By
Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori
The death of Prof. Badmas Lanre Yusuf is painful to us but as Muslims, we have no choice than to be patient, trust Allāh’s decision and accept His decree on it. May Allāh forgive and have mercy on him.
Prof. Badmas was one of the golden pillars in the Muslim Ummah, not only in Ilorin or Kwara State but Nigeria and the global level. His exemplary qualities had so much impact on me personally and many others who are like me. Through his da’wah and academic efforts, he mentored a lot of people.
Prof Badmas was a close ally of my Dad, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi. They have been together for years. The most important thing that bound them was Islam and da’wah. Their background was MSSN. They did NACOMYO and several other Islamic organizations together. Their friendship was so strong to the extent that he was the one who gave me his middle name (Lanre) that I bear. The erudite Prof had gladly narrated this story at many sittings. There is no project my Dad would do without his knowledge. He is the one who conducts nikāh in our family. The last one that he did was that of my sister, Hawau. Prof. Badmas occupied a great position in the life of my Dad and this is well known to anyone who is familiar with the two of them. Prof. Badmas to our family was more than just a friend. He was his spiritual mentor and counselor. The Abdullahi and Badmas families are very close as if we are bloodily related. So, this is a great loss to my Dad and I feel for him. When I first heard the news of Prof’s death, I was reluctant to call Alhaji because of the fear of how he would feel on the phone. My conversation with him later in the night was highly emotional. I pray Allāh makes this loss easy for him. May Allāh forgive and have mercy on Prof. Badmas Lanre Yusuf.
Personally, my relationship with Prof. Badmas was a special one. I was even closer to him than my own father. The closeness was so much to the extent that it will be difficult to know that he was not my father. I am well known at his family house and his Adewole residence. He practically adopted me right from the time I was very small. He was a great motivator for me on Qur’ān memorization. Since he had noticed the gift of the Qur’ān in me, he drew me very close himself and gave me the name “Alfa Alalukurani”. This name became well known among everyone close to him. He made me appreciate the Qur’ān more and to conduct myself according to it.
Prof Badmas was a selfless man with a pure heart. Allāh helped him against envy and grudges. As small as I was, he promoted me taking me in his private car to programmes to recite the Qur’ān at events. He made me the pioneer Mu’adhin at the Hilal (Crescent) Islamic Center. Under his supervision, the Masjid served as an incubator of future Imams and scholars. Prof. Badmas did not hide any gift he saw in anyone no matter how small. I cannot forget how he used to take me to scholars and philanthropists within Ilorin. He wanted me to become a scholar. I can remember vividly this was his intention the day (around year 2001) he came to pick me at home and took me to Prof. Abdurrahman Imām Ahmad (Kakuri). That was the first time I met him. After I had recited the Qur’ān to him, he was impressed. Prof. Badmas suggested that he took me to Saudi Arabia to acquire more knowledge. But this was not possible due to some events that later came up at that time. This was how Prof was, he wanted good for children of other people and Allāh has paid him back by making all his children coolness of eyes for him even before his death. The likes of Dr. Abdulhameed, Ustadh Dasuki, Malam Shehu, Bar. Danjuma and the rest of them are all successful in their chosen fields. He trained and sponsored the education of many people within and outside his family.
One of the good things that I learned from Prof was generosity. He was practically generous and prudent. He taught me that when a child is sent to you for any reason, remember to tip him or her with cash. We used to be very happy whenever Alhaji sent us to him because we knew he would give us money for transport. The first ever phone I used in my life (Motorola) was bought by Prof in 2004. When I was going to law school in 2009, he bought a brand new acer laptop for me that I used for years. Only Allāh knows how many people he gave the golden opportunity to perform Hajj and ‘Umrah on a yearly basis. The year I performed Hajj, despite his busy schedules, he came to visit me where I was and gave me money. As far as I know, he used all his positions to serve Allāh sincerely. Despite how busy he was, he would still find time to deliver thought provoking sermons every Friday. He kept ties of kinship. He took care of his immediate and extended families. He loved his children and made marriage easy for them early in life. He benefitted all his friends to the best of his ability, to the extent that none of his friends can say “Prof Badmas has never assisted me”. Indeed, the best of people are those who benefit others.
Despite his administrative journey occupying some key public positions in Kwara State and Nigeria, such as Chairman, Kwara State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Provost, College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies, and Federal Commissioner, National Hajj Commission (NAHCON), Prof. Badmas did not toy with his academic career. He returned to the lecture room at the University of Ilorin even before the expiration of his tenure at NAHCON. To date, his achievements as Provost at CAILS speak for itself. He is arguably the most outstanding Provost of that institution till. CAILS was at its peak during his tenure because of his initiatives. He was a very simple man. Even when he was still at NAHCON, I had met him riding commercial bikes severally. His knowledge and humility earned him the Imāmhip of his family house, Maimasa Compound, Ilorin.
One thing that I will never forget about him was the role he played in how I became a lawyer. I mentioned this story recently in an interview with Another Ramadan last week. At CAILS, I applied for Mass Communication and I was offered admission. After resumption, I saw a friend of mine in Sharī’ah and Common Law Department and I got motivated to also read law. Due to my close relationship with Prof Badmas who was our Provost then, I requested him to help me with a change of course process to Sharī’ah and Common and he did it for me. This was how I started my journey to the Bar and Alhamdulillah, I have no regret. If he had turned down my request, what would I have done? I believe he is one of those Allāh has used to help me to where I am today. So, I can’t forget him. I owe him a lot. This is one of my saddest days in life.
May Allāh forgive and have mercy on him. May Allāh grant his family and friends fortitude to bear this great loss.
