Eid Mubarak

After 30 days of Ramadan fast, today is Eidul-Fitr (or small Sallah) in Nigeria. The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, Tuesday, said there was no report of the sighting of the crescent of the Islamic lunar month of Shawwal on the 29th day of Ramadan. Consequently, Muslims were directed to fast yesterday, which was 30th day of Ramadan. Today, Thursday, May 13, 2021, was therefore declared as 1st Shawwal and the day of Eidul-Fitr. The Sultan enjoined Muslims to pray fervently for peace, progress and development of the country.

The month-long religious obligation of abstinence and forbearance has great significance for the individual and the society at large. During Ramadan, Muslims were invited to refrain from the perennial existential quest for material things and to concentrate on aspects capable of elevating the spiritual part of their life in order to draw closer to their creator. The demands include a more dedicated observance of prayers, constant recitation of the Holy Qur’an and seeking forgiveness of sins.

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Ramadan is a period exclusively designed for sincere worship and devotion to religious obligations necessary for an individual to live a righteous life. Having undertaken these duties, it is hoped that Muslims would have imbibed the spiritual lessons of Ramadan and resolved to always live according to the consecrated tenets of the religion. Muslims owe it a duty to always exhibit the needed capacity to do good by elevating decent values in their lives. That way, the practical benefits of self-denial carried out during Ramadan would have been achieved.

The exit of Ramadan should neither be a welcome opportunity for going back to old habits nor an end to demonstrating the virtues of charity, good neighborliness and tolerance, which in the last one month characterised the private and public life of Muslims. One way to societal regeneration is through individual commitment to the holy injunctions of Ramadan during and after its termination because through sincere piety, we would be transformed into beings able to distinguish between good and evil which in turn enables us to undertake right and proper actions.

The salient lesson of empathy taught by Ramadan should equally not be lost on us. The injunction to feed others and share even the little that is available to us is an entreaty to eschew selfishness, greed and materialism, all of which have continued to harm in no small measure the development of our nation. The leadership of the country has repeatedly, across successive administrations, let the nation down in critical times. Those entrusted with power should fear God and exercise it for the common good of the people they lead. Nigerian Muslims should, on the occasion of this Sallah, pray for their leaders to be guided and be imbued with the wisdom and capacity needed to bring about good governance.

Furthermore, we use the occasion of the Eidul-Fitr to call on Muslims in this part of the world to continue to uphold the virtue of peaceful co-existence as instructed by Prophet Muhammad who, as a practical leading example, lived peacefully in Madina with Christians, Jews and Pagans. This is based on Qur’an 2:256 in which Allah revealed to the Prophet that, “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear for Error…”. We also urge Muslims to uphold the virtue of peaceful co-existence, and to re-commit themselves to the pursuit of religious tolerance. Bigotry, provocative preaching and hate speeches should be avoided as Muslims exercise the freedom to practise their religion.

Eidul-Fitr being an occasion for increased movement of people, we remind Nigerians to observe COVID-19 protocols as they interact with others. We call on petroleum product dealers not to cause artificial scarcity of products. Few minutes of telephone call to loved ones could also serve in place of long-distance travels. Daily Trust calls on Muslims to celebrate the Eid ul-Fitr with moderation and restraint as a practical expression of the lessons and message of Ramadan. We wish all Nigerians Eid Mubarak and a peaceful celebration.