A former wali (leader) of The Muslim Congress (TMC) in Kwara State, Imam Hakeem Peleowo, has lamented the dwindling reading culture in the country, particularly within the Muslim community.

Peleowo spoke in Ilorin at the public presentation of six books on theories of Islamic law written by him. The event was attended by Islamic scholars from within and outside the country.

The author said Islam and Prophet Muhammad prioritised the acquisition of knowledge.

He said the high literacy rate among Muslims of yesteryear catapulted them to the leadership of the world in all fields of human endeavour and referred to the period as the golden era of human civilisation.

“The opposite is regrettably the case today and yet Islam makes us understand that readers are leaders,” he noted

Peleowo, a statistician at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, disclosed that he still had about 18 books on Islam yet to be published, saying one's discipline should not be a hindrance to the propagation of Islam through book writing.

He said the books were aimed at encouraging the Muslim ummah to imbibe reading culture.

The author said: “The problem is that we have lost interest totally in reading but if we can open our eyes to its benefits and create necessary awareness, there will be a major improvement.

“As a Muslim community, the ummah needs to go back to the culture of reading to help widen our horizon for discoveries. I am not talking about religious books only but books on the other aspects of our daily lives.”

The event was attended by the president of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), Professor AbdulQadir Abikan; a former National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Commissioner (Operations), Professor Lanre Badmus and a former Grand Khadi of the Kwara State Shari'a Court of Appeal, Justice Olohuntoyin Mohammed (retd), among other Muslim personalities.