By Professor Al-Khidr Abdul Baaqi Muhammad
Director, Nigerian Centre for Arabic Research

The Islamic nation and the Sunni advocacy in Nigeria have lost one of their most prominent figures and scholars of the twentieth century: our father, Mawlana Allama Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah, founder and director of the Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz College of Shariah in Nigeria and President of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, who passed away yesterday, Monday, 28th April 2025, at the age of 81, after a life full of contributions and blessed achievements. May Allah have mercy on him.

Glimpses of a Life in Service:

The Osun State Government selected His Eminence Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah as one of 28 distinguished personalities honored as icons and national leaders who rendered illustrious service to the country across religious, political, economic, and cultural fields, during the 30th anniversary of the founding of Osun State in 1991. Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah was a distinguished Nigerian scholar whose name shone across the fields of knowledge, advocacy, and Islamic work.

He was one of the pillars of Nigerian-Saudi relations, contributing significantly both religiously and culturally. Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah was among the few of his generation who combined mastery of Islamic sciences with knowledge of modern Western culture. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and studied at the Faculty of Usul Al-Deen at the Islamic University of Madinah in the early 1970s. He also maintained strong ties with Egypt, cherishing his Azharian background.

He had a close relationship with the late Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Baz (may Allah have mercy on him), who treated him with remarkable trust and esteem. Allah honored Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah to be a charitable mediator and an accepted intercessor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, facilitating aid for thousands of needy individuals, Schools, Mosques, and charitable projects. He also played a major role in securing scholarships for hundreds of Muslim students at Saudi Universities and elsewhere.

Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah was an important and trusted reference point concerning events and issues linking Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. He was regarded as a “Black Box” preserving the history and religious ties of Nigeria’s Muslim community in Lagos. As the right-hand man of Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Al-Uwayn, the first Saudi religious attaché in Nigeria, he engineered various activities, programs, and relationships with scholars, Imams, Da’wah workers, academic institutions, and youth organizations.

He contributed to the establishment of numerous schools, Mosques, and Islamic institutions, offering scientific and cultural consultancy. His efforts were vital in founding specialized regional Da’wah centers sponsored by Saudi Arabia in Yoruba land (Ibadan), eastern Nigeria (Afikpo), and northern Nigeria (Kano).

Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah also had an influential presence in the United States in the late 1970s, where he nurtured young Muslims, many of whom later became renowned scholars Da’wah leaders. Among his notable contributions is the upbringing and mentorship of Muslim leaders from eastern Nigeria, who went on to lead Islamic, political, and tribal initiatives.

Known for his generosity, Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah was a living embodiment of giving and sacrifice, spending in the way of Allah without fear of poverty. He was fiercely protective of the religion, steadfast in avoiding impurities, and fearless in upholding the truth.

He worked closely with several Islamic organizations, participating actively in religious, educational, and cultural programs without sectarian distinction. He considered himself a continuation of every sincere scholar who served Islam, even if they were not part of his own institution or school of thought.

He had literary and scholarly ties with important figures such as Sheikh Muhammad Kamal al-Din Al-Adabi and was highly respected by the Islamic scholar Adam Abdullah Al-Ilori. Sheikh Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed was nominated by Sheikh Adam for the League of Imams and Scholars in Yoruba land for his vast knowledge of Arabic culture. Despite his many responsibilities, he remained a loyal student of his teachers, especially Sheikh Murtada Abdus-Salam, founder of the Nigerian Arabic Institute.

Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed deeply appreciated the reformist Da’wah of Sheikh Abdul Baaqi Muhammad (the “Great Teacher”) and confirmed this admiration in a famous poem, saying:
“I am still alive even if my neighbor is distant;
The gift of Rasheed from Iwo and Ibadan.”

He maintained strong connections with political and social figures, including ministers, consultants, governors, and presidents such as the late Yoruba Muslim leader, Alhajj Abdul-Azeez Arisekola Alao (may Allah have mercy on him).

Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah participated in many international and regional conferences and seminars in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, the Emirates, Libya, Britain, Nigeria, France, and the United States.

Among the important positions he held were:
• Chairman of the Osun State pilgrims welfare board – Hajj Council.
• Envoy to the Saudi Presidency of Ifta’, Da’wah, and Guidance.
• Later envoy to the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
• Director of the Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz College of Shariah in Nigeria (founded in the 1980s).
• Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, which he later became its President.

He authored several books, messages, and poems, many of which remain unpublished.

Words of Condolence:

Sheikh Professor Abdul Rahman Ahmed Al-Imam, Head of the Legal Evidence School in Nigeria, wrote:

“Our late father, Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah, was a walking embodiment of the Sunnah.
A caller to the truth whose voice resonated across Nigeria.
A living library of knowledge and a symbol of steadfastness.
May Allah forgive him, have mercy upon him, and grant him a place in His vast gardens among the righteous.

The deceased was the torchbearer of the Sunnah, guiding the Nigerian people in general, and Muslims of southern Nigeria in particular, toward practical and scholarly adherence to the Sunnah.

Sheikh Abdur-Rasheed Hadiyyatullah studied under Sheikh Ibn Baz in Madinah during the 1960s, and it was Sheikh Ibn Baz who later sent him to the United States and other countries before he finally returned to Nigeria.

O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, and make Jannah his eternal abode.
Surely, to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return.”
May Allah forgive him, have mercy upon him, and reward us all abundantly.