"Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and fairly with those who have neither fought you nor driven you out of your homes. Surely, Allah loves those who are fair.” Quran 60:8.

The above verse encourages kindness and justice towards peaceful people, emphasising that Allah loves those who are equitable. It distinguishes between those who are not a threat and those who actively engage in aggression against Muslims.

The ongoing legal tussle at the Supreme Court of Ghana regarding the Wesley Girls’ matter does not do us any good as a community deeply connected, irrespective of our religious and cultural backgrounds.

The Court, as I have said in one of my articles, is instinctively designed with an adversarial nature of proceedings, which often results in winners and losers, breeding resentment and discord among families and communities.

We must not assume that all matters will be resolved and everyone will go home peacefully and happily after the Supreme Court verdict.

The loser will likely appeal for a review thereafter, and further complications may arise. We must, therefore, trust in the already established system of peaceful cooperation and dialogue across the avalanche of platforms and channels that bind us together as a Ghanaian family.

Ghanaians are known around the world as very peaceful, tolerant, and hard-working. Regardless of the fact that we are poles apart in terms of the languages we speak, cultural inclinations, and religious diversity, we tolerate one another and commit ourselves to the development of our community and country.

As someone rightly said, “What does the church or school lose when someone prays differently on a school campus, clinic, or the corridors of the church?” However, adherents of other religions outside Christendom feel deprived of their rights and, to a larger extent, feel as though they are losing their faith if prevented entirely from observing their religious practices.

In all three Abrahamic Faiths, i.e. in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, an infringement on the rights of any community or people to practice their religion amounts to declaring war on the religion and the people.

In the same way, I want to call on the consciousness of Muslim students on school campuses that are not accommodating of Islamic practices to dialogue peacefully with school authorities and devise ways to combine some of the prayers in accordance with the Sunnah.

It is generally understood among Muslims that prayers can be combined (Jam’) under specific conditions, such as during travel, illness, or extreme weather, to avoid hardship. The two most common combinations are praying Dhuhr with Asr or Maghrib with Isha, performing them at the time of either prayer, which is permissible.

Although leading Islamic jurisprudents have not permitted combining prayers at work and school, I personally disagree based on the circumstances under which the basic ruling on permissibility was given.

Sahih Muslim quotes Ibn ‘Abbas stating that the Prophet (PBUH) combined Zuhr and Asr in Medina without fear or travel, and when he (PBUH) was asked why, he (PBUH) said he wanted to make it easier for his community, not to put a burden on them.

This is crystal clear and indicative enough that it is permissible to combine two prayers to avoid hardship or grave inconvenience for the Muslim community.

Times, circumstances, and conditions dictate how and when we pray and even fast.

Muslim students should also consider technical advice from school authorities, especially if it is professional medical advice during Ramadan.

If, for some reason school curriculum or activities demand the participation of Muslim students during Ramadan, and that participation might cause them to dehydrate or become exhausted, then I advise the Muslim students to consider postponing the fast on that particular day and making it up after Ramadan. Allah knows best.

When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) arrived in Medina to settle, one of the first things he did was invite the Jews, Christians, and other faith groups to sign a peace pact. Some of the terms included security guarantees for one another, joining hands as one force to fight an outsider when any of them was invaded, which translates to “an attack on one amounts to an attack on all.”

Again, when a Christian delegation of about 60 individuals from Najran visited Medina to discuss matters with the Prophet (PBUH), they requested a place to pray when the time for their prayer arrived. They were surprised when the Prophet (PBUH) allowed the delegation to pray in his mosque in Medina. He even permitted them to pray according to their own customs, facing the East, despite some initial objections from Muslims. This event highlights the Prophet’s respectful and tolerant approach to other monotheistic faiths.

We have lived together for centuries, believing that we are one people with a common destiny regardless of our religious affiliations and diversity.

I believe a very small number of dedicated Christians in Ghana do not appreciate our cherished shared values and peaceful ambience, especially in the midst of neighbouring countries struggling with terrorism, separatism and extremism.

This Wesley Girls’ matter must not divide us or create animosity among us.

In this article, I humbly call on my Christian friends and associates and particularly my Muslim brethren, to use the existing mechanism of dialogue to find solutions to the ongoing impasse.

Let us put our trust in the National Peace Council to play its role as peacemaker while we act as solution-finders.

May the soul of Alhaji Awaisu Salisu Bio, the National Executive Secretary of the Office of the National Chief Imam, rest well.

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Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman is an Eminent Member and Chairman, Finance and Fundraising Committee, GARPC-National Peace Council.

He is also the Executive Director of the Christian-Muslim Forum for Dialogue and Mutual Relations.
Consultant in ADR, Islamic Affairs and Human Rights.

He can be contacted via phone at 0249826093. 0266040346 and email via khuzaima90@gmail.com