demonstrate knowledge of hadith sciences including methods for verifying authentic narrations,” he added.

He noted that the top three winners in each category would represent Nigeria and compete with other participants from across Africa before moving to Morocco for the final round of the competition.

The Imam of the National Mosque, Abuja, Haruna Mohammed Eze, commended the participants for their commitment to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. He said the combination of knowledge of the Qur’an and hadiths remain the foundation of Islam as a religion.

“The event celebrates young Muslims who have devoted themselves to memorising the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. It is also meant to encourage others to preserve not only the Qur’an but also the Hadith, which remains an essential source of Islamic guidance.”

The cleric added that having the understanding and practising the teachings of the Qur’an and hadith are crucial in building moral character of youths as well as promoting peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.