Saturday, May 20th, 2017. I attended a church programme ‘THRIVE’ at the Harvest House Church in Akobo, Ibadan. All my life, I’d never seen the inside of a church except in movies, newspapers and other media. Harvest House was state of the art. Like a modern day music theatre, there was a spotlight on the pastor and three adjacent large wall-size projected screens at the background displaying other parts of the church one may be blind to one as He focuses on the speaker. The sound systems were modern, the notes sounding clear and confident. The congregation sat in an orderly manner, basking in the wisdom the speaker shared. I thought to myself: “Little wonder Christians barely miss church services, this is fun.” The service started with a heart-warming Yoruba praise song I used to enjoy during morning assemblies as a secondary school student –Ta lo da bire. Born a Muslim, I have kept to my religion and never felt the need to probe other faiths. Having read the Holy Qur’an and adhered to its tenets to the best of my understanding, I’d been convinced it is enough to navigate my way to Heaven.
Growing up in the suburbs of Lagos, my childhood playmates had been Christians and Muslims alike. We celebrated all festivals together and got along well. I’d always wondered why there are so many religions, why can’t there be only one religion? As a result, I engaged in Bible Study with some Jehovah witnesses around my area on weekends. Pastor Ibukun Awosika was the speaker. In her melodious voice, she quoted Matthew 19:19 which enjoins Christians to love their neighbours as they love themselves. I remember the Holy Prophet (PBUH), in the 40-Hadith collections of Annawawi, said that a believer’s faith will never be complete unless he honours his neighbour. In the Quran, Allah further clarified that he revealed Torah to Prophet Moses, the Psalms (Zabur) to Prophet Dawud, the Gospel (Injil) to Prophet Isa – Jesus (PBUH).
At this juncture, I realized that faith is a continuous chain that started from time immemorial and our religions are not on a collision course as we have led ourselves to believe. Instead our nonchalance toward learning about one another’s belief has birthed differences. The more we learn about one another, the more we understand each other, and the more we can see beyond our prejudices, stereotypes and thoughtless hate and misunderstandings, the better for our society and country.
*A summarized version of this article was first published for the post-graduate hall press of the University of Ibadan.
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