Funeral of Chief held together with daughter's marriage

Prayers for the late Bissa Chief of Fadama Adama Alhassan Zeba has been held together with the solemnisation of his daughter's marriage on Saturday.

The marriage ceremony of Fauzia was rescheduled to coincide with her late dad's 40th day commemoration, holding a dual purpose program on the day.

It was a day mixed with merry and sorrow as Fauzia's marriage to Mubarak was followed with prayers for her late dad, who died in July.

Nonetheless the event held at Fadama Cluster of schools park drew a large crowd from the Islamic communities across the region, with a huge presence of Bissas adding more colour to the scene.

Present at the mammoth event was the National Chief Imam Shaikh Uthman Nuhu Sharubutu, who graced the occasion and led the prayers for the demised dad and the newly-weds.

In attendance were representatives of the country's two major political parties, NDC and NPP, who both made an undisclosed cash donations to the bereaved family.

The day also saw the presence of former Ghana ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Saeed Sinari with the NPP MP for Okaikoi South Peter Boamah also making his presence felt.

The scene created on Saturday was one of such that tells a good story between Bissas and other ethnic groups in the Ghanaian society.

Fadama, a suburb in the Greater Accra Region, and residence of the National Chief Imam, has a "large number of Bissas, who have coexisted peacefully with their neighbors," says the Bissa Imam for the region Imam Issak Nombre in his welcoming address to the gathering.

Chief Alhassan Adamu, who reigned as the Bissa Chief of Fadama for more than two decades, died on July 12 after a short illness.

He has received great tributes for his contribution to the development of the Bissa fraternity, as his demise is seen as a big blow to the Bissas and the Fadama Community as well.

However, with the blessing of the daughter's marriage on the same day and on the same venue, the Zeba family has more to celebrate than to morn.

They have been urged to celebrate the late Chief who has left a huge legacy worthy of praise.

In accordance to Islamic tradition, the 40th day prayers for the dead was heralded by the 3rd day and 7th day prayers.

The day was marked with Quranic recitations to seek Allah's blessings for both the dead and the living, with a call on the family to "give thanks to Allah in whatever situations it find itself".

The ceremony was also used to advise the Muslim youth to stay away from troubles as the country heads to the polls in December.