By Dr. Aliyu Dahiru Muhammad
The late Malam Ahmad Garba Amin (1962-2024) was a remarkable individual I first met in the 1990s as my secondary school Islamic Studies teacher. Subsequently, he rose to the post of Vice Principal before being transferred to the Kano State Welfare Pilgrims Board as a Director of Operations, a position he held for almost a decade. He later moved to the Kano State Sharia Commission, where he finally retired.
I became close to Malam Ahmad during school and after graduation. He used to ask about my progress in Quranic education even years after my bachelor’s degree. I introduced him to my parents, and we became a family. Gratefully, he made a significant impact on my life to the extent that he was behind some of my achievements – Alhamdulillah.
When the news of his death broke out to me on Thursday, 5th September 2024 (2nd Rabiul Awal, 1446), I reacted by saying, “Innalillahi wa inna Ilaihi Rajiun” as it is the only action that can relieve me of that material time. After confirmation, I shared it on my platforms, where I received many condolence messages and prayers. What also consoled me was the kind of lovely comments I have received from many who knew him and those who did not know him. Alhamdulillah.
Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported, on the authority of Anas ibn Malik, that a group of the Prophet (SAW)’s companions were sitting with him when some people came and passed by them carrying a corpse. Some of the people sitting around the Prophet (SAW) made nice comments about the dead person, and the Prophet (SAW) promptly reacted, saying, “Confirmed” (wajib). A similar scenario happened, but on the contrary, the comments were nasty, and the Prophet (SAW) reacted by saying, “Confirmed” (wajib). Wondering why the Prophet said so, the companions asked him for an explanation.
In the case of the first corpse, the Prophet said what it meant was that their comments about him thus confirmed his entry to Paradise (al-Jannah). The same thing applied to the second person for whom Hellfire was confirmed similarly. The Prophet further explained to them the significance/implications of the comments that people usually make about the dead by either extolling their virtues or otherwise saying bad things about them. He said, “You are the witnesses of Allah on earth (against His servants).”
Allahu Akbar! Whoever knew Mal. Ahmad could testify that he was deeply involved in promoting social welfare and peace in the community. This earned him respect among the youths, women, and elderly, as I noticed every time I visited him, especially during his daily teaching of Islamic books (taalim) outside their family house.
He was the former Chairman of Safinatul Khair Foundation, which, to my knowledge, is one of the few community-based organisations that have contributed to the socio-economic development of his community. The foundation has a special scheme for education for children through scholarships, extramural classes for candidates who intend to sit for WAEC and NECO examinations, and job opportunities for youths, among others. In the aspects of social development, especially for widows and orphans, the Foundation, at a time, conducted a census of all widows in the area it covered and supported them. During my PhD studies, I interviewed him about their achievement, and I was so excited about it.
On the aspect of health, the Foundation and Late Mal. Ahmad, in particular, was instrumental in setting up a clinic serving the people, especially the needy patients of Kofar Naisa and beyond. The clinic named after the foundation is the Safinatul Khair Foundation (Kofar Naisa PHC). Thanks to Dr Hassan Sulaiman Kofar Naisa, a resident of the area who worked under the office of the then Senior Special Assistant to former President Muhammad Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), brought this project.
According to my close associate Mal. Usman Muhammad (Dr. Shehu), the clinic is grade-A in primary health care. It is well equipped with an ambulance, solar system, and water system that serves patients 24/7 uninterruptedly. They invite medical personnel from neighbouring general and specialised hospitals like Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for weekly medical outreach and to settle the bills for the less privileged patients.
As we mourn the loss of Mal. Ahmad, we pray that Allah accepts his legacies, forgives his shortcomings, and grants him entry into paradise. “Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. Indeed, only Allah is the place of return. O Allah, record (the deceased) among the righteous, and place the record in the highest place. Replace the goodness for the family left behind. Do not make the reward forbidden, and do not test us after their departure.”
Dr. Aliyu Dahiru Muhammad is an associate professor in the Department of Economics at Bayero University Kano and a Visiting Scholar at the National University of Malaysia (UKM). He can be reached via alitahir797@gmail.com.