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From Lukman Olabiyi, Lagos and Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Nigerians have been urged to see the fear of Allah as the baseline that could promote a culture of moral discipline, integrity, transparency, tolerance and accountability to seek divine intervention for various challenges facing the country
The clerics in their 2022 Eid-el-Kabir message to Muslim faithful and others on Friday, also charged all citizens to have strong faith in Allah, change their mindset from negativity to positivity and adopt the principle of work and pray to overcome the current challenges facing the country.
Speaking to Saturday Sun, a communication expert and cleric Alhaji Sulaiman Osho said celebration of Eid-el-Kabir goes beyond slaughtering of rams alone .
According to him, it is important for Islamic faithful to see the occasion as a period of sober reflection, even as he reminded those in authority that they have signed a social contract with Nigerians, hence the need for them to respect the laws of the land and serve the people well
Osho urged Nigerians , most especially politicians to learn from Prophet Ibrahim (AS)’s story, regarding his faith in Allah, perseverance, and not reneging on promise.
Osho urged Nigerians to use the opportunity of the celebration to pray for peace, calm, prosperity and unity all over the country.
He implored politicians to have fear of Allah in whatever they do, to fulfill their promises to the electorate and also to remember the Judgment Day when they would give account of stewardship to Allah. An Ibadan based cleric, Ustaz Abdul Rahman Taiwo, called on Nigerians, irrespective of religion and belief, to close ranks as a nation and rebuild confidence in themselves.
He said if Allah could answer prayer of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) by giving him child at his old age, there is nothing impossible for Allah to do.
Taiwo urged Nigerians to have strong faith, perseverance, tolerance and to stop seeing Nigeria as a failed country.
While urging Muslims to abide by laws guiding the festival, he also enjoined Muslims, especially those in authority to fulfill promises made during the election period. He added: “You should emulate Prophet Ibrahim, who made promise to Almighty Allah and he fulfilled his obligation because of that, Almighty Allah did not allow him to slaughter his only son, but replaced him with a ram, and that is why Muslims are slaughtering ram today. So, every Muslim should have this at the back of their minds that the celebration is not for fun.”
Also speaking,. An Islamic cleric and member of Muslims Ulamas in Kebbi State, Sheirk Ismail Chindo Gotomo, has urged all Nigerian leaders and security agencies to obey Allah’s command in their daily activities.
Imam Gotomo, who spoke to Saturday Sun via telephone, on the significance of Eid el Kabir, said that when Prophet Ibrahim (AS) told his son that he would be a sacrifice by the command of Allah (SWT), Ismail (AS) in absolute patience and loyalty to Allah, accepted without any refusal to the situation. He said Ismail’s response to his father was; ‘O my father, do what you are commanded to do and you will find me perseverance.
“Therefore, the lessons we need to learn from Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail, one for us all Nigerians, we should all obey commands of Allah, be honest, truthful, and not connived with the enemies of the country. And secondly, for our leaders, they should continue to lead us by Allah’s commands with sincerity, honesty and they will find their subjects perseverance as Prophet Ismail accepted to his father decision. And to the security agencies, they should discharge their duties with sincerity, honesty and faithfully,” he said.
