Chief Imam inaugurates new Fadama Central mosque to honour ancestor
Accra: National Chief Imam Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu has inaugurated the reconstructed Imam Abbas Fadama Central Mosque in Accra, fulfilling a long-held vision associated with his ancestor, Mallam Mohammed Abbas, the first Chief Imam of Accra.
Mallam Mohammed Abbas, who was also an uncle of the National Chief Imam, originally laid the foundation for the mosque, which has since undergone reconstruction to provide a modern place of worship for Muslims in the New Fadama community.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by religious leaders, government officials, traditional leaders and members of the Muslim community, including Mallam Adamu Attaa Walliy, a cousin of the National Chief Imam and son of the late Imam Abbas.
The mosque replaces an earlier structure constructed in 1914 at Old Fadama by Mallam Abbas, then Imam of Accra.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mallam Muaz Abbas, an Imam at the National Mosque, said mosques should not be regarded merely as structures for ornamentation and beautification but as centres for worship, learning, spiritual development and the promotion of brotherhood.
“Let us make this mosque a centre that unites hearts, purifies souls and nurtures generations upon noble character,” he said.
He said Muslims had a responsibility to maintain the mosque both physically and spiritually, stressing the need for regular attendance at congregational prayers, remembrance of Allah and the teaching of the Qur’an and the Sunnah to the younger generation.
“We must observe spiritual maintenance by being keen to attend prayers in it, forming circles of remembrance and teaching the youth the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger,” he said.
Sarki Alhaji Ridwan Mukhtar Abbas, Chief of New Fadama, said the history of the mosque was closely linked to the establishment of the New Fadama community.
He said construction of the mosque began in 1963 following the government-led relocation of residents from the old Fadama settlement to the present New Fadama area.
The first Jummah prayer was held at the mosque on April 5, 1985, while the structure was modelled after the Sheikh Ibrahim Nyass Mosque in Kaolack, Senegal.
He said that on August 4, 2010, Sheikh Sharubutu initiated efforts to mobilise resources for the mosque’s reconstruction, receiving support from relatives and philanthropists.
A key sponsor of the reconstruction was Hajia Rahmatu Afiyu, the wife of the late Shaykh Ahmad Tijani Ibrahim Niass, who served as the fourth Grand Khalifa of the Tijaniyya Tariqa movement based in Medina Baye, Kaolack, Senegal.
The new mosque, which rises to about 110 feet and is adorned with four minarets, each nearly 60 feet high, is expected to serve as a major Islamic worship and learning centre for the community.
Professor Ibrahim Maqari, an Imam of the Abuja National Mosque, said mosques must also serve as centres of peace, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
He urged Muslims to use the mosque to promote peaceful relations with people of other faiths and contribute to social cohesion.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education, said the Chief Imam’s decision to honour the memory of his predecessor imposed a moral responsibility on Ghanaians to preserve the legacy of Sheikh Sharubutu, who had contributed to peace and stability in the country.
He said the Chief Imam had played an important role in promoting peaceful relations among Muslims and between Muslims and other religious communities.
Alhaji Ben Abdallah, former Zongo and Inner Cities Coordinator, also called on Muslim politicians to exercise restraint in their public comments, particularly on religious issues, to prevent their utterances from creating tensions and conflict.
“Peace is a prerequisite for Islam to flourish in Ghana,” he said.
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