SALLAH MESSAGE

SALAH MESSAGE:

START SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM NOW  

Muslims around the world are now marking the Id al-Kabir to commemorate the spiritual experiences encountered by Prophet Ibrahim (may he be blessed) his wife Hajarat and those of his son Ismail.   The crux of the lessons in the Salah lies in readiness to make sacrifices in the interest of others, willingness to fulfill promises and to implement agreements. Prophet Ibrahim who was still childless at old age made a pledge to Allah that he would sacrifice his son if Allah gave him one. Despite the serious implications of this pledge, he actually took concrete steps to actualize it.  

Herein lies a big lesson for Nigerian leaders and politicians who have formed the habit of reneging on their promises. Nigerian politicians take the electorate to mountain tops where they show them El Dorado which is often denied the people once politicians get what they want. Strategically relevant to this is the current shutdown of the nation's universities occasioned by the Federal Government's refusal to honour agreements reached with university teachers since 2009.   This failure on the part of the Federal Government has resulted in unbearable pain for both students and their parents. It has also been a major cause of juvenile delinquency since the leaders have failed to lead by example.

  The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) sends a wakeup call to the Federal Government. Everything else will fall into place if leaders lead by example. Something urgent must be done to take care of Nigeria's army of unemployed youths. We suggest a social security system that ensures that every jobless Nigerian receives a token amount capable of feeding him. In the alternative, feeding centers should be established in all local governments where unemployed people can eat at least twice daily. This will boost Nigeria's efforts to check the menace of insecurity.  

The youth are angry because they are hungry. These youths now vent their spleen on fellow Nigerians through kidnapping, armed robbery and bokoharamism. Government must act now to reduce hunger in the land. The Nigerian police and army are already overwhelmed by the growing number of criminals in the country. Government should complement their efforts by tackling hunger. The clarion call of Shaykh Abdullahi bin Fudi to leaders in his Diya ulHukkam is very pertinent here: that  the greatest blameworthy act a leader can commit is to eclipse himself from his followers.  

  We remind fellow Muslims and politicians to live in accordance with God's wishes. This is a day that reminds that we need to be upright, moral and honest. Muslims are meant to live a higher level of obedience to the creator, so too the community. They should also understand that our purpose in life here is to live in obedience to the Creator's will.   MURIC calls on Muslims all over the country to use the Id al-kabir period to pray for the return of peace in the country. The prayer points should also include Allah's guidance for Nigeria's leaders and an end to disasters like aeroplane crashes, flood and the collapse of buidings.  

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
08182119714