As Central Branches Report

Originally Published: 26th Shawwal, 1440AH (29.06.19)

It’s another season for the Reportorial Conferences of Central Branches under the auspices of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit. This conference will mark the second of the three trimesters of the Branches.

At MSSNLagos, 47+ Central Branches will be giving accounts of activities done during the year under review marking between Shawwal/Dhul-Qaddah 1439AH and Shawwal 1440AH.

Annual conferences serve as opportunity to assess, evaluate, rethink, retreat and restrategise our Da’wah activism in tandem to the objectives of the organisation.

It’s been norms and convention to converge at this annual gathering to critique the leadership, correct dates, venue and themes, and argue spellings and grammars (where this still exist; well it’s one of those activisties that shaped us).

But being objective, what are we meant to assess and evaluate at our various Central Branches?

Let’s Review Our Reports!
The Usrah, Public Lectures and what else? I don’t doubt that some Branches wouldn’t have more than these to report while adding activities of the Area Council and Area Units to make the document a bit bulky.

How Should The Reports Be Reviewed?
The USRAH which is the weekly gathering to give spiritual diet to the soul of members is meant to hold at least once a week which should make it 52 editions in the year, except the deductions that will exist due to special circumstances like during camp, public lecture amongst others. How many were held and with what the average attendance?

The attendance of the Usrah should ordinarily be evaluated by the number of graduates and/or school-leavers in attendance, and not students (either secondary school or higher institution). Where there are children, they aren’t expected to be added to the Usrah attendance, but it’s expected there exists a Kiddies Usrah for them.

And the PUBLIC LECTURE which could hold monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly is expected to have more of audience from the host community than the regular member who have been attending the Weekly Usrah. How many of the lectures were staged in conjunction with Mosques, Muslim Communities or other Islamic organisations.

Where it still holds, there should be a regular (usually monthly) SPIRITUAL NIGHT which practically trains the soul on acts of Ibadaat (worships) and a means to collectively engage those acts. Here it’s worthy of evaluation number of ayaat/suwar (verses/chapters) that was memorised. How many Adhkar & Du’a (invocations & supplications) were learnt? How many Sunnah (Prophetic traditions) were revived?

RAMADAN ACTIVITIES such as Ramadan Lectures (Pre, During or Post), Tafsir, I’tikaf, Iftaar, Feeding Support for less privilege, etc.

I’m not oblivious of the fact that Branches have left the planning and coordinating of I’TIKAF in the care of their Area Councils (or others) while they stay aloof and watch. It’s noteworthy that being a masjid affair, it’s an activity that’s meant to be overseen by the Branch; and more so, it’s more of also relating with the their members.

What HUMANITARIAN AND COMMUNITY SERVICES were initiated and held during the the period in consideration?

Activities vis-a-vis Visitations to Hospitals & Orphanages, Health Enlightenment & Screenings, Traffic Control, Pothole Fillings & Drainage Clearing, amongst other similar programmes and projects.

The Branch is expected to have activities such as Mosque Da’wah, Mosque Cleaning, Visitations to Imams, Rural/Community Da’wah, etc to relate with MASAAJID (mosques).

Beyond the masjid, what’s the relation of the Branch with STAKEHOLDERS in the community. Stakeholders such as landlords, religious leaders, community leaders, royal fathers, political and elective leaders. How’s the Branch contributing to the all-round development of its host community?
How many USRAH CENTRES are in place so as to get dipper to the grassroots – nooks and corners of it’s coverage.

SOCIALLY, does the Central Branch has institutions or fora to guide members and the general public on marital & matrimonial affairs, adult education, economic empowerment, counselling services for school-leavers and so on.

Also worthy of appraisal are PROJECTS done (or in progress) at the Branch level such as Mosque Building, Skill Acquisition Centres, Branch Secretariat, amongst other laudable projects.

These are what we’re to look out for in the reports and not just frequency and population or grammars and spellings. We need to have objective appraisal to see if the Central Branch is achieving its purpose of existence in our Society.

While I know many will be bewildered by this submission, I know some may also argue some. I shall, in-sha’a Allaah, in subsequent write-up state why the above need to be so.

The truth is that our Branches are the tripod on which the Society stands. They should provide the manpower and resources for the higher levels; and the Central Branch occupies a special status amongst them.

At this conference, we may not be able to evaluate the above but it should be a blueprint to run the remaining part of the regime.

PS: Comments, Opinions and Critiques will be appreciated.
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INSIGHT is a personal reflection of the writer. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed do not necessarily reflect that of the Society or MSSNLagos.