The Muslim communities have been taking sides following the outburst of the Murdir (leader) of popular Islamic school, Markaz Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies situated in the Agege area of Lagos State, Sheikh Muhammed Adam (El-ilory), who accused popular cleric, Sheikh Sulaimon Farooq, popularly known as Onikijipa, of masterminding his recent sickness through diabolical means.

Adam made this allegation on Sunday while speaking at the institution’s 2025 Ramadan Tafseer Programme.

Tafseer comes from an Arabic word, “fasara,” which means the exegesis or commentary on the Quran, and aims to provide explanation, interpretation, and context for a clear understanding of God’s will.

The Markaz’s leader said he had always renounced treating personality but issues, stressing that this year’s Ramadan lecture would explain the feud between him and Onikijipa.

According to him, the Kwara-based cleric who is always addressed as mufti (an Islamic jurist) had always pointed an accusing finger on his father (late Sheikh Adam) for not including his father’s name in the list of the noble clerics he mentioned in one of his books.

Before the lecture, Adam had challenged Onikijipa to be his subordinate while claiming that the latter came to his father’s institution to learn when he was already lecturing there.

He said, “I had finished an advanced class, gone to Kano State to learn more and returned to Markaz for lecturing after my father insisted that I stay before Sulaimon Farooq resumed Sanawi’yah Idadi (elementary) class. Who am I fighting with? How can he be saying Sheikh Adam (my father) offended him? The offence is that my father listed all the noble Islamic clerics in one of his books and refused to mention his father.

“Who’s even his father? His father is not the heir of the Onikijipa lineage. The people who reside in the compound of the Onikijipa lineage are the original and worthy ones to be referred as the Onikijipa. That’s their tradition in Ilorin. One Alfa Alabi Onikijipa is the recognized heir of the Onikijipa lineage. He’s one of the first students of Sheikh Taju Al-Adaby.”

At the lecture, Adam did not mention Onikijipa’s name directly, but he had earlier assured his congregation that he was going to give an in-depth explanation of what led to the feud between them.

He therefore addressed the Kwara-based cleric as “the person” and “he” throughout his narration.

“I am starting a discussion on this to vindicate Imam Fulani, who was framed for my sickness. Although I have been advised not to speak on the matter, I insisted. The sickness happened to me in 2022. Two months before it happened, I went to Ilorin for a wedding ceremony at Imam Fulani’s house. I wanted to go pay homage to the Kwara governor alongside Imam when he came. We were at Mudir Makama’s place when he met us, and one of his boys used a handkerchief to rub my neck. He collected the handkerchief from him before the clerics finally collected it from him.




https://punchng.com/two-popular-islamic-clerics-bicker-over-sickness-allegations-superiority/