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Tue 24 Dhul Qidah 1444AH 13-6-2023AD at 9:20 pm #90247
Salām ,
What a Difficult Vacuum !: The Demise of Hon. Justice M.A. AmbaliIt is no longer news that Nigeria lost a great Muslim leader, a legal luminary, an erudite scholar, a versatile and prolific writer, in person of the late Hon. Justice Abdulmuttalib Ahmad Ambali, Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), and Fellow of Islamic Studies, Nigeria (FISN), retired second Grand Khadi, Qādīl-Qudāt of the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal in the early hours of Thursday 8th Ramadān 1444 / 30th March 2023. The sad event occurred at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital. His remains were buried in his family compound, Ile Agbojulogun, Okekere, Ilorin, same day after Salātul ‘Asr . The Salātul Janāzah which was performed by a large crowd, took place in the premises of his alma mater, Ansarul Islam Primary School, Okekere, Ilorin.
The parents of the late Justice who would have turned eighty on the 24th April this year, were Alfa Ambali, a pious Muslim and Mama Ummu Hānī Ayoka, a dutiful and accommodating housewife, were indigenes of Ilorin.
The young Abdulmuttalib, like most of his age mates in Okekere, attended the Qur’anic school ( Ile-Kewu ) of Ile Imam Maliki to learn Qur’anic reading. He later moved to Ile Onipepeye, where he acquired the elementary knowledge of Islam from Imam Bello. It is from there that he went to drink from the fountain of knowledge of Shaykh Muhammad Kamaludeen Al-Adabī, the First Mufti of Ilorin under who, he acquired the sound knowledge of Arabic and Islamic Studies, which was the solid rock upon which his future academic pursuit and career was built. It was Shaykh Muhammad Kamaludeen that put him under the direct supervision of the Head Teacher of the school, Ra’īsul-Mu’āllimīn, Shaykh Musa Alfanla, the father of the current Registrar of the University of Ilorin.
The young Abdulmuttalib later went to train as a teacher at the Bida Teachers’ College in 1960. In 1963, the University of Ibadan started a one year Certirficate Course in Arabic. Ambali was one of the pioneer students who benefitted from the programme. He completed the course in Distinction Class, which qualified him for a three-month visit to Lebanon on the ticket of the Lebanese government. He later returned to the same University for a degree course in Arabic and Islamic Studies (1967 – 1971). Later in 1979 – 1980, he attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for a Postgraduate Diploma.
The late Hon. Justice Ambali, a responsible husband and a caring father, married Hajia Halimat of the Ladipo family, Okekere. She was a trader. He also married Memunat Gogo, of the Belgore family, a nurse, and later he married Dr Zaynab Funmilayo of the Orioko family, the only surviving wife who is a medical practitioner and now, a retired Permanent Secretary. He was also survived by six children and many grandchildren.
Expectedly, the late Ambali began his career as a teacher in 1958 at Egosi, Ikole in the present Ekiti State. He later taught Arabic and Islamic Studies in some schools including the Muslim Girls High School, Ijebu-Ode between 1964 – 1967. He was in the Administrative sector of the Kwara State Civil Service for nine years 1971 – 79 where he served in various capacities and became the pioneer Chief Registrar of the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal in 1980. Between 1981 – 1999, he served as a Qādī, and the Grand Qādī between 2000 – 2008, when he retired.
The Late Hon. Justice Abdulmuttalib Ahmad Ambali was very useful to the Muslim Ummah in various ways. He was always prepared to share his knowledge with others. That explains why he was readily available to give thought provoking lectures on different themes of Islamic interest with the aim of educating and reforming Muslims and put them on the right path of rectitude. Some of his topics in this direction include the following:
▪︎ Effects of Indiscipline In Our Society
▪︎ The Duties of Husbands and Wives as Prescribed by Islamic Religion
▪︎ The Concept of Rahmah In Islam
▪︎ Towards Attaining Meaningful Education In Our Society
▪︎ The Role of the Women In the Development of the NationThe Late Hon. Justice Ambali attended many seminars and conferences both in Nigeria and abroad and delivered papers among which are the following:
☆ The Relevance of Sharia Law In Modern Nigeria
☆ The Rights of Women In Islam
☆ The Role of Religion In Human Society
☆ Application of Islamic Personal Law In Nigeria
☆ Globalisation: Between Islam and Western World
☆ Challenges of Sharia Implementation In Nigeria: An Overview of a Judge.In all, about forty-six papers were presented by the late erudite scholar, majority of which are still in manuscript form, waiting to be edited and published. Until that is done, his messages and thoughts embedded therein will not be available to the generality of Muslims. He too, appears to be aware of the implications of not publishing one’s manuscripts before one’s death. He therefore had nineteen (19 ) of them published and they have been very useful materials on Islamic learning and education. They are :
◇ The Place of Women In Islamic Scheme of Things , (1993)
◇ The Practice of Muslim Family Law In Nigeria , ( first edition 1997, second edition 2003, third edition 2014)
◇ Islamic Law Provisions For Non-Muslims , (2001)
◇ Guidelines to Desired Uniformity of the Beginning and Ending of Ramadān Fasting In Nigeria , (2002)
◇ Shirk : Its Definition and Consequences , (2003)
◇ Democracy On the Scale of Islam , (2004)
◇ Ash-Shahādah: Evidence In Islamic Law , (2005)
◇ Zakāt: The Third Pillar of Islam , ( first edition 2006, second edition 2016)
◇ Islam and Moon Sighting , ( 2009)
◇ Islamic Solution to Moral Decadence , (2010)
◇ Islam And Inter-Religious Marriage , (2010)
◇ Islamic Studies For Senior Secondary Schools , (2013)
◇ Mawāqitus Salāt (Times For Prayers), (2014)
◇ Ilorin In the History of Nigeria , (2014)
◇ Hukmul Fidā’, (2015)
◇ Permissibility of Kneeling Down In Islam , (2017)
◇’ Ilmul Farā’id ( Science of Inheritance In Islam ), (2017)
◇ Lessons From the Life of Muhammad Kamalud-Deen , (2018)
◇ Wasiyyah : Will According to IslamThe following manuscripts are already in press:
Divergence of Opinions In Islam
Islamic Studies For Junior Secondary Schools
Al – Karīmah: Virtuous Muslim WomenAll the works of the late Hon. Justice Ambali both in manuscripts and in print, could be described as his humble contributions to the better understanding and the practice of Islam by Muslims especially those who do not have adequate knowledge and proper understanding of the religion. He also raised some issues on the practice of Islam, which call for a reconsideration of Muslim practices. His works, both manuscripts and published are eagerly waiting for a comprehensive analysis and evaluation. His long service in the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal deserves a critical study with the view of bringing his contributions to limelight.
His death has obviously created a difficult vacuum from various perspectives to fill. His contribution to Islamic scholarship is inestimable just as his attempts to make the religion understood by everyone. It was this zeal that prompted him to write text books on Islamic Studies for secondary school students. He discovered the need to write the books when he established Muslim Model Secondary school after his retirement and taught Arabic and Islamic Studies in the school till he died.The Late Hon. Justice Abdulmuttalib Ahmad Ambali, without an iota of doubt, was a fine gentleman, a legal luminary, an incorruptible Qādi, and Qādīl-Qudāt, an erudite scholar, a versatile and highly prolific author, a distinguished jurist, and a committed Mujāhid . I therefore humbly pray to Allah ,The Merciful to continue showering His mercy on his soul, and admit him into the best place in Al-Jannah together with his parents, teachers, and his loved ones. Q59:10 & 9:105
Jumu’atun Mubārakah
Prof. Yasir Anjola Quadri
22 Shawwal 1444 / 12th May 2023
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