Abdul Wahab Adam (8 December 1938 – 22 June 2014) was an

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

, ameer (head) and missionary-in-charge of the

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. He was a member of Ghana's

National Peace Council The National Peace Council (NPC), founded in 1908 and disbanded in 2000, acted as the co-ordinating body for almost 200 groups across Britain, with a membership ranging from small village peace groups to national trade unions and local authorities. ...

and the National Reconciliation Commission that was set up in 2002.

Personal life

Adam was born in December 1938 at Brofeyedur Adansi in the

Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of Regions of Ghana, 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the List of ...

of Ghana. He completed his secondary education at T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School in

Kumasi Kumasi is a city and the capital of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is the second largest city in the country, with a population of 443,981 as of the 2021 census. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region ...

and proceeded to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Seminary and Ahmadiyya Theological University in Pakistan, where he received a Diploma in Arabic and an honours degree in theology and

Islamic jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

in 1960. After serving as the Brong-Ahafo Regional Missionary of Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission from 1960 to 1969, he became the principal of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Missionary Training College at

Saltpond Saltpond is a town and the capital of the Mfantsiman Municipal District in the Central Region of Ghana. As of 2013, Saltpond has a population of 24,689 people. Major ethnic groups who lived in the town are the Akan, Ga, Ewe, Ashanti, an ...

in Ghana. In 1971, he was appointed deputy head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He was subsequently promoted to the position of ameer (head) and missionary-in-charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana. He steered the affairs of the mission with distinction from 1975. He died on 22 June 2014. Three days later, a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

was held. The funeral was attended by the

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

, ministers of state, members of parliament and various Christian and Muslim leaders.

Work

Adam was a member of various governmental and non-governmental organizations which aim to promote values of democracy, peace and human rights. He was a member of

Centre for Democracy and Development The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria. The organization aims to promote the values of democracy, peace and human rights in Africa, particularly in the West African sub-region. ...

, the National Peace Council of Ghana and the National Reconciliation Commission. He was also the vice-chairman of the Ghana Integrity lnitiatve and the co-founder and national president of the Council of Religions of Ghana. In his capacity as a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Adam worked as the co-editor of ''Muslim Herald'' in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and the editor of ''Ahmadiyya Bulletin'', London. He was a member World Council of Ahmadi Muslim Jurists. In his relationship with Muslim bodies in Ghana, he is credited with the establishment of the Hilal Committee and the granting of national holidays to mark the

Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main Islamic holidays, festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide becaus ...

and Eid-al-Adha festivals on the Islamic calendar.

References

Ghanaian Ahmadis 2014 deaths Ghanaian religious leaders Ghanaian theologians 1938 births People from Ashanti Region T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School (Kumasi) alumni {{Islamic-scholar-stub