‘Put Smiles On Less-privileged At Eid-el-fitri’
(Lai Olurode, Immediate Past Chairman, UNILAG Muslim Community/Former National Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
The blessings and expected rewards of Ramadan can be sustained by reading the Holy Qur’an, and reflecting on its core message — that God, the Creator of the heavens and earth is one, and without partners or assistants. He does as He wishes and has no son. We must enhance humanity by being pious, lifting people with low spirits, promoting inclusiveness, having a sense of empathy, and seeking forgiveness for both small and big sins. Humanity is indivisible, as Islam has come to erase all divisions based on prejudices.
Ramadan period reminds all that irrespective of status, believers are equal before Allah. An elite won’t earn more reward for fasting than a poor person. People are asked to give according to their capacity, and put smiles on the less privileged at the end of Ramadan so that all will experience happiness. The pangs of hunger and anger, which are national challenges, will thus be assuaged. Even, acts of terrorism and other security breaches are reduced during Ramadan. Muslim faithful believe that evil spirits are chained or incapacitated during Ramadan.
With the current situation of our country, especially the befuddling political confusion, excruciating poverty, and insecurity, Eid-el-fitri celebrations should be low-keyed, and devoid of all forms of pageantry. We should listen to Imams at praying grounds and modify our behaviours for a brighter and saner tomorrow. The gains of Ramadan must endure from this Ramadan to the next.
‘Avoid Anything Not Permissible In Islam’
(Abdulhakeem Alarape Owosho, Imam of Sharafudeen Mosque, Shogunle, Lagos)
WE thank the Almighty Allah Who has commanded Muslims to fast once a year, which is the month of Ramadan. Ramadan itself is a month of blessing, a month of mercy, and a month of forgiveness. The blessings can be sustained as long as adherents do not go contrary to the dictates of the Holy Qur’an and what the Almighty Allah forbids.
Muslim faithful are advised to avoid anything that is not permissible in Islam. We have constantly told our members to examine their deeds and actions during and after Ramadan. That way we can avoid evil and other vices that can make one go against the tenets of Islam.
Those involved in act of terrorism are not true Muslims. They may proclaim to be part of us, but their actions have already shown who they are. A true Muslim can never belong to a group that calls itself a terrorist group, much less get involved in the killing of fellow human beings. A Muslim who fasts as the Almighty Allah ordered us to do, will never be involved in any act of barbarism or murder.
The period in question, no doubt, has helped to resolve some national issues because this year’s fasting period coincides with the Christian Lenten season. These two major religions have helped to solve our national problems. God is really answering our prayers, but those who are not spiritual may not know this. They only look at the physical, but they forget that the spiritual controls the physical.
During my Ramadan lectures, I said that President Muhammadu Buhari is not a good Muslim because a good Muslim will not be happy, while university lecturers and other workers are not paid their salaries.
We have been organising prayers for this nation, prayers for those in authority, prayers for peace to reign in this country, and prayers for individuals, among others. This, we have been doing and will continue to do because this is the only country that we have. As spiritual leaders, if we do not pray for this country to be better, what else should we be doing?
So, as we celebrate Eid-el-fitri tomorrow, I advise adherents to continue to maintain a good relationship with Allah. Ramadan, which ends today has prepared us for tomorrow’s celebration and we will do that in love and also share whatever we have with our neighbours.
In other words, we have stayed away from so many evil things that are inimical to our spiritual well-being and will not go back to them anymore. This is the only way a true Muslim can receive his/her reward from the Almighty Allah.
‘As We Mark Eid-el-fitri Let’s Daily Apply Lessons Of Ramadan’
(Nasir Awhelebe Uhor, Vice President General, Rivers State Council for Islamic Affairs, Zonal Chairman, Association of South South Muslim Ummah)
ISLAM prepares believers for heaven. The 10-fold blessings that it holds for believers for each good act, good speech, and good thought as provided in the Noble Qur’an, are such that any Muslim who finds him/herself in hell actually deserves to be there.
Among the powerful and very effective tools Allah, the Owner of Islam, provided for believers to access Al-Jannah is fasting. This is because fasting makes a believer righteous, which in turn draws him/her closer to Allah and therefore paradise.
“O you who believe, decreed upon you is fasting as it was
decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous,” Qur’an 2:183 (caps mine).
To fast track the attainment of the much-desired righteousness, Allah in His infinite mercy decreed a special month in the year for fasting: Ramadan, the month He first revealed the Holy Qur’an.
Ramadan fasting is truly an awesome shortcut to paradise. So, the problem for Muslims is not whether the rewards, or blessings are there. They are already earned in varying degrees during this special month. The real challenge is how to sustain them and to achieve that too is easy enough.
Firstly, Muslims should see the Ramadan fast as a way of life and not a yearly ritual. Aside from purifying ourselves, Allah intends its lessons should guide our daily lives. Once this orientation sinks in, it will be very easy to sustain the blessings of the mother of all months. Pitched against daunting national issues or challenges, the ability of the Ramadan to resolve or proffer solutions remains potential. This is largely because its inherent dexterity at resolving such contending issues remains locked up after the month. Somehow, this dexterity must be unlocked, downloaded, and deployed against the various challenges weighing down the country.
The tragedy is that Muslims themselves seem not to realise that the onus is squarely on them to download and deploy the Ramadan weapon against national challenges. The main reason is that we seem half-hearted in applying the laws or ethics of our religion in our daily affairs – kind of one leg in, the other leg outside Islam. We will never be the light of the society Allah has designated us to be so long as we are not fully, completely in Islam.
Just as its blessings are expected to last till the next Ramadan, so also should its lessons pilot our daily affairs till the following year. When that happens, the majority of Muslims would have been positioned to attain a beneficial level of righteousness. This will ultimately rub off beneficially on the country’s affairs. The merriment lasts but a few days, but its lessons should last a lifetime.
‘Imbibe Culture Of Generosity To Maximise Blessings’
(Abdulqadir Abdullateef Olamilekan, Imam of Zakariyya Mosque, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos)
In accordance with the Holy Qur’an Chapter 2 vs 183, the most popular verse of the Holy Qur’an, which spelt out the blessings of this particular month of Ramadan, Muslims have been urged to imbibe the culture of generosity and kindness in order to maximise the blessings of the holy month, during which fasting for 29 or 30 days is mandatory. Therefore, we appeal to our members to always remember that the lessons of the holy month are very essential to our spiritual life and existence, as Muslims, whose desire is to please Almighty Allah. For us to be closer to the Almighty Allah and expect to receive rewards from Him, we should try and focus on the after Ramadan and these include self-control, self-discipline, self-education, self-evaluation and re-dedication to the will of Allah (SWT). Our relationship with the Almighty Allah does not end with the holy month, it is a daily affair both in the open and in the secret.
The period in focus has contributed in resolving some national issues. For instance, during Ramadan many of our members donated food items, money, and other useful materials to the less-privileged Nigerians. This act of kindness elevated the plight of the poor during the period. Muslims also prayed to Allah to make their various areas peaceful. So, as we celebrate tomorrow, Allah expects us to change our attitudes and ways of life for good.
‘Parents Should Be Alive To Their Roles Towards Their Children’
(Imam Abdul-Azeez Onike, Chief Missioner, NASFAT)
MAY the peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of us, as we celebrate the end of Ramadan 1443 with the ordained eid-ul-fitr. It is not in doubt that immense rewards await us for fulfilling one of the fundamentals of Islam by fasting in the month of Ramadan as this is the promise of Allah and accentuated by the Prophet (saw) who said: “Whoever fasted in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his past sins will be forgiven, and whoever stood for the prayers in the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.”
I seize this medium to remind all of us, especially parents, to be alive to our responsibilities and teach our children the ways of Allah. Our youth must also focus on building skills, and renew their commitment to hard work, patience, and fear of Allah. The menace of “get-rich-quick syndrome” is taking its toll on some of our children, driving them to engage in fruitless money rituals, internet fraud, lack of interest in serious academic pursuit, and involvement in illicit drugs among other social vices.
Lastly, while congratulating ourselves for the successful completion of Ramadan 1443, we must sustain the gains of Ramadan by continuing to demonstrate love and brotherhood among ourselves, be dedicated to Allah in our religious obligations, and be more concerned about national and global peace.
