CELEBRATING A QUINTESSENTIAL PROF.!!!!
The date 22nd February, is among days which I always hold in awe. The reason is not farfetched, it is the day of my mentor, Professor Yasir Quadri. No amount of ineptitude can serve as an excuse of not celebrating my mentor, the encyclopedia islamicus, a disciplinarian primus inter pares. Baba reaches a milestone age today Alhamdu Lillah.......
How do I come to know a legend like this? A stern looking grey bearded scholar par excellence! Our paths crossed in 2008 before I was admitted to Unilorin during the course of our Computer Based Test(CBT). Then baba was among supervisors/cordinators at the venue of the test. Behold! I said unto myself, who is this replica of Justice Mustapha Akanbi( Former ICPC boss). Little did I know he will be my academic mentor. Not sooner than later, he was among our lecturers in 100 level with the course title: Zakat. Any student of Islamic Dept in unilorin can attests to the horrendous nature of the course. Though a unit course, but one will be amazed seeing people caring it over for 3 times. Our set however broke the jinx as we have people scoring over 90%. Our rapport is more cordial in my final year when I happened to be the only student that registered his elective course that is Muslim Philosophers. It is a one man class with baba, thank God I have A in the course. This rapport became more interesting when he was assigned to be my supervisor. Alhamdu lillah, he was also assigned as my supervisor during my Master degree program, his company I forever cherished. Little wonder I am jealously referred to as "Omo Baba" among my peers during the Postgraduate program. I can only pray for more rapport at next level.
Who is this Baba? Born in Ijebu Ode about 70 years ago to a renowned Muslim family. A First Class product of the Great University of Ibadan. One of the pioneer lecturers of Unilorin. A doyen of Islamic studies in Nigeria. A Professor of Professors, having protégés like Prof Oloyede(Former VC), Prof Akintola( LASU), Prof Badmus(Dean , PG), Prof Y.O Imam among others.
The qualities of Baba:
*Accountability: It is through the personality of him that I saw the exemplification of Umar ibn AbdulAziz ( Umar II). Any student of Islamic history will attest to this quality possessed by Umar II, as he never spent a dime from the state's purse. When Baba was the dean in the late 90s, he will never use the official vehicle for his personal affairs. The quality I find so interesting. When I approached him how I was being denied scholarship due to the discrepancies of my results, I recalled how he scold my level adviser adviser in relation to it.
*Simplicity: According to Mozart, simplicity is the true mark of a genius. This is true of baba as he shuns materialism to the core. He never wear fabrics, just plain cloths among others.
*Meticulousness: Baba is workaholic man, who carries his duties efficiently. Hey! This is a man that will sleep at office when the schedule is very tight. I remember I only submitted my dissertation to him few days to the closing period , only to receive his call that he had effected the necessary corrections. Thank you Sir.
I can't exhaust the don's qualities here which according to Mahfouz Adedimeji "makes him combines many stars that make him a galaxy, a dazzling spectacle to behold."
Surely, the achievement of a man is measured by the number of lives he has touched. For we that baba has touched our lives in a great way, we can only pray for a life of longevity for him. This is a man who never accepts gifts from his students!!! We are also praying that baba becomes a Professor Emeritus of Islamic studies...Wishing the sage many prosperous years ahead...
The date 22nd February, is among days which I always hold in awe. The reason is not farfetched, it is the day of my mentor, Professor Yasir Quadri. No amount of ineptitude can serve as an excuse of not celebrating my mentor, the encyclopedia islamicus, a disciplinarian primus inter pares. Baba reaches a milestone age today Alhamdu Lillah.......
How do I come to know a legend like this? A stern looking grey bearded scholar par excellence! Our paths crossed in 2008 before I was admitted to Unilorin during the course of our Computer Based Test(CBT). Then baba was among supervisors/cordinators at the venue of the test. Behold! I said unto myself, who is this replica of Justice Mustapha Akanbi( Former ICPC boss). Little did I know he will be my academic mentor. Not sooner than later, he was among our lecturers in 100 level with the course title: Zakat. Any student of Islamic Dept in unilorin can attests to the horrendous nature of the course. Though a unit course, but one will be amazed seeing people caring it over for 3 times. Our set however broke the jinx as we have people scoring over 90%. Our rapport is more cordial in my final year when I happened to be the only student that registered his elective course that is Muslim Philosophers. It is a one man class with baba, thank God I have A in the course. This rapport became more interesting when he was assigned to be my supervisor. Alhamdu lillah, he was also assigned as my supervisor during my Master degree program, his company I forever cherished. Little wonder I am jealously referred to as "Omo Baba" among my peers during the Postgraduate program. I can only pray for more rapport at next level.
Who is this Baba? Born in Ijebu Ode about 70 years ago to a renowned Muslim family. A First Class product of the Great University of Ibadan. One of the pioneer lecturers of Unilorin. A doyen of Islamic studies in Nigeria. A Professor of Professors, having protégés like Prof Oloyede(Former VC), Prof Akintola( LASU), Prof Badmus(Dean , PG), Prof Y.O Imam among others.
The qualities of Baba:
*Accountability: It is through the personality of him that I saw the exemplification of Umar ibn AbdulAziz ( Umar II). Any student of Islamic history will attest to this quality possessed by Umar II, as he never spent a dime from the state's purse. When Baba was the dean in the late 90s, he will never use the official vehicle for his personal affairs. The quality I find so interesting. When I approached him how I was being denied scholarship due to the discrepancies of my results, I recalled how he scold my level adviser adviser in relation to it.
*Simplicity: According to Mozart, simplicity is the true mark of a genius. This is true of baba as he shuns materialism to the core. He never wear fabrics, just plain cloths among others.
*Meticulousness: Baba is workaholic man, who carries his duties efficiently. Hey! This is a man that will sleep at office when the schedule is very tight. I remember I only submitted my dissertation to him few days to the closing period , only to receive his call that he had effected the necessary corrections. Thank you Sir.
I can't exhaust the don's qualities here which according to Mahfouz Adedimeji "makes him combines many stars that make him a galaxy, a dazzling spectacle to behold."
Surely, the achievement of a man is measured by the number of lives he has touched. For we that baba has touched our lives in a great way, we can only pray for a life of longevity for him. This is a man who never accepts gifts from his students!!! We are also praying that baba becomes a Professor Emeritus of Islamic studies...Wishing the sage many prosperous years ahead...
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