On Thursday the 13^th of October 2023, the cultural consulate of the Islamic republic of Iran in Ghana paid an official visit to the National Chief Imam of Ghana: Sheikh dr. Usmanu Nuhu Shaarubutu at his residence in Fadama-Accra.

This visit was meant to continue an old tradition which embodies the cooperation and cordiality that exists between the consulate and the office of the chief imam.

On arrival, the consular was led to the reception of the imam by sheikh Mustafa Yaa Jalaal and within a few minutes, the Imam came out to receive him. The imam was gracious and warm, as he received the consular with greetings and smiles.

On the part of the consular, he greeted the imam and went ahead to present to him the purpose of the visit: “firstly, we would like to extend our greetings to you as we also pray for your good health and long life. We have come to congratulate you and to celebrate with you the birth anniversary of the prophet Muhammed (S.A.W.W.). the week of the prophet’s birth is the week of unity between Muslims, it is a week in which all Muslims of all denominations come together to celebrate the prophet and to show love and solidarity with one another, and for this purpose, we pay you a visit” the consular went ahead to commend the imam on his stellar leadership which has contributed to peaceful coexistence between Muslims in Ghana and between Muslims and non-Muslims as well: “in many countries of the world, from the Americas to Europe, many people are showing interest in and gravitating towards Islam, however, the system is such that those people are made to resent and to fear Islam through state propaganda and misinformation. However, the same cannot be said about Ghana. All people live in harmony in this country, and we pray that God gives you long life and good health. We are very happy to be meeting you, and we thank you for making time for us”.

The consular then presented a gift of a plaque -that had the names ‘Allah’ and ‘Muhammed’ transcribed on it- to the imam.

The imam on his part accepted the gift, welcomed the consular as well as commend the cultural consulate of the Islamic republic of Iran for their dedication to Islam and to Muslim cooperation and harmony. “the Islamic republic of Iran has always paid me a visit, nearly every year. The issue of Muslim unity is a very important one and must be given precedence, Allah says in the Quran ‘do not argue between yourselves so that you may not be disintegrated in such a way that you would lose your might’. It is therefore not proper for Muslims to be at loggerheads with each other. Also, Allah says ‘we created you from a male and a female, and we grouped you into tribes and clans so that you may know one another’. The purpose of our diversity is only so that could know one another, nothing more. We are therefore happy that you have come here. It is a tradition that you have kept alive, and also a sign of your dedication to Islam.

The imam also spoke about his visit to the Islamic republic of Iran in the early years of the revolution and spoke of his memories of imam Khomeini: “I have visited Iran too once and I met the imam. He was a very wonderful person, he was very humble and down to earth. We went for a conference, but the course of our visit, we were sent to meet the imam. One would expect that, (as the supreme leader of the whole nation) he would be seated on golden thrones and served on expensive sheets. However, when he came out, his chair was the same chair that everyone of us sat on, and the rug was brought to him which was very modest and ordinary. I was really, really surprised by his demeanor and simple lifestyle. That was a sign of godly person, a wali of Allah”.

The consular again thanked the imam for making time for the consulate, and also invited the Imam to be the quest of the consulate when he could. He Imam replied thus: “the consulate is mine, and I am yours”

The consular again prayed for the imam’s good health, and again thanked him, and then bid him goodbye.