Opinion
[Friday Sermon] The Eid-ul-Fitr Celebration
By Imam Murtadha Gusau
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day – then to proceed:
Dear brothers and sisters! Eid-ul-Fitr or the Festival of breaking the fast is one of the most celebrated of all Muslim holidays, observed by over two billion Muslims around the world. During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict fast and participate in various pious activities such as charitable giving/Sadaqah, peacemaking, Qur’an recitation, Zikr, Tarawih/Qiyamul-lail etc. It is a time of intense spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world break their fast and celebrate their accomplishments in Eid-ul-Fitr.
Respected brothers and sisters! This year, 1443 AH/2022 Eid-ul-fitr is expected In Shaa Allah to be celebrated on Sunday, May 1st 2022 or Monday, May 2nd 2022. However, the exact date is subject to the sighting of the moon of Shawwal, 1443 AH, the 10th month of Islamic Calendar, and the announcement from your country’s supreme Islamic leader.
Beloved servants of Allah! Eid-ul-Fitr, known as ’عيد الفطر’ in Arabic, is a religious festival for all Muslims around the world. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of noble month of Ramadan. Eid-ul-Fitr is Allah’s reward for believers who fasted during the noble month of Ramadan. This is also believers thanking Allah for giving them the chance and the strength to carry out His commands during the blessed month of Ramadan. Traditionally, Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated for three days in almost all Muslim countries.
Both Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-Al-Adha have great significance in Islam as the same is evident from the following Hadith, which was narrated by Anas Bin Malik (RA), who said:
“Allah has given you better than those feasts (festivals of non-believers): the Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr.” [An-Nasa’i]
Remember one thing that Fasting on Eid days i-e Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha is forbidden as the same is evident from the following Hadith, which was narrated by Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (RA), who said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“No fasting is permissible on the two days of Eid-ul-Fitr and EId-ul-Adha.” [Bukhari]
Since it is a religious festival, Muslims all over the world celebrate this event with much fervour and each country’s celebrations vary as there is an influence of their traditions. Muslims all over the world celebrate the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr by starting the day with the Eid prayer. After offering prayer, Muslim greet each other with the customary Eid greeting, ‘Eid Mubarak.’ Everyone gets new clothes made for the special occasion because every single person wants to look his/her best. The day is spent with friends and family get-togethers, indulging in delicious feasts and handing out gifts also known as Sallah gifts or Barka da Sallah in hausa language.
Eid-ul-Fitr is a time of happiness and enjoyment; and this is also evident from the following Hadith, which was narrated by Aisha (RA), who reported that Prophet (Peace be upon him) said to Abu Bakr (RA) (On the day of Eid when Abu Bakr (RA) saw two girls were singing the stories about the Day of Bu’ath in Madinah):
“….. O Abu Bakr! Every people have their Eid and this is our Eid.” [Bukhari]
In another narration, it is said that Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said to Abu Bakr (RA):
“Let them be O Abu Bakr, for these are days of Eid.”
Religious scholars have differing opinions on Eid prayers. However, all Muslims should attend prayers of both Eids as most scholars, on the basis of strong evidence, is of opinion that it is Wajib (obligation). One of the purposes behind Eid Prayer is to provide an opportunity to a large number of Muslims to attend congregations in an atmosphere of religious piety. Apart from prayer, the Eid sermon (after Eid Prayer) has also been made an integral part of this gathering and the prayer.
It is important and compulsory for a Muslim to pay Zakatul Fitr or Sadaqatul Fitr before offering of Eid Prayer. [Bukhari]
The time for Eid Prayer begins from the time the sun is three meters above the horizon until the sun reaches its meridian. However, it is better to offer the prayer in the early hours after the sunrise. [Abu Dawud]
Know that, Eid Prayer is performed without any Iqamah or Azan. [Muslim]
And Eid prayer consists of two Raka’ats (Two Units Prayer) during which Takbir (Allahu Akbar) is announced seven times. [Abu Dawud]
Rest of the Eid prayer is same as other prayer offered daily. After completing the prayer, it is Sunnah (some scholars say that it is Wajib/obligatory) to listen to the Sermon (Khutbah) after Eid Prayer. So one should stay for the Imam’s sermon to end after completing the Eid Prayer. After listening to the sermon, Muslims congratulate each other with greetings such as Eid Mubarak, Happy Eid, and عيد مبارك etc. However, the most common Eid Greeting Muslims like to wish their friends and fellow Muslims with, is Eid Mubarak.
A person should follow the teachings of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) for every aspect of life. Same should also be applied for Eid Prayer. Following are some of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) with regards to Eid prayer that every Muslim should follow:
1. Take a bath or perform ablution before going for prayer.
2. Use a toothbrush or Miswak to clean your mouth.
3. Wear your best clothes on this day.
4. Apply perfume.
5. Eat an odd number of dates before leaving for prayer of Eid-ul-Fitr. [Bukhari]
6. Make sure that you have paid Zakatul Fitr before offering Eid Prayer.
7. Recite the following Takbirats while going to and returning from Eid Prayer:
“اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illallah, wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, walillahil hamd.
Meaning:
Allah is Most Great, Allah is most Great, Allah is most Great there is no god but Allah, Allah is Most great, Allah is most great, and to Allah be praise.” [See Irwa Al Ghalil, vol. 3, page 125]
8. Listen to the Sermon (Khutbah) after offering Eid Prayer. [An-Nasa’i]
9. Use different ways while going to and returning from the Mosque (Eid ground) after offering Eid Prayer. [Bukhari]
Dear brothers and sisters! Narrated Ibn Umar (RA) that:
“Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) made it incumbent (Wajib/obligatory) on all the servants or free Muslims, male or female, to pay one Sa’i of dates, barley or grain as Zakatul Fitr.” [Bukhari]
According to above mentioned Hadith, Zakatul Fitr or Sadaqatul Fitr is Wajib/obligatory upon every Muslim including servant, freeman, male, female, young, new-born and old. Compulsion of Zakatul Fitr on a Muslim is same as the Nisab of normal Zakah (Nisab Is the exemption limit for the payment of Zakah).
The amount of Sadaqatul Fitr to be given by each person is an amount minimum or equivalent to one Sa’i of grain, barley or date. Sa’i is an ancient measure of volume and most common understanding is that one Sa’i is equivalent to approx. 2.25-2.5 KGs. However, Muslim scholars all around the world usually announce the amount of Zakatul Fitr to be paid during Ramadan.
As in normal Zakah, Zakatul Fitr is distributed among poor and needy Muslims. It is preferable to give Sadaqatul Fitr first to needy relatives, then to needy neighbours and then to other needy Muslims. And the Zakatul Fitr should be paid before the Eid Prayer.
Celebrate the day with your loved ones by indulging in delicious festive feasts and handing out gifts. Give out charity as much as you can so that your underprivileged Muslim brothers and sisters can also celebrate this blessed festival. And please remember the entire Ummah and your country in your prayers and your Du’as (Supplications).
Dear brothers and sisters! We sincerely seek your financial support on the feeding and Eid-ul-fitr celebration in this blessed month of Ramadan. Your support is highly needed for Allah’s sake.
As usual, we sincerely solicit for your kind and sincere contribution towards the Ramadan feeding and clothing of our orphans, widows and less privileged; and the development of our schools and Islamic Center financially, materially and morally.
Our aim and objective always is to have a standard Islamic center and Arabic/Islamic schools for orphans and less privileged Muslims children in Nigeria.
If you want to pay your Zakah, Sadaqah, Zakatul-Fitr/Sadaqatul-Fitr, Fidyah, or Kaffarah, our great Islamic center is waiting for you. Your donation will help distribute clothes, food packs, and iftar food for our orphans.
Remember, Ramadan will not be the same without our families, but unfortunately this is not a privilege enjoyed by everyone. This is the reason we’re steadfast in planning to provide iftar for poor people, orphans, widows, less privileged etc.
We are planning to distribute food stuff package that worth amount of to 4000 poor Muslim families and 2000 orphans In Shaa Allah.
And your contribution towards feeding the fasting souls is highly waiting as usual. May Allah rewards all your efforts and your good deeds, ameen.
Allah Almighty says:
“If you support the course of Allah, He will support you.” [Qur’an, 47: 7]
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever relieves his Muslim brother of a hardship from the hardships of this world, Allah shall relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Judgement. And whoever makes things easy for a person in difficulty, Allah will ease for him in this world and the Next. Allah is forever aiding a servant so long as he is in the aid of his Muslim brother.”
And he (Peace be upon him) said:
“Every act of goodness is considered as Sadaqah.” [Al-Bukhari]
We need the followings:
• Permanent buildings with many classes
• Boards, chairs and desks
• Arabic and Islamic books
• Feeding facilities
• Uniforms
• Computers
• Foodstuffs for Ramadan Iftar and clothes for orphan’s Sallah festival
Account details:
Account no. – 0048647196
Account name – Murtala Muhammed
GTBank
For more enquiries contact, Imam Murtadha Muhammad, the director and Imam Of the Center: 08038289761.
To donate foodstuffs. Contact the following Numbers: 08038289761, 08056557477
Jazakumullah Khairan as you kindly contribute.
Ya Allah, the blessed month of Ramadan is now coming to an end, please help us to remain steadfast in your religion. Grant us the knowledge of your religion.
Ya Allah, you are truly merciful, please forgive us. Choose for us, what is best.
Ya Allah, help us to succeed in this life and the hereafter.
Ya Allah, if we have been in anyway ungrateful, unjust, dishonest; please forgive us.
Ya Allah, we don’t know if we will be alive next Ramadan, please forgive us. Grant us a place in paradise. Save us from hellfire.
Ya Allah, include us in the people who will be put in heaven without accountability.
Ya Allah, help us to spread your religion in the best of ways.
Ya Allah, please let us not be among the backbiters.
Ya Allah, forgive us if we have been among the arrogant.
Ya Allah forgive us, grant us success, verily you are most forgiving, most merciful, ameen.
May Allah send His Salah and Salam upon our noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
And all praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Ramadan 28, 1443 AH (April 29, 2022).
By Daha Tijjani PhD
The political arena is a place where only the strongest, most resilient and most determined individuals can succeed. It is a place where only the bravest can stand, where the odds are often stacked against them and where they are constantly mocked and underestimated. But it is also a place where a true leader can rise, overcome adversity and emerge victorious, proving their doubters wrong.
(Dr) Shaaban Ibrahim Sharada is one such individual. When he first expressed his intention to run for the House of Representatives in 2019, many people laughed at him. They said he should focus on being the President’s Personal Assistant and that he was wasting his time. But Shaaban was determined. He was not one to be underestimated and proved them all wrong by winning the election.
Now, he is facing the same challenges as he gears up for another major political contest, the gubernatorial elections in 2023. The same elements who doubted him in the past are saying he should not run and should focus on being a House of Representatives member. But Shaaban is not one to be deterred. He has done his homework, is well-prepared, and is determined to prove his doubters wrong once again.
Similarly, when he joined the relatively unknown Party ADP, he was mocked too. But now the momentum and music are changing. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that at least no voter in Kano is unaware of his candidacy. This is a feat to be celebrated, considering that this party was barely unknown in Kano State just five months ago
Shaaban is a visionary leader, unmatched in his dedication and passion for serving the people of Kano. He possesses a unique combination of local and international experiences that make him exceptionally well-equipped to lead the state towards a brighter future. With his meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to excellence, Shaaban ensures that every task is completed to the highest standard. His hardworking nature and tireless effort to deliver on his mandate make him an inspiring figure.
The youth and undecided/swing voters will play a significant part in the upcoming election. So congratulations and good luck to those thinking that only their die-hard voters can make them win. The number of undecided voters greatly outweighs those. Shaaban is doing his best to win over these voters. It is evident from data from INEC that the youth constitute more than half of the voters in Nigeria, more so in Kano. For the youth, it is evident that some of the successful leaders we had in Kano and Nigeria at large were all in the same age bracket as Shaaban when they achieved what they achieved. If this antecedent is anything to go by, Shaaban can replicate their successes, given the chance.
In conclusion, the people of Kano need a determined leader who will work tirelessly to bring growth and prosperity to the state. Shaaban is the epitome of such a leader and is ready to prove his worth to the world. Any attempt to underestimate him would be at the peril of the doubters, as he is poised to give the top brass a run for their money. Don’t miss out on the chance to witness history in the making, as Shaaban, the Kano’s Game-Changer for 2023 elections takes the political arena by storm.
Yusuf Babangida Sulaiman
It is most unfortunate that pockets of protests have organically emerged across cities in Nigeria all in disagreement with the CBN’s draconian approach to the implementation of Naira Redesign and resulting Cashless Policy.
I have always thought that allowing an individual to serve 2 terms of 5 years each as Governor of Central Bank makes them a huge security risk, talk more of that someone being a leftover from the previous PDP government and a champion of numerous ill-thought policies reputed to cause difficulty.
In some parts of Nigeria today, citizens have resorted to use of CFA Francs, particularly in towns with close proximity to foreign borders. This is indeed an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty caused by the stubborn whims of a man trapped by his own bubble of taking his pound of flesh against an honourable process that produced an honourable man to lead Nigeria. It is an assault on Nigeria’s might and stature that citizens device solutions using currencies of neighbouring countries just to improvise ways to bypass Emefiele’s watery policy. This underlines the inadequacy of preparedness and thinking that went into the policy before it was rolled out, of course because it is deliberately more emotional than implementable.
When we listen to outcries over this policy, there are numerous common positions that are expressed, ranging from lack of basic cash to undertake day to day running, to unavailability of online infrastructure to handle enormity of migrating transactions and to attitudinal lags in banking relationships.
Nigerians have had to endure transaction failures with little to no alternative means of settling bills, all because the CBN Governor has defied global best practice by insisting that the policy must rid the entire country of old Naira notes within the span of 3 months, which is possible to achieve but at the price of impoverishing people and destroying livelihoods and completely halting trade and commerce.
I will continue to insist that with every additional day that Mr Emiefele sits atop the chair as CBN Governor, the country stands a huge risk of losing its economic gains and at this point all of its gains, as citizens fail to understand how an ill-prepared policy is this intensely and quickly pushed down our throats.
There is no justification for the speed with which this policy is pursued, especially as peer review shows patterns of near exact changes in various countries with similar economic and social situation as Nigeria’s.
We are at a loss and in deep surprise as to the lack of depth and preparedness that went into the policy roll-out as all activities around easing the implementation of the policy have clearly labelled the entire exercise as an afterthought.
The staff of the CBN are posted to commercial bank branches policing the compliance with withdrawal limits of Naira alongside law enforcement agencies in a display of enormous waste of manpower.
These are the kinds of occurrences that lessen the country’s productivity and cause stunted outlook for personnel. In addition to all of this, operators of money agency services have come under severe scrutiny as their lines of business may no longer be feasible to operate under the new conditions.
We cannot play deaf to cries of the common man as well as the cries of the elite. This policy is apparently a leveller in its apportionment of inconvenience, particularly due to the short span provided for full compliance.
Governors Ganduje and El-Rufa’i have expressed their reservations as per the approach and shortage of sincerity demonstrated by the CBN, religious scholars have pleaded for a steadier and more considerate approach, traders and artisans have asked for more time as they have become cash strapped and their trade is being suffocated.
Yet the PDP and its Presidential Candidate have argued fiercely in support of such a policy out of sheer wickedness. One then wonders what informs such a position even as citizens lament, but it is not a surprise as the PDP for the first time have found a glimmer of hope in Mr Emefiele’s antics.
Finally, the Nigerian President should listen to the honest voices of those speaking boldly, as against the whispers of masked palace marauders. It is untenable that a policy of government is celebrated by no one but the opposition and driven by no one but a leftover of the opposition. In plain terms, Mr. Emefiele must not survive the fallout of this contaminated seed that he has rooted; he should pay the price of irreversible inconvenience, hardship and torture inflicted on Nigerian citizens by vacating his seat immediately.
Yusuf Babangida Sulaiman
It would take so much more than paid trips from one TV station to the other and from one campaign stage to another to undo the enigma that is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But for a person like Naja’atu Mohammed, once she partakes in one’s endeavour and it births success, then she snaps and builds a firebrand of emotions to try to dismantle such a story of success that she was a part of.
It happened with Malam Ibrahim Shekarau after the miraculous success of 2003, and with Buhari after the 2015 victory. This is the tendency that she has carried and a toga on which she has travelled all of the years of her diminutive politicking.
In Kano, most people take the statements of Hajiya Naja’atu with a pinch of salt as she has become the proverbial boy who cried wolf. She is reputed to say so much, with little substance, in squeaky high pitch tones and in repeated uncoordinated sequence. How she is always the sole knower of her cherry picked truths remains a mystery, because her accounts of stories are not known to ever carry credible corroboration. When a person gets indulged for so long, they being to imagine infallibility in their folly, but there comes a time when they strike the wrong sensitivity, then they feel the sting of a stark reality and get forcefully recoiled into their shell.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ex-Oil Sector Finance Guru, Ex-National Lawmaker, Former Governor of Lagos State, Consummate National Politician and APC Presidential Candidate is a man whose political sagacity, depth and acumen have been applauded even by his archest opponents.
History cannot be re-written out of the bitterness of a dramatic persona like Hajiya Naja’atu, giving laughable stories claiming Asiwaju could not answer her question regarding his plans for the North. One can see how intensely she has pushed the narrative of her meeting Asiwaju in London with so much scorn as that is all she can show even after auditioning so much for prominence in the PCC. In hindsight, the PCC in its wisdom ensured that prominence would be gained through demonstrable capacity and substance, not via fabricated stories and a career-long history of emotional fire-spitting.
For every thousand members of the opposition that raise false concerns about the state of health of Asiwaju, there are few patriotic neutrals with genuine questions, and for the benefit of such nationalists, we restate the avowed mental and physical readiness of Asiwaju to mount the saddle of Nigeria and dare the odds by squarely facing the problems that bedevil the country.
The man is on the most daunting and exhausting campaign train across the country, religiously abiding by the schedule and maintaining an amazing capacity to lead private and public stakeholder engagement sessions. Once we see people like Naja’atu discussing “firmness of grasp of a tea cup” as issues that matter in a Presidential Contest, we are comforted by their exit from our midst.
As there is no room for such trivial discourse at a time when our mount of the country’s leadership saddle is imminent, and our need is of minds that are focused, intellectually enhanced, versatile and unconventional.
It is easy for a discerning mind to predict array of actions of a person, especially when their politics in renowned to be transactional. As the issues raised around Asiwaju’s health have become stale and with Nigerians growing even more uninterested in such hogwash, Hajia Naja’atu has faced the shrinking crowd with tales of Asiwaju inducing APC Governors to get the party’s Presidential ticket. As the aforementioned also evaporated quickly and with the crowd asking probing questions, she started to wander her fires to the direction of the legendary Mahmud Jega, whom she accused of recently acquiring a house in Abuja, after which I have wondered under what section of the law such a private citizen would be penalised.
It is obvious that the saliva in the mouth is drying up, the squeakiness is getting stiffer and the high-pitch of the tone lessens all because the impact of the attacks on Asiwaju’s person is not piercing the right holes. Even the opposition is sulking at the flop the expected fire brand has resulted in. Having granted Hajia Najaatu space on stage to perform the pre-auditioned opera, yet people see through the antics and recall same woman selling Buhari so covetously in 2003 & 2007, lambasting Buhari in 2011 while promoting the ACN, and in 2003 fiercely vilifying the Atiku that she today claims is messiah of the North.
The handwriting on the wall is absolutely clear that Asiwaju will work only with those capable of delivering value, enabling national cohesion and driving a unification agenda for Nigeria. Those whose politics is reputed to be about denigrating accomplished personalities and spitting ethnic bias whenever convenient will not gain desired prominence.
As indigenes of Kano, and ambassadors of an enormous heritage, only the best of us will lead us, speak for us and represent us in the march to deliver the most promising Nigeria of our lifetime, one to be led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Jagaban Borgu.
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