According to rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website): An Exclusive Interview with Sheikh Ismail, New Muslim from Ghana, By: Zahra Salehi
Sheikh Ismail Muhammad (Pastor) was born in Asankragua, the capital of Wasa Amenfi West District in the Western Region of Ghana. He had the basic education in an English and Arabic School and furthered his education at Asankragua Senior Secondary School.
He developed the interest in Islamic studies so he was admitted to a seminary school called Ahlulbayt Teacher Training Center and studied there for 4 years. He studied major Islam subjects like Principles of Jurisprudence, Islamic Theology, Islamic Philosophy and Logic (Mantiq), Qur’anic Exegesis (Tafseer), Arabic Grammar and Literature, Knowledge of Hadith, and he Specialized in Islamic Jurisprudence. He continued his studies at Islamic University College of Ghana to study Bachelor of Arts in Religion.
Sheikh Ismail, first I should say that Rahyafte NGO (related to Edoardo Agnelli Islamic Association) appreciates you for accepting the interview. Please tell us your story concerning your reversion to Islam.
I was born and given to my father’s sister who took me to Church. I was baptized in a Church called united twelve apostles. I attended the Church from infancy till I grew up. I then had the chance to practice Islam. There was a scholar called Malam Isa Osei. I like him very much because he inspired me to debate Christians with the Bible. I started debating Christians when I was about 16-17 years old. I was only practicing Islam based on what I heard preachers saying. Sometimes I became confused when two scholars were preaching on a topic with two different presentations or methods. From then I also started preaching with the little knowledge I had. I used to follow Malams and read the Bible which was translated into Twi for them. I gathered all their experiences and used them in my preaching. I didn’t know Quran very well so all my preachings were purely biblical with some few Quranic verses and story telling.
At that time I had no belief and I didn’t know Islam has sects. I used to hear of the Ashmediaya and of the ahlul sunnah as a different type of Muslims. As for the Shia, I knew nothing about them at all. I later came to hear of the Tijaniyya but didn’t know anything about them. Fortunately for me, I went to a village to preach and there I met a scholar who told me about Ahlulbayt teacher training center. I saw the Ahlulbayt teacher training center as a paradise for me and as a home for me to build up my dreams. I learned seriously over there and I was able to differentiate between all the sects in Islam and I chose to be a Shia after thorough research.
What difficulties you had in your path to become a Shia scholar?
I am from a very poor background and the only person among my father’s children who had the chance to study in the secondary school. Sometimes I had no transportation to even move to a village to preach and when I got transportation to the place, I depended on little money they gave me on the way of Allah to return home. Sometimes I got only a little money as a gift from the congregation so I used it as transportation. I later had the chance to be a radio preacher. I preached on the radio for more than a year before I got the chance to study in Accra in the Ahlulbayt school.
I became a Shia scholar after some few years. I am not a scholar because I don’t know everything about Shiism but a scholar to my friends who have little or no idea about Islam and a student to my teachers and scholars.
Allah said: “و فوق كل ذي علم عليم” “And above every man of knowledge is One who knows best (Holy Quran, 12:76).
Now my movement is from Christianity to a common Muslim and finally to a Shia scholar. Which of these stages should a Muslim be happy with? When I was a Christian, no Muslim ever insulted me. When I became a common Muslim, no Muslim was my enemy. And now that I am a Shia, some are fighting me. Some even want to assassinate me and call it jihad. Do they want me to go back to Christianity? It is as if they are satisfied with non-Muslims but hate fellow Muslims. Please let’s ponder and love one another as Muslims.
Sheikh Ismail as you have studied Islamic sciences and also as a Shia scholar, what have you done for Islamic propagation?
As far as Islamic propagation is concerned, I have preached on various religious platforms and radio and TV stations including Velvet Beam FM, Unique FM, Royal FM, Marhaba FM, and ATV. I also organize yearly Tafseer at Asankragua Central Mosque. I am an International Islamic scholar who gives lectures on Channel WIN at Mumbai in India.
I’m also a writer and an author of several religious articles including ‘Islam and Diversity, Peace and Tolerance, Islamic Leadership after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Traces of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) In The Bible, The Death of Jesus Christ, etc’. Some of my articles are published in some websites like lucknowshianews.com and www.alhiqma-institute.org.
I have most of my video lectures on several topics on YouTube and on Facebook. With the support of several individuals with a pure heart in religious affairs, I have been able to bring out several developmental initiatives which include Al-hiqma Institute of Ghana and Al-hiqma TV. My knowledge in the Christianity and the Bible has also given me several opportunities to debate with Christian scholars and to reply to several misconceptions about Islam that are created by some Christian scholars across the globe.
How do you see the spread of Islam in your country?
The spread of Islam is at a gradual rate. Muslims in Ghana have few schools, no hospitals and these two are only owned by Christians and through that, they convert a lot of people into Christianity. We hope to get schools that will educate our Muslim children about Islam. Preachers are doing their best but it’s still not enough.
InshaAllah you will be successful. And the problems? Also, tell us about the problems you face in your region for proselytizing Shia Islam.
Before one will be able to spread Islam throughout the country or throughout the world, he needs to get control over the Media. The TV and the radio play many roles in spreading Islam. This is the case that only a few of them belong to Muslims. On Sundays, Christians preach on every TV and radio station but on Fridays, only a few Muslims get access to the Media. This is one Major problem. So if the Muslim preachers were to have audio and video recording facilities, they would have been able to persuade a lot of Christians to accept Islam.
How about Wahhabis? Another person from your country told me they have lots of problems with them. Do Wahhabis create problems in your way of proselytizing Shia Islam? If so, How do you deal with these problems?
Wahhabis do not disturb us that much. They only have few issues about our way of doing things but it’s not that serious. A town like Tamale is where the Wahhabis are aggressive but with the presence of Sheikh Dalhu, a Shi’a scholar, the place is calm among the Shia’s and the Wahhabis. Even though some of them have issues with the Shi’a, they have not been able to do anything dangerous against us.
Alhamdulillah. May Allah bless you and keep you strong and firm on this true path.
Thank you very much for your attention.
By: Zahra Salehi, Mojdeh Dalir sharami
