Clerics and Muslim faithful have observed Jumat prayer in the Central Mosque of Inisa town in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State.
This Jumat prayer service came after five years that the mosque had been under lock and key due to a crisis on who becomes the Chief Imam of the mosque.
The mosque was filled to the brim on Friday and the prayer was led by Imam Abdur-Rauf Amada-Rufai from Oyan, who was sent by the Chief Imam of Osogbo land, who doubles as the Grand Imam of Osun State.
The PUNCH reports that the squabble between the Imams divided the community’s Islamic groups (sects), and it got escalated because the Olunisa of Inisa, Oba Joseph Oyedele, allegedly had a favourite for the position despite being a Christian.
“Islamic philanthropists and Aare Musulumi (Muslim head) in Inisa all agreed to select someone with relevant Islamic knowledge, but the king wanted a different person who was not versatile and had a pending case in court.
“The league of Inisa’s Islamic clerics chose someone who had his Arabic education in Saudi Arabia and had been Imam in Canada and Osogbo for over 20 years. Although the person did not seek to be the Imam of the Central Mosque, the clerics visited him and asked him to be the overseer of the mosque.
“The king’s favourite is lower in rank to become Imam. And it is not done that way anywhere in the world,” Grand Mufti of Yorubaland, Sheik Dawood Molaasan, was quoted as saying.
Speaking after the prayer, a cleric, Sheikh Abdullahi Olorunlomerue, said the reason the mosque was filled to the brim was that they wanted peace to reign in the community and to make sure that the Muslims there do not depart the path of Islam.
“We are here today to end all that has transpired here. We are getting to the root of the issue of why the mosque was ‘dropped.’
“The Grand Imam of Osun State sent me here to observe what is going on and also be part of those that will pray here today,” he said.
Olorunlomerue further appealed to the residents of the community to maintain decorum and embrace peace.
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