.urges Muslims to act as peace advocates
By Our Reporter
Concerned by the need to have a society filled with individuals adhering to good conducts, a popular Muslim cleric, Usamah Abdullateef, has identified proper mentorship system as the missing link to bridge the global leadership gap.
Abdullateef, who is the son of the former Commissioner for Home Affairs in Lagos State, Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, popularly called Yepe, made the call during a lecture organized by the Swansea group of the Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society (NASFAT) UK branch, themed: "Divine guidance for character and society."
He stated that the mentorship system which the older generation benefitted from must be extended to the youths to nurture young leaders who would take mantle of leadership from the outgoing generation globally.
The Muslim cleric added that the mentorship would ensure they understand what should be done and not to be embraced while preparing to takeup leadership roles in their communities, institutions and others.
Abdullateef, during the lecture, argued that everyone is a leader irrespective of the association and community where he or she may be performing his or her duties, noting that leaders do not require office before performing their role in any space they may find themselves.
“We are created by Almighty Allah (God) to be leaders. And our leadership role starts from our body which we have been blessed with. We are expected to lead the body righteously because it will prevent engagement in wrong actions.
“Aside from our body, we are also leaders of a small group which include the family or larger one, a community; we are expected to lead them rightly for the benefits of the society," he said.
The cleric noted that for anyone to lead, he or she needed to understand what was expected of him and the role of the followers, in order to ensure a peaceful coexistence within the society.
To understand this role especially for Muslims, Abdullateef stated that there was need for mentorship which, he said involved modeling and coaching younger individuals on the principles of leadership and ensuring they understand the framework guiding their conducts.
“To assist Muslims be a good leader, that is why Almighty Allah gave us the Quran to serve as a means for mentorship and guidance towards right path in our daily engagements," he said.
Speaking further, the Muslim cleric added that the mentorship provided by the Quran was not just about providing guidance, but also remained part of the growing system of the young leader.
“The Quran has solutions to our problems. All that is necessary is for us to read and abide strictly to its instructions on leadership and other aspects of our daily endeavours.
“As a leader, the holy book has instructed us to respect and be kind to our parents who have performed leadership role in mentoring us, give alms to the needy, and avoid shortchanging business partners and be peace advocates," Abdullateef stated.
Earlier, the Coordinator for NASFAT Swansea, Abdulfatai Omotunde, described the lecture series as an avenue to further orientate members on how to conduct themselves in their communities.
Omotunde stated that as humans, they were bound not to forget what almighty Allah had commanded them being the reason they often organized lectures, inviting clerics, to remind members and mentor the youths on what was expected of them in the society.
Meanwhile, he prayed for the lecturer to surpass his father who has over the years impacted on many lives through his lectures.
Post a Comment