Why I created a virtual Muslim community on Facebook —Malam Abdul Wahab

Malam Ibrahim Abdul Wahab is the son of a popular cleric in Ibadan, Oyo State, Alhaji Abdul Wahab Kewulere, the Chief Imam of Umuani Alaga Central Mosque, Sango. In an interview with SAHEED SALAWU, the graduate of Adult Education and Islamic Studies from the University of Ibadan talks about a virtual community he created to invite people to understand the worship of God.

What kind of da’wah are you into exactly?

Da’wah is something I have so much passion for. Besides, I have always loved mentoring young people and this is something I have devoted so much time to after I finished the university. What I am doing presently is the coordination of the interaction of Muslims across the spheres of the world for the purpose of understanding Islam and the true worship of Allah. The effort is also geared towards changing people’s perception of the social media. Many people believe that social media is a place where you can never find any positive information.

What I am trying to do is to project the right face of the social media and ensure that there is a correct turn of events when someone addressed as ‘alfa’ is trying to do something worthwhile. It is unfortunate that people, even Muslims, dread the word ‘alfa’ at the mere mention of it because of the extortionist tendency of many people who are so addressed within their localities. Many so-called alfas ask for huge amounts of money from people who approach them for spiritual help or guidance and they are often linked to terrible crimes. What I have been able to do so far is to create trust in the minds of the people when there is a development that involves an alfa, as some people might be inclined to call me. I have always been a social media person.

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How have you gone about being this social media person you believe you are?

I have been putting up contents that project Islam as the true religion on the social media, specifically Facebook. This led me to a point where I felt the need to create a virtual group called Worldwide Prayer Family. I started out with the recitation of the Qur’an and putting up the video clips on Facebook. This effort drew a lot of followers who, after some time, encouraged me to move on to further efforts, particularly ones that would be targeted at the spiritual development of children. That was how I started the Qur’an class for adults and children from across Europe, America and Australia. Later, we began to have tahajud (vigil). When it is 1.00 a.m. Nigerian time, people from different parts of the world join me in prayer. Through this, people have been able to know what prayer is truly all about. Through the tahajud, the participants have realised that they don’t have to pay any handsome money to any alfa before Allah can answer their prayers. They have seen that they don’t need an intercessor or an intermediary between them and Allah. They have been exposed to what it really means to trust in Allah, to have faith in Him.

I teach people from Germany, Italy, France, etc, and people from Australia, how to read the Qur’an through the Facebook platform.

We also have a social outreach programmes for the needy. At the end of every month, we buy bags of rice for onward distribution to the needy in places like Lagos, Ilorin, Sagamu and parts of Ibadan. We usually organise a general distribution at Umuani Alaga Central Mosque, Sango, Ibadan. Just last month, we donated a generator and sound system to a mosque here in Ibadan. We hope to do more with more philanthropists collaborating with us.

Besides, we have two students that we are currently sponsoring for tertiary education. We also support widows in one way or the other. We also do visitation to motherless babies’ homes.

How are the programmes of Worldwide Prayer Family, especially in the social aspect, driven?

The voluntary donation and other forms of support by the participants from all over are what the Worldwide Prayer Family has been surviving on.

How does the tahajud (vigil) work, given the time different times zones among countries of the world?

In consideration of the time zones of our members worldwide, we fixed 1.00 a.m.-3.00 a.m. Nigerian time for the tahajud. But when we have a special request from any of our members in a critical situation and in need of special prayer, we extend the prayer till 4.00 a.m. In spite of the six hours difference in the time zones, our members in the United States and Canada are not benefitting any less from the tahajud. We go online, on the platform and pray for ourselves and one another. It is very participatory, even for the children, especially those from foreign countries. Our members in Europe – United Kingdom, Dublin, Germany, France, etc – are the major beneficiaries of our daily Qur’an classes.

What exactly was the reason you started what you are doing now?

I started this initiative at a time when people were losing spiritual direction, at a time when depression seemed rife among people. So, I felt I had a responsibility to try and help people regain their sense of direction –spiritual-wise – as much as I can.

Are you considering extending these efforts to other social media platforms?

Apart from Facebook, we have spread our programmes, especially for those who are interested in learning Qur’an in a short time privately – to other social media sites such as Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp.

By visiting and following our social media pages, you get to see all our other programmes such as ‘Interactive Hour with the children’, ‘Who Wants to be a Good Muslim?’ and our monthly ‘Feed the Needy’ programme where we distribute foods such as rice, beans and garri.