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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, has charged Islamic faithful not to go back to their old ways of life, but maintain the principle of total submission to the will of God through self-denial.
He gave the charge in his Eid-el-Fitri message, which was issued from the palace and made available to journalists on Sunday. He felicitated Muslims on the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan Fast with the prayer that their supplications during the Holy month would be acceptable to God and their labour of self denial would be bountifully rewarded.
Balogun recalled that the purpose of Ramadan Fast among others is to share the feeling of the have-nots so as to know how to relate with them by ministering to their needs.
His words: “The 30-day experience should not be made to end with the breaking of the fast, which we are today joyfully celebrating, but to permanently guide our relationship with others.
“It is an incontrovertible fact that Muslims shun all acts known and acceptable as vices during the Ramadan Fast. But, I’m asking that we should let our lifestyle during the Ramadan period be our permanent way of life. By that, we will show love and compassion to others, especially the less privileged ones.
“If we allow the Ramadan Fast principle of total submission to the will of Allah through our self-denial for a whole month to permeate our lives, we will be more responsible and responsive in the society. Greed and avarice would depart from our system and the society would become better for all of us to live.”
Balogun enjoined the Islamic faithful not to go back to their old ways of life, considered antithetical to Islam, which they willingly and obediently dropped during the Ramadan Fast. He stressed that “if you didn’t find it difficult to do away with those things while the Ramadan Fast lasted, it should be difficult to go back to them after the Eid-el-Fitri.”
While praying that the Almighty Allah would grant all the grace to be partakers of similar exercise next year and beyond, the monarch also prevailed on the celebrants to celebrate with caution and consideration for others.
“We should all be grateful to the Almighty Allah for the opportunity to peacefully and joyfully end the Ramadan Fast and do whatever we want to do with utmost moderation,” Olubadan stated
