By Mardiyyah Imam Qasim
From diverse background and nurtured by universality of purpose, the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), one of the oldest Muslim Organization in West Africa now clocks 70.
The organization for 7 decades has offered generous opportunities for any group of morals to prove its worth and mettle. It is one thing for an organization/ society to live some donkey years; it is another to justify its very existence. Q3:104 says;
Let there be a group among you who call ˹others˺ to goodness, encourage what is good, and forbid what is evil—it is they who will be successful.
It took off on April 18th, 1954. Though, formed by a handful of about 20 Muslim students from various missionary schools in Lagos, the fact that the Society was a fulfillment of the long-cherished desire of Nigerian Muslim Students throughout Nigeria into closer union so as to inculcate in them the true spirit of brotherhood and absolute faith in Allah as the only basis for the achievement of peace among mankind.
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The fact that the Society was born 6 years before the Nations independence, the Society began its assignment but not without a brush with the colonial authorities. Not only did the Muslim need a baptismal name to gain admission into post- primary institution, he had to profess Christianity and go to church regularly to complete his course. Beside the so-called education was nothing but a process of Christianization, the Muslim students having realized the precarious situation, created the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) so as to principally bring Muslim students together to fight Christian evangelism in their schools.
Since identification with Islam meant losing some fundamental rights, only few people could risk joining the MSSN. Nevertheless, the few founding members met regularly and, by 1958, they had been as strong as to receive recognition by the then colonial government.
The first decade of the society was remarkable in that it actually laid a solid foundation of what is today the largest religious organization in Nigeria. Dr Abdul-Lateet Adegbite described the society’s first decade as a decade of crusade as inidentification/ formation decade (1954-64). The crusade mentality to either survive as a Muslim or submit to Christianity that assisted or rather propelled the founding members.
The MSSN’s second decade (1964-74), fondly referred to as the decade of consolidation, marked the society’s gait and revolutionary strides into all areas of development. A constitution was adopted, and for administrativeconvince, regional area units were created. The decade was fortunate to start with the leadership of a National President in person of Abdul Razak Solaja. Islamic Vacation courses, seminars, tours, among others were held while school branches were formed. It was also at that time that the Society got National and international recognition.
The third phase/ decade (1974- 84), was tagged the period of propagation by its first National President. A highlight of the achievements of the period was an increase of the Area Units in virtually all the states and flourishing Area Councils and Branches.
The MSSN’s fourth decade (1984- 94), was called the formation decade by Dr Adegbite and it was at this decade that the MSSN adopted the name of each state as name for its respective area units.
The MSSN’s fifth decade (1994-2004) was a period of restricting as d two Zones became vibrant in advancing the Society across Area Units/Councils that midwifed the MSSN at 50 years.
The MSSN’s sixth decade (2004-2014) was tagged as the reconsolidation decade as d mission, visions, goals, aims & objectives of the Society was redefined to face challenges of time that to new MSSN Constitution (2011 Edition).
MSSN of the current Seventh decade (2014-2024) is the developmental stage as the society underwent construction works at the National Headquarters, Abuja like Juma’ah Masjid, Shopping Mall, Islamiyyah School, among others. Hoping the next decade will compliment all d efforts been put in place by the National leadership of MSSN.
Today the MSSN has become a strong moral force in the country. It has often called the attention of government to the need to accord all Muslims their legal rights and has been outspoken in condemnation of all forms of injustice in the country and the world at large. The decades (2014-2024), MSSN has been reported to have a new image of partaking in a wider crusade aimed at creating a new order in Nigeria.
The MSSN has recognized the deficiencies of the modern world leadership provided by the West. The world today is being threatened and this will persist as long as the technological leadership comes from the West. TheMSSN has decided to pursue science and technology so as to encourage her members to seize all opportunities available to them to pursue science. The MSSN has created division of records and statistics to store and organize information on all Muslim students, their academic interests, and research efforts to take steps in ensuring financial self- sustenance at all levels, starting from the National body to the branches.
A finalfull stop must be put to petty conflicts which retard our progress. Our slogan must be to unite ourselves in moral excellence in accordance with the doctrines of Islam and to harness our intellectual and material recourses for techno-scientific advancement so as to contribute to the establishment of an Islamic social order in the world.The MSSN now is 70, Alhamdulillah, it has over the years toiled, moiled, struggled and persevered to face the odd and oddities of life. It has a more challenging task ahead. We have been standing really tall by Allah’s grace and we shall continue to keep standing tall, InshaAllah.
The MSSN has today become like a fertile ground in Nigeria from which seeds of unity and the universal message of Islam spread into the various parts of the federation and the world at large. What has made this possible is no other thing than unity, the hallmark of the religion of Islam. Not the unity derived from blood or family ties or political ideologies. It is unity of Allah (SWT), the unity of life and the unity of Islamic messages.
The seed has been sown; in fact, it was sown 70 years back. It has germinated into a giant tree. It will surely come and its fruits would be reaped in their millions. It is not the harvest that the MSSN is celebrating, but the germination of those seeds of unity, Alhamdulillah.
Mardiyyah Imam Qasim is the Amirah of MSSN A-Zone ([email protected])
