The President of the Tijjaniya Muslims of Ghana, Sheikh Imam Abdul Wadudi Haruna, on Wednesday launched the maiden Tijjaniya Mawlid in London at the Ghana Muslim Welfare Centre.
Sheikh Abdul Wadudi was in London over the weekend to attend the annual International Conference ‘Jalsa’ of the Ahmadiyya Muslims under the invitation of the Supreme Leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslims based in London.
Tijjaniya Muslims celebrate the birth of their founder, Sidi Ahmed Tijjani bun Muhammed on the 13th day of Safar, the second month in the Islamic calendar, which falls on Thursday, August 7, 2025.
It is estimated that over 10,000 Tijjani Muslims live in the UK and over 300 million Tijjani Muslims live around the World.
The Ghanaian Muslims in the UK who hosted Sheikh Abdul Wadudi expressed delight in seeing their leader, who also doubles as the Khalipha or successor of his father, Sheikh Alhaji Haruna Mohammed At-Tijjani.
It is expected that Sheikh Abdul Wadudi would make an annual visit to the UK capital as the special guest during the Mawlid period, among other programs.
Sheikh Abdul Wadudi was accompanied to the maiden Tijjaniya Mawlid by the Executive Secretary of the Tijjaniya Muslims of Ghana, Sheikh Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman, who happened to be in the UK, coincidentally, to present a research paper at Oxford University.
Mawlid is an Islamic religious practice that is being observed annually by practitioners of Sufi Orders under the Sunni school of thought. It means commemorating the birthdays of particular individuals and Sufi coaches or masters.
During the occasion of Mawlid, food and drinks are served free of charge, the Quran is recited many times over, histories and biographies of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) and some noble or pious people are read and narrated, and Muslim poets compete for prizes and commendations.
Among the noble objectives of organising Mawlid is to immortalise the lifestyles of important people in Islam who are worthy of emulation.
Mawlid, thus, plays a significant role in making positive impacts and shaping the lifestyle of Sufi adherents. It remains a major activity in the circles of Sufi movements around the world.
In Ghana, the National Chief Imam and Grand Mufti of the Republic of Ghana, Sheikh (Dr) Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, leads the organisation of Mawlid, which attracts the President, other arms of government and leading Islamic leaders and scholars from Ghana and abroad.
Sheikh Abdul Wadudi also hosts, annually in Kumasi, the second largest gathering of Mawlids in Ghana and he’s credited for bringing together at one sitting the two main political parties to promote unity for national development.
BY TIMES REPORTER
