By ABDUR-RAHMAN BALOGUN
When Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be On Him) died on June 8, 632 CE (which corresponds to 12 Rabi’ al-Awwal in the 11th year of the Hijri calendar) at the age of 62 in Madina, Saudi Arabia, the grief alerted people nearby in the house, causing a crowd to gather in shock and disbelief. Many companions were in total denial, with some refusing to believe the messenger could die. Umar, a prominent Companion, overwhelmed with grief, even threatened to deal with anyone who said Muhammad was dead. But Abu Abu Bakr, the first Companion, entered the room, uncovered the Prophet’s face, kissed him, and went out to the courtyard to address the stunned gathering. Abu Bakr quieted the people and delivered a historic speech, stating: “O people! If anyone worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad is dead. But if anyone worshipped Allah, Allah is alive and will never die.”
This was similitude to the shocking, sudden and unexpected way my friend, brother and colleague, Mr Samson Oladotun Oladipo’s, the Publisher of The Eagle Online death came on Tuesday August 25 at the age of 56, which incidentally coincided with the birth of Prophet Muhammad on 12th Rabiul Awwal.
For me, it was even more shocking as I still sent him a statement at 1.22 pm on Tuesday August 25 and he acknowledged it, just for me to see volume of messages on our AMACOG 92 Set hours later and thought we were celebrating a birthday of a colleague than to read the shocking message of our Chairman, Mr Kunle Adeshina thus: “Dear Members, A major disaster has struck AMACOG’92 family. Our own Eagle DOTUN OLADIPO passed away this evening. May his gentle soul rest in peace. ”
Despite this shocking confirmatory message from our chairman, members still doubted it, some say: stop this expensive joke, “Dotun still sent me a message at exactly 2.50pm”, How will Dotun died? Which Dotun? this is more than a shock! Speechless, am I dreaming, not possible, etc… even till now that I am writing this some are still in doubt, expecting a miracle to happen but the reality is that our beloved Dotun Oladipo is physically gone forever and we must accept the reality of his passing especially with the official publication of his obituary and rites of passage slated for Sept. 10 and 11, 2026 in Lagos.
In Islam, death is not the end of existence. It is a natural transition where the soul separates from the body and returns to God. Earthly life is viewed as a temporary test, and death marks the doorway to the eternal afterlife (Akhirah).
One of the most famous verses about death in the Quran is Surah Ali ‘Imran (3:185), which states: “Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection.
“… And no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing and Acquainted.” (Quran, 31:34)
Although often forgotten about or guiltily pushed away from our thoughts, the fact remains that this world is but temporal. Death is the only thing certain for us all, and is the only thing truly guaranteed in this life.
But Islam teaches us not to fear death, and to embrace our fate with the next world. While it is easy to fear the pain of death or the unknown, it is in fact our lives here on earth today that we must fear the most. For those who truly believe in Allah, death is a welcome passage.
Here, Allah reminds us that we all, collectively as a human race, have a shared destiny with death – none can escape it. What remains for us to do, then, is to ensure we are truly living lives worthy of worshipping and loving Allah. We must not fall into the trap of believing this temporal world is worth risking our relationship with Allah.
Dotun! Okunrin meta, okunrin takuntakun, iku doro, iku mu eni re lo, sun re oooo. May your gentle and peaceful soul rest in perfect peace and may God comfort your wife, Ayaba Taiwo, your children, family and friends, associates and give your aged mother the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
This is exactly the reason why the sudden death of Oladotun Samson Oladipo was painful, devastating and shocking because of his selfless lifestyle to mankind. Dotun was too nice to a fault. He was ready to assist everyone that came his way with all his resources. When I had difficulty registering as a member of Nigeria Guild of Editors, Dotun made sure he facilitated it for me . He equally encouraged me to register as a member of International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria. As the Director of Media and Public Relations at Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Dotun volunteered himself for any form of assistance and he did that for me and my Commission till he breathed his last in Aug. 25 without asking for anything in return.
As a strong member of our Alumni group, Association of Mass Communication Graduates (AMACOG92) set , old student of Ogun State Polytechnic now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Dotun was a great foundation and pillar of support for our group and all the group’s he belonged to. For our dues in 2026, Dotun was the first to pay, at NGE, he was number 25 on the list of those who paid out of about 500 members, at IPI, he was one of the first 10 that paid his dues. Dotun was a great mobiliser, a jolly good fellow, a wonderful family man, a humble servant of God, a thoroughbred professional and a beloved of many irrespective of tribe, faith and gender.
We were pained and agonised that God took away Dotun from us at this critical time that we are still enjoying his humanitarian kind gesture to mankind but we are consoled with the saying of God thus…” Allah Will Never Delay A Soul When Its Time Has Come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.” (Quran, 63:10-11)
The Quran reminds us time and time again to never take this life for granted – and to never overestimate how long we have on this earth. We must continuously strive towards becoming better persons, lest we regret it when it is too late.
“When their specified time arrives, they cannot delay it for a single hour nor can they bring it forward.” (Quran, 16:61)
Here again, we are reminded of our fate with death – none of us can change it. As much as we like to believe we are in control of our lives – even our health, we must submit to Allah’s Will at all times and accept death as a blessing and a preordained end to our life here on earth.
I am very sure, if death will take money to preserve the life of our beloved Dotun, we will have to raise it to still have him around but alas, Dotun has reached his own bus stop and we are helpless in stopping him from disembarking.
Finally, despite our innate fears around death, we must be assured that to embrace death is perhaps the only true comfort we have in this world – we are finally returning to Allah and inshallah, will be blessed with His Glad-Tidings. All we can do is pray for the strength to welcome our death as the last of Allah’s blessings here on earth.
Another consolation for me is in John 11:25-26 which says, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me, will never die.”
Dotun! Okunrin meta, okunrin takuntakun, iku doro, iku mu eni re lo, sun re oooo. May your gentle and peaceful soul rest in perfect peace and may God comfort your wife, Ayaba Taiwo, your children, family and friends, associates and give your aged mother the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. Your legacies live on Dotun.
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