QUR'AN BABY AND DOUBTING THOMASES (Part 2)

QUR'AN BABY AND DOUBTING THOMASES (Part 2) Something positive happened to the baby born with the Qur'an few days ago. Prince Bola Ajibola, president of the Islamic Mission for Africa and founder, Crescent University, Abeokuta, visited the baby's family and donated a whopping sum of 1 million naira for the baby's upkeep. Not only that, he also awarded a scholarship to the boy up to university level. This is the most progressive thing that has happened since the boy was born. As usual, His Excellency Judge Ajibola has demonstrated his characteristic foresight, unequalled mien for philantrophy and unrivalled love for Islam. This man really knows where Muslims should put their money. Now to continue our stories on various signs revealed by Allah to affirm the authenticity of Islam as His one and only religion: five pieces of beef which bore the names of Allah and Muhammad (SAW) were found by Yahaya Muhammad Sa'adan. He had purchased the beef in August 2010 at the popular Kaswua Bachi Market, Kaduna. The Arabic letters appeared on the beef after he started cutting it in the kitchen. Yahya immediately showed it to his brother, Dr. Sale Sagir, the deputy manager of the Plant Clinic of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC). It was Dr. Sagir who took the beef to the Chief Imam of the NNPC Jumaat Mosque in Kaduna. Large crowds trooped to the mosque to see this wonder. See the story captioned "Beef With Arabic Inscription Found in Kaduna" in Daily Trust, Tuesday, 31st August, 2010, page 6. To further cement the genuineness of Islam, the body of an Imam who was buried ten years earlier was found intact in the grave. This incident occurred in year 2005 when the children of Imam Jimoh Ayoola Alamu had to exhume their father's corpse for reburial due to dualisation work on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. They intended to rebury the remains at their Ifo site. Surprisingly, the body which was first buried on 17th March, 1995 and exhumed on 2nd November 2004 found to be fresh, including the shroud! If you doubt this story, check on the Imam's first daughter, Alhaja Tawakalitu Omobola Opaleye, at Vespa Bus Stop, Ifo, Ogun State. If you are still in doubt, read the story on page 5, Sunday Sun, 2nd January, 2005. Another Muslim corpse interred since May 19, 1982 at No. 35, Station Road, Ede, Oshun State, was exhumed to give way to modernisation 27 years later. The body of this man, Mallam Ibrahim Akanmu Adeleke, was still fresh when exhumed in September 2009! The white lace material used as his shroud was equally intact. Immediately this happened many non-Muslims joined the Muslims of Ede to worship in the mosque. People trooped to mosques in their hundreds. Many of those who converted on that day have remained steadfast Muslims till today. The facts surrounding late Adeleke's life are quite didactic. He used to observe tahajjud (prayers observed by Muslims during the night) daily from 1 am to 3 am during his lifetime. He also used to spend the last 10 days of every Ramadan in the mosque. He died on his prayer mat at 3 am during tahajjud.  He was also famous for his honesty and trustworthiness. He neither smoked nor drank alcohol. He also used to accomodate stranded passengers who came into the town at night because his house was beside the old motor park in Tele, Ede. According to the Chief Imam of Elerin Mosque, Ede, Alhaji Abdul Kadir Lawal, who conducted the reburial, the late Adeleke was a devout Muslim who was fond of wearing white clothes and shoes. The Chief Imam also affirmed that the preservation of the corpse is one of the ways Allah honours pious Muslims who serve Him in faith and deed. This story was published by many Nigerian newspapers in September 2009. Readers can check the Nigerian Compass, 3rd October, 2009, page 46. Recall also the shell of a snail that was found on the beach in Victoria Island, Lagos around 1992. On the shell were engraved the words "La ilaha ila Allah, Muhammad RasuluLlahi".  What of Sheriffdeen of Tanzania? Born on 4th December 1993 in Revorose Clinic, Arusha, Tanzania, four holes were first noticed on the boy's head. He was first named Emmanuel because his father was a Christian named Francis Fundunkira while the mother was Domisia Kimaro. The baby started exhibiting strange powers even at his early stage. He stood up on his bed on his own accord about four times during his first two weeks! But as soon as the mother went off to tell neighbours he laid down again.  At the age of three weeks only he jumped to the floor from his father's hands and stood on his feet! The bewildered father screamed but before neighbours could arrive Sheriff had jumped back into his father's arms! With some 'sympathetic' neighbours, the father started plotting the death of his son. But he was shocked when on returning home the four-week old baby asked him, "Why do you plot to kill me?" A few days later they decided to poison him in order to save them the embarrassment of being the parents of a monster baby. But they were again confronted by the baby when they arrived home. "So you have not desisted from your evil plot to kill me?", he asked his parents.  Sheriffdeen stopped accepting breast milk at exactly two months. He started talking at four months! And what was he saying? He was reciting verses of the Glorious Qur'an. Some of the verses he recited include, "Oh ye who believe, turn to Allah in repentance. Hopefully, your Lord will remove from your evil deeds …" (Qur'an 66:8) Note that ceteris paribus, a child cannot start talking properly until around two years but this miracle boy spoke at four months. He changed his own name by himself from Emmanuel to Sheriffdeen. He also changed his father's name from Francis to Khalifah and his mother's from Domisia to Fatimah. Sherifdeen of Tanzania was not only a veritable Sign of Allah, he was a living challenge to modern science. The story of Sheriffdeen was well publicized around 1997. He was taken on a tour of several countries, including Nigeria. Dear reader, do not say I did not tell you. These signs are natural and they are sent to all living homo sapiens by Allah. Do not turn deaf ears. Come to Islam today. Tomorrow may be too late. Muslims do not claim to have the power to perform miracles. Our miracles and signs are sent from high above. We do not seek these miracles or ask for them but they come naturally. We do not even wait for miracles before we believe in Allah and accept Islam as our religion. My dear reader, think about it. Only the deep can call to the deep. Professor Is-haq Akintola,  Lagos State University, P.O. Box 10211, LASU Post Office, HO 102 101, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel. 234-803-346-4974        234-818-211-9714 Website: www.ishaqakintola.com Blog: drishaqakintola.blogspot.com Facebook: facebook.com/ishaqakintola Twitter: ishaqakintola   I remain oppressed untill the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, the sick healed and the homeless sheltered