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The Society of Muslim Professionals (SMP), Abeokuta, celebrated its 35th anniversary at the weekend with a call to Muslim members and faithful to uphold excellence in both spiritual devotion and socio-economic endeavour, stressing that gratitude towards Allah must translate into continuous service to humanity.
Speaking at the grand finale of the anniversary held in Abeokuta, the National Chairman and President, Alhaji Rasheed SA, said the milestone celebration was a testament to decades of commitment, sacrifice and collective vision anchored in 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 to a structured platform for Islamic propagation, community development and socio-economic empowerment.
According to him, the SMP’s guiding philosophy, “Oneness in Islam,” has remained central to its programs for the past 35 years, influencing interventions in education, welfare, healthcare 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 simply expressed, but demonstrated through continued excellence in worship and service to society,” he said.
Alhaji Rasheed highlighted the society’s achievements, including counseling for students, production of educational materials, outreach programs to markets, mechanics’ villages and correctional centres, as well as its interest-free cooperation scheme aimed at economically empowering members.
He added that the SMP has also strengthened its religious infrastructure through the establishment of a central mosque and turbaning of its chief imam in 2015, as well as annual health campaigns and collaborations with Islamic organizations such as the Ogun State Muslim Council and the National Council of Muslim Youth Organizations.
Citing the Holy Quran, he referred to Allah’s promise in Surah Ibrahim (14:7) that gratitude attracts divine growth, urging members to remain steadfast in faith and collective responsibility.
Furthermore, the Chief Imam of the SMP, Abubakri Abd’Wasiu Maadan, in a lecture themed “From Gratitude to Greater Heights,” described gratitude as one of the highest forms of worship, which includes acknowledging blessings in the heart, praising on the tongue, and making proper use of Allah’s favors.
He explained that gratitude leads to preservation and increase of blessings, divine pleasure, tranquility of heart, protection from calamities, and ultimate reward in the afterlife.
Maadan warned that ingratitude leads to loss of blessings and spiritual hardness, urging Muslims to always remain mindful of Allah’s favors.
He outlined practical expressions of gratitude to include constant worship, charity, helping the needy and appreciating others, stressing that “he who does not thank people has not thanked Allah.”
Drawing lessons from Islamic history, the cleric cited the examples of the 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 referred to the people of Sheba as a warning against ingratitude, pointing out that their fall was the result of neglect of divine favors.
The anniversary event attracted scholars, Islamic leaders, members of society and guests from across Ogun State, who jointly prayed for the continued growth of the SMP and the Muslim community at large.
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