Youths in Yola Trained on Righteous Hajj as Cleric Warns Against ‘Empty’ Pilgrimage

                  By

 Shehu Usman Aliyu

YOLA– The bold move of safeguarding the future of Islamic pilgrimage practice, of Mallum Taskiyatul Banat Islamiyya, Yola, in partnership with AL-Huda Islamiyya, Yola, launched a series of training programmes to instill the correct rites of Hajj in young Muslims from an early age has been commended.

The Chief Imam of Shagari Central Masjid, Dr. Ahmad Sa'ad who made commendation noted that the initiative would ensure that when the opportunity for the pilgrimage comes, today’s youth will perform the Hajj with knowledge, sincerity and confidence rather than confusion and costly mistakes.

He made the assertion during a lecture on Tuesday at Shagari Phase II Central Masjid, describing the programme as “a seed of light planted at the right time.”

“Just as we teach children how to perform ablution, how to pray, and other religious duties from a young age, Hajj must also be taught early,” Dr. Sa’ad told a packed congregation. “Training our youths at this tender age is laudable. When they grow up, they will not stumble through Hajj. They will perform it with understanding, with sincerity, and with actions that attract Allah’s acceptance and reward.”

The respected cleric was blunt about the consequences of ignorance lamenting that many pilgrims return from the Holy Land with little spiritual gain—not for lack of sincerity, but because they performed the rites without knowing their meaning.

“It is painful to see people spend huge sums of money, endure long journeys, only for their Hajj to be void due to lack of knowledge,” he said. “That is not just a waste of money and energy it is a missed opportunity for Allah’s reward.”

Dr. Sa’ad used the occasion to call for the establishment of more Islamiyya schools across communities. He urged parents, community leaders, and philanthropists to invest in Islamic education as the foundation for righteous living.

“Knowledge is the key to righteous action,” he stressed. “If we want our children and our pilgrims to stand before Allah with deeds He accepts, then we must strive hard to learn, to teach, and to practice correctly.”

The collaborative training by Mallum Taskiyatul Banat and AL-Huda Islamiyya is already being hailed as a model for other communities, catching the youth early, in building understanding before packing bags for the journey to Makkah.

“Hajj without knowledge may cost you everything and gain you nothing,” Dr. Sa’ad warned. “But a Hajj built on understanding can transform a lifetime.”