The Society of Muslim Professionals (SMP), Abeokuta, at the weekend marked its 35th anniversary with a call on members and Muslim faithful to sustain excellence in both spiritual devotion and socio-economic engagement, stressing that gratitude to Allah must translate into continuous service to humanity.
Speaking at the grand finale of the anniversary held in Abeokuta, the National President and Presiding Officer, Alhaji Rasheed S.A., said the milestone celebration was a testament to decades of commitment, sacrifice, and collective vision anchored on Islamic values.
He noted that the society, founded on April 13, 1991, by pioneering members including Alhaji Sulaiman Osho, Alhaji Sefiu Rasheed, Alhaji Taofeeq Osundara, and Alhaji Hafeez Orunsolu, had grown from a small initiative into a structured platform for Islamic propagation, community development, and socio-economic empowerment.
According to him, SMP’s guiding philosophy of “Oneness in Islam” had remained central to its programmes over the past 35 years, influencing interventions in education, welfare, health, and economic empowerment.
“We gather today under the theme: ‘From Gratitude to Greater Heights: Sustaining Excellence in Deen and Dunyah,’ which reminds us that gratitude is not merely spoken, but demonstrated through continued excellence in worship and service to society,” he said.
Alhaji Rasheed highlighted the society’s achievements, including counselling for students, production of educational materials, outreach programmes to markets, mechanic villages, and correctional centres, as well as its non-interest cooperative scheme aimed at empowering members economically.
He added that SMP had also strengthened its religious infrastructure through the establishment of a central mosque and the turbaning of its Chief Imam in 2015, alongside annual health outreaches and collaborations with Islamic organisations such as the Ogun State Muslim Council and the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations.
Quoting from the Holy Qur’an, he referenced Allah’s promise in Surah Ibrahim (14:7), that gratitude attracts divine increase, urging members to remain steadfast in faith and collective responsibility.
Also speaking, the Chief Imam of SMP, Abubakri Abd’Wasiu Maadan, in a lecture themed “From Gratitude to Greater Heights,” described gratitude as one of the highest forms of worship, comprising acknowledgement of blessings in the heart, praise on the tongue, and righteous use of Allah’s favours.
He explained that gratitude brings preservation and increase of blessings, divine pleasure, tranquillity of the heart, protection from calamities, and ultimate reward in the hereafter.
Maadan warned that ingratitude leads to loss of blessings and spiritual hardness, urging Muslims to remain conscious of Allah’s favours at all times.
He outlined practical expressions of gratitude to include consistent worship, charity, helping the needy, and appreciation of others, noting that “whoever does not thank people has not thanked Allah.”
Drawing lessons from Islamic history, the cleric cited the examples of Prophets Nuh, Ibrahim, Dawud, Sulaiman, and Muhammad (SAW), as well as companions such as Abu Bakr, Uthman, and Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, as models of gratitude whose lives were marked by sacrifice and devotion.
He also referenced the people of Saba as a warning against ingratitude, noting that their downfall was a result of neglecting divine favours.
The anniversary event attracted scholars, Islamic leaders, members of the society, and guests from across Ogun State, who jointly prayed for the continued growth of SMP and the Muslim community at large.
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