AKURE, SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 – An Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Alhaji AbdulMajid Ali, on Sunday advised parents to instill discipline and fear of God in their children to check crime in the society.Ali, who is the AIG in charge of Zone Two comprising Lagos and Ogun States, made the call at a Walimatul Qur’an (Qur’anic Recitation Graduation) organised by the “Islamic Call and Guidance Centre’’ in Akure, Ondo State.
He said that the bulk of crimes and criminality being committed on in the society was being perpetrated by youths, who came from certain homes.
“We have responsibility as parents to teach our children the good virtues of Islam, which are anchored on peace.
“We must teach them good morals and instill fear of God in them.
“Through this, we will be taking positive steps toward controlling criminality in the country.
“If parents are alive to their responsibility of inculcating good morals in their children, they will be contributing to the attainment of a peaceful society,’’ the AIG said.
An Islamic scholar, Ustadh Luqman Sekoni, who delivered a lecture entitled: “A Child’s Islamic Education – the Responsibility of the Parents’’, defined Islamic Education as acquisition of knowledge as ordained by Allah in the Holy Qur’an.
Sekoni said that while “western education” was limited to worldly achievement, Islamic education ensured both attainment of lively sustenance and seeking pleasure of God toward gaining paradise.
He also recalled the contributions of some early Muslims to noble discoveries in science, arts and philosophy.
“When we talk about Islamic Education, it is broad and aimed at achieving the goal of earning the pleasure of Almighty Allah.
“The pursuit of Islamic education for a Muslim transcends acquiring knowledge for worldly gains but to seek the pleasure of Allah,’’ Sekoni said.
He, therefore, urged Muslims to embrace Islamic education in line with the teachings of Islam.
According to him, parents must be ready to invest in their children to acquire Islamic education as a means of life sustenance and seeking paradise.
“Let us respect and honour Islamic teachers.
“We must constantly enquire about how our children are developing as they progress in their Islamic education so as to be useful to the society and contribute to human development,’’ the lecturer said.
The Director of the centre, Dr AbdulGaniyyu Ogunleye, who welcomed dignitaries to the occasion, said that the centre was established 25 years ago to encourage the teaching and learning of Islam, with emphasis on Quranic recitation.
Ogunleye said that the centre was established in order to propagate Islam and guide people to imbibe the teachings of Islam as practiced by Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
The director, who is also a medical doctor, said that the centre had been producing young Islamic scholars since 19 years ago, six years after the centre was established.
“This is the 19th Wolimat (graduation) with 36 students graduating being the highest number so far produced.
“Our graduates have gone far; we now have doctors, engineers, lawyers and accountants among those that have graduated from the centre.
“Some of them have decided to go further in Islamic education to become leading scholars and are now in Saudi Arabia to achieve their target goals,’’ Ogunleye said.
The high point of the occasion was the presentation of certificates and one copy of the Holy Qur’an to each of the 17 male and 19 female graduands.
