Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria (AISN) on Friday inaugurated a central mosque complex in the Gwarinpa district of Abuja, as part of activities to mark the 100th anniversary of the association in Nigeria.
President, AISN, Alhaji Abdul Rafiu Sanni, who inaugurated the mosque in the company of the National Missioner, Sheikh Abdulrahman Ahmad and other national leaders, thanked Allah for the successful completion of the project.
Sanni said that the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria and the inauguration of the mosque was a remarkable point in the history of the association in Nigeria.
“It is a tradition in this part of the world, we always want people to know that there is an existence of a mosque within their vicinity.
“And the only way we can do that is through a walimah (celebration), So what we are doing is like we are doing a walimah, as is obtainable in marriage,” he said.
The national president said Ansar-ud-deen had been a trailblazer in terms of impacting humanity and the nation at large.
“There is no doubt about it that the 100 years have been very eventful, impactful, and very successful because if you know the history of Ansar-ud-deen up to date, you will know that we have impacted humanity in a very significant manner.
“In terms of education, in terms of Islamic propagation, in terms of providing the necessities of life like health care and all others.
“But the next thing is the next century, we have to do more because we cannot be stagnant, and that is why we are doing all these things. We are doing this in order to plan for the next century. And by the grace of God, our intention is to do more in terms of serving humanity,” Sanni said.
He stressed the need to do more in terms of propagating Islam and also addressing the vices bedevilling the country.
Earlier, the Branch Chairman of the AISN, Alhaji Abdul-Kareem Abdul-Azeez, said that the estimated cost of the mosque, which started in 2020 was about N200m.
He said that the benefits of the mosque to the community could be overemphasised, especially as the mosque would serve the residents and estates in the area.
Abdul-Azeez noted that the funding for the project was through donations and contributions from members.
He called on Muslims to do more to support Islam and also be agents of positive change in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inauguration, which was preceded by a special inauguration Jumat service, was graced by Muslims from all walks of life.