Anbariya Sunni Community appoints Sheikh Tanko Abubakari Ishaq as new leader
Tamale: The Anbariya Sunni Community has appointed Sheikh Tanko Abubakari Ishaq as its new religious leader, succeeding Sheikh Saeed Abubakari Zakaria, who led the community for 19 years until his death earlier this month.
The announcement was made shortly after the Jummah prayers at the Anbariya Islamic School in Tamale, marking a leadership transition for one of northern Ghana’s established Sunni Muslim communities.
Sheikh Tanko’s appointment comes at the end of the leadership of Sheikh Saeed, who succeeded the founder of the Anbariya movement, Sheikh Yusuf Sualih Ajura, popularly known as Afa Ajura.
Afa Ajura began his Islamic preaching activities in northern Ghana in the 1940s and established the Anbariya Islamic School in Tamale in 1951.
The school subsequently developed into the Anbariya Islamic Institute and became an important centre for Qur’anic, Arabic and Islamic studies in northern Ghana.
Over the years, the institution produced generations of students who became Islamic teachers and scholars, while the introduction of teachers trained in Egypt contributed to the development of Arabic scholarship among its students.
The Anbariya tradition has also been associated with Islamic preaching, religious instruction and community activities.
It has collected and distributed zakat to support those in need, including vulnerable individuals, indebted individuals, and scholars.
The institution has also expanded its educational activities beyond Islamic instruction, with Anbariya Senior High School becoming part of the network of secondary institutions established by Muslim communities in Ghana.
The development of Anbariya has made it an important part of the history of Islamic education and scholarship in northern Ghana, particularly in the development of indigenous Sunni religious institutions.
Following the death of Afa Ajura in December 2004, Sheikh Saeed Abubakar Zakaria assumed the leadership of the community and subsequently led the Anbariya Islamic Institute.
His 19-year tenure ended with his death earlier this month, creating a transition in the leadership of the community and its religious institutions.
The appointment of Sheikh Tanko therefore marks the beginning of the third major leadership phase in the documented history of the Anbariya movement, following the founding period under Afa Ajura and the subsequent leadership of Sheikh Saeed.
The new leader assumes responsibility for guiding the religious affairs of the community and continuing its longstanding activities in Islamic education, scholarship and religious instruction.
His appointment also comes as the community continues to maintain institutions and programmes developed over several decades since the establishment of the Anbariya Islamic School.
The leadership transition is expected to provide continuity for the community’s religious and educational activities while ushering in a new period under Sheikh Tanko.
The Anbariya Sunni Community, with its base in Tamale, has over the decades developed from Afa Ajura’s early Islamic teaching activities into an established religious and educational institution with a broader presence in northern Ghana.
Sheikh Tanko Abubakari Ishaq now becomes the latest leader of that tradition following the 19-year tenure of Sheikh Saeed Abubakar Zakaria.
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