By: TUNDE BOLAJI – MINNA.
The chairman of Niger state council of traditional rulers and Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar has urged Muslims to emulate Prophet Ibrahim’s virtues of sacrifice, obedience and submissiveness to the will of Allah, in order to be successful in life.
Etsu Nupe made the appeal in his Sallah message to the Muslim Ummah in his domain and Nigerians in general to mark the Eid-el-Adhah celebration at the Idi praying ground in Bida on Friday.
“Today’s celebration is a commemoration of total submissiveness and obedience to the will of Allah, as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail.
“It is also a lesson on the virtue of keeping our promises to Allah and to our fellow man,” Alhaji Abubakar said.
“Prophet Ibrahim made a vow to sacrifice his son to Allah, and when it was time to fulfil the promise, he didn’t back out. That is a strong virtue worthy of emulation.
“It was in appreciation of that gesture that Allah converted what would have been a human sacrifice to that of a sheep,’’ the Royal father added.
The monarch advised Muslims to shun societal ills and to always endeavor to do good, for the betterment of all.
“Societal ills like bribery, corruption, drunkenness and gambling do not do any good to man, society, or the Muslim faithful, hence all believers are enjoined to avoid them
He implored ‘Muslim Ummah’ in his domain and the country at large to reflect on the significance of the celebration, which bordered on encouraging piety, sacrifice and love, without which, according to him, no state or society could advance.
Alhaji Abubakar also admonished Nigerians to strive to live in peace with each other, irrespective of any religious, political, cultural and ethnic affinities.
According to him: “We should also continue to be our brothers’ keepers so as to collectively bolster peace, unity and the even socioeconomic development of the country.
“The Almighty Allah has created us in different ways, with varying potentials and faiths, cultures and ethnicities .
“But our rich diversities should serve as our formidable unifying factors and not dividing ones. The Almighty Allah has not made a mistake by creating us together in Nigeria.”
Alhaji Abubakar appealed to wealthy individuals in the country to assist the less privileged to enable all and sundry celebrate Idir Kabir Sallah celebration with ease.
He said: “God has endowed wealth on people not for themselves and their immediate family, but for the benefit of entire society.
“The present socio-economic predicament that we are now facing requires such assistance from well to do individuals in the country.”
The monarch charged Muslims faithful in the country to continue to pray to God to assist President Tinubu and other elected and appointed leaders to overcome the current economic meltdown.
The monarch also charged the people of his domain to send their children to school to acquire both western and Islam knowledge.
Alhaji Abubakar prayed for the safe return of Muslim Ummah who are in Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s pilgrimage.
The Chief Imam of Nupe, Sheikh Adamu Liman-Yakatun in his sermon, advised Muslim faithful to always fair God and to always remember the day of reckoning
He called on those who prayed and fasted for the 30 days to internalise and practicalise the social and moral objectives of the holy month.
