Be guided by the Islamic principles on counselling -Onike, NASFAT Missioner advises Imams

The Chief Missioner of Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society, (NASFAT), Imam Abdul-Azeez Onike, has advised Imams to always be guided by the Islamic principles on counselling.

He mentioned this at the just-concluded Counselling Training for NASFAT Missioners and Counselling Committee members in Lagos Zones of the society.

The event, entitled: “Strategic Counseling Capacity Building”, was held at Ikeja Lagos State.

Advising the Imams to strictly adhere to the rules of non-intermingling between sexes immorally by ensuring that no woman should be counselled in privacy but privately, the NASFAT Spiritual Head buttressed his points by citing the hadith: “Whoever has faith in Allah and the Last Day, let him not be alone with an unrelated woman without her guardian. Verily, the third of them is Satan.”

He, however, added that the hadith did not foreclose talking to women privately in the glare of others as exemplified by a hadith narrated by Abu Dawood, Bukhari and Muslim, where a woman in Madina wanted to speak privately with the Prophet (SAWS), and he asked her to pick any of the streets of Madina and they would speak there” (Islamic Education Trust)

He also advised the participants to follow the rule on confidentiality, quoting Prophet Muhammad: “..Whoever shields [or hides the misdeeds of] a Muslim, Allah will shield him in this world and the Hereafter….”

The Chief Missioner dwelled on the need for Imams to acquire counselling knowledge, saying the whole religion’s aim is to counsel, according to a Prophetic tradition, which states thus: “Having knowledge of counselling; marital  psychological etc will also help the consulted Imams from not becoming excessively empathic arising from getting overwhelmed  emotionally from people’s challenges and absorbing all of the negative energy around themselves”.

He said it would also assist the Imams in stabilising marriages and families, lightening the trauma and agony of bereaved members, and those suffering from any of the emotional challenges among others.

He  emphasised the Society’s policy that no Imam/Missioner would be allowed to conduct/celebrate weddings for members without having been certified as attending the counselling training.

For a better society