Today; Friday, April 21, 2023 is Eidul-Fitr in Nigeria. Following the sighting of the crescent of the month of Shawwal in some towns and cities, the Sultanate Council announced last night that Muslims should break their fast this morning, after twenty-nine days of fast, to mark the end of the month-long Ramadan period. The termination of the Ramadan fast is marked with a congregational prayer observed on the outskirts of towns and cities.
In his message, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammadu Saad Abubakar, enjoined Muslims to sustain all the virtuous works put forth during the Ramadan; urging them to also celebrate the occasion in the most peaceful manner that demonstrates gratitude; not ungratefulness, to Allah.
Muslims have in the past four weeks, as required by Islam, lived a life of moderation and self-denial, refraining from negative conduct and other acts that run contrary to the teachings of the Islamic faith. Ramadan, as usual, is a period when Muslims seek closer ties with Allah through diverse acts of worship that include alms giving, recitation of the Qur’an, observance of prayers at night, and seeking forgiveness of their sins.
Having undertaken these religious duties, it is expected that Muslims have in the past one month imbibed the spiritual lessons of Ramadan and resolved to always live according to the consecrated tenets of Islam. It is important to remind Muslims to exhibit the needed capacity to do good by elevating decent values in their everyday life. That way, the practical benefit of self-denial carried out during Ramadan would have been achieved.
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The end of Ramadan should not mean an end to the virtues of benevolence, good neighbourliness and tolerance which in the last one month characterised the private and public life of Muslims. They should not consider the end of Ramadan as a renewed opportunity to go back to old habits. With the end of Ramadan, celebration of the Eidul-Fitr should be done in moderation as a practical expression of its lessons.
The injunction to share even the little that was available to us with others during Ramadan is a salient call to eschew selfishness, greed and corruption, all of which have been the evils that over the years continued to stand on Nigeria’s path to development. Zakat or poor rate, which as part of activities to mark the end of Ramadan, is required to be paid by Muslims in the staple food of their respective communities to the poor and the indigent. This is one religious duty that underscores the need to care for others, especially the underprivileged. Besides being the basic message of the small Sallah, it also strengthens a better sense of altruism in the giver.
It follows, therefore, that the way to societal regeneration is through individual commitment to the holy injunctions of the Ramadan, not only during the sacred month but also after its termination because through sincere piety, we would be transformed into being able to distinguish between good and evil which in turn enables us to undertake right and proper actions.
We call on Nigerian Muslims to, on the occasion of this Sallah, pray for the country and for the guidance of leaders at all levels. The leadership of the country has repeatedly let the nation down in critical times. A situation where the entire governance structure at local, state, or federal level is abandoned at one swoop for the purpose of going to perform lesser hajj is uncalled for. While the constitution provides for an individual’s right to freedom of religion, the pursuit of this freedom must not in any way infringe upon the right of others who gave leaders the mandate to serve in their respective capacity.
Leaders entrusted with power should exercise it for the common good of the people they lead, which in specific terms, should translate into the provision of basic amenities and infrastructure that will improve their living conditions. We equally urge them to lead by example and remain sensitive to the aspirations of citizens for decent life, quality education, clean and potable water, improved and affordable power supply, better employment prospects, and access to better healthcare facilities.
While praying for the in-coming administration in states and at the federal level, special prayers should also be offered to seek the Almighty God’s divine intervention in the country’s critical challenges including the never-ending insecurity of lives and property, inflation, grinding poverty, and bad governance; a sadly ironical circumstance for a hugely endowed nation.
Conversely, and on the part of the ruled, we call on them to be good citizens. Further in the spirit of the season, Muslims are advised to uphold the virtue of peaceful co-existence with adherents of other faiths and re-commit themselves to the pursuit of religious tolerance and societal rebirth. Hosting visitors across religious boundaries during this festive period could similarly facilitate the building of strong bridges of understanding in the multi-faith Nigerian society.
Daily Trust wishes Muslims in Nigeria and all over the world a peaceful Sallah celebration.
