BRIEF HISTORY OF ABU ZAWIYYA
In the name of ALLAH, most Gracious, Most Merciful. Peace and blessings of ALLAH be upon the noblest of the prophets sayyidina MUHAMMAD (SAW), his family and compa
TIMSAN is an acronym for Tijaniyyah Muslim Students' Association of Nigeria. It is an Islamic, non-governmental and non-profit oriented association which serves as the umbrella body for all Tijaniyyah students in higher institutions and it is institutionalised for uplifting the Islamic spirituality and religious guidance of its members, promoting the love of Prophet (SAW) and peaceful coexistence among students of different background while also protecting and propagating the teachings and practices of Islam as well as to indoctrinate the ideology and principles of the pristine Tijaniyyah path and Tasawuf at large within the academic environment.
TIMSAN was not formed to rival other existing Islamic associations within the academic terrain but to strengthen, unite and create conducive environment for its members to carry out their daily obligatory worships like wazifah and zikr jummah in congregation peacefully without fear of intimidation which is not guaranteed by other associations.
TIMSAN plays other important roles such as teaching Entrepreneurship/Vocational skills, networking graduates or alumni to job opportunities, propagating Islam and Sufism, tutoring members and the public in their academics and conducting social services such as; visiting prisons and hospitals, amongst others.
TIMSAN'S area of operation includes all Nigerian secondary and tertiary educational institutes, both publicly and privately owned within the province of Nigeria. As such, all Nigerian Tijaniyyah students fall under the management of TIMSAN.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The presence of congregational practice of Tijaniyyah in Nigerian campuses can be dated as far back as the late 70s or early 80s. The association started with groups of people in various campuses who came together to fulfill their daily obligations of observing the litanies of the Tijaniyyah path. The need later arose for the formation of an association following the incessent persecution of Tijaniyyah students by other Muslim bodies. At the beginning, different regions independently adopted different names. The name “TIMSAN” was adopted by the South Western region including university of Ilorin from North Central, “Muslim Sufi Movement of Nigeria (MSMN)” was adopted by the North Western region, while the North Central region (mainly Niger State) chose to adopt “International Organisation Of Tijaniyyah Brotherhood (IOTB)” student’s wing. All these bodies were operating exclusively until early 2011 when they were amalgamated. A conference was held at the hall of the National mosque Abuja to officially unify all pre-existing associations and adopt a single name. After much deliberations, the name Tijaniyyah Muslim Students' Association of Nigeria (TIMSAN) was adopted marking the beginning of TIMSAN being the national body for all Tijaniyyah students in Nigeria. At the conference, a resolution was made to organize an annual conference at Abuja to discuss issues bordering TIMSAN and its activities. The association was registered with the corporate affairs commission (CAC/IT/42609) in 2011 and in 2014 the first executive council was inaugurated under the leadership of Sayyadi Onuchi Adavize Abdulghaffar kickstarting its full functioning.
At the initial stage, the association got standardized in very few institutions while others were skeptical in adopting the name TIMSAN although the ideology itself was widely accepted. With lots of efforts from successive executives, we now have about 149 higher institutions operating with the name TIMSAN and about 30 of them are officially recognised by their school management.
CORE VALUES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES
For the effectiveness of every organization, there is a need for a set of principles and standards that will guide the mode of operation and conduct of its members. Being an Islamic association, TIMSAN derives its values and principles from the three(3) primary sources of Islamic law which includes: Quran, Hadith and Ijma'a (Consensus of the scholars), anything contrary to these are duly rejected. Also being a Sufi Order we try to raise our spiritual level above that of an ordinary Muslim by strictly following the laid down principles of the Order.
Forming part of our moral values is adorning ourselves with the characters of Rasulullah (SAW) which includes honesty, gratitude, empathy and compassion for others, respect for other people's school of thought, generosity and responsibility, self control over thoughts, actions, words and emotions, embracing peace and unity among all groups, spreading love and operating within the confines of the laid down regulations.
BRIEF HISTORY OF TIMSAN ABU
1. The first zawiyya to be established was that of samaru campus. Wazifa started on 1st august, 1984 at ICSA/RAMAT Hall, room 115 during summer term of the then School of Basic Studies (SBS). It was observed by 4 brothers in the room under the leadership of Brother Umar As-sufi. Three days later, the number increased and the room could not accommodate them which necessitated shifting the wazifa to Ramat Mosque.
Because of challenges of strong opposition by Tijjaniyya antagonists on the campus, the wazifa was shifted to Alex Mosque. Later, majority of the brothers were allocated to SULAIMAN HALL (the then largest male hostel on the campus) and wazifa was shifted there and was being performed in the hall mosque until 2019 when the hostel was allocated to females. Following the re-allocation of the hostel to females, wazifa moved to where it originally started (ICSA/RAMAT hostel) where it is currently being held. Today, the population of brothers performing wazifa and zikr jumu'at in the Mosque (Diploma, Undergraduate and postgraduate) ranges from 500 to 1500 despite the challenges from the antagonists.
In view of all these circumstances and vices from the opposition, the Muslim Youth Solidarity (MYS) was formed in 1993 as an avenue where the Ahlul-sufi brothers can defend their rights. Later the Muslim Sufi Movement of Nigeria was created, and adopted in 1996 which has been in operation up to recent times.
2. Kongo campus zawiyya was established in 1996 with a total number of 15 sufi members (male and female).
3. School of Basic and Remedial Studies (SBRS), Funtua zawiyya was started in the campus mosque in 2003 under the leadership of sayyidi Bashir Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi (RTA).
4. ABU Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) zawiyya started in 2009 with 4 brothers in room 62, block A of Aliyu Musdafa Hall, Shika under the leadership of Brother Muhammad Shakur. Subsequently the number increased to 6 and was maintained throughout the year. After the completion of the students hostel mosque, the wazifa was shifted to the mosque. However, due to some issues raised by the Islamic Medical Association executives and consequent advices given by the association's patrons, wazifa was relocated back to room 72, block A of the same hall. The zawiyya population, though not much, is appreciable due to the fact that brothers are not much in the the then faculty of medicine even in the pre-clinical arm. Wazifa was not performed at Shika for some time but Alhamdulillah it has fully resumed since November 2022. The Shika zawiyya held its 1st maulud-Nabiyy in early 2010 in room 51, block A of the students hostel and was attended by 9 brothers. Early 2011, another one was held in the large lecture hall and was attended by more than 300 brothers and sisters.