Muslim faithful in Edo State, and Nigeria in general have been urged to increase their acts of good deeds and avoid wastage after the completion of the holy month of Ramadan, as this is the only way to demonstrate the lessons they learnt during the holy month, Squadron leader Adamu Yahya, the Imam who led the Eid el Fitr prayer at the Airforce Base in Benin City said earlier today.
The Islamic cleric spoke against resource wastage, corruption while encouraging the Muslim faithful to embrace sustainable farming and should always show gratitude to God.
The Muslim within the vicinity of the Airforce Base in Benin City, came out en masse to attend this year’s Eid el Fitr prayer, which marked the end of fasting in 2023. The prayer, which usually comes up on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month under the Islamic calendar, attracted people from different walks of life.
“We should learn to show gratitude to Allah as by doing so, He will increase our blessings. But if we decide to turn away, know that His punishment is severe,” the Islamic cleric said.
He added that one of the lessons learnt during Ramadan is resource conservation, noting that the same concept should be applied to Nigeria’s natural resources in the sense that part of those resources should be reserved for future generations by avoiding wastage of natural resources.
“With regard to the blessings of Allah in the forms of natural resources, this entails that we preserve them so that future generations can also utilise and benefit from them as examples have been set in the Qur’an in the case of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) on how to prepare for the future,” he said.
He said Allah warned Muslims against perpetrating corruption on earth when He said “Do not corrupt the earth.” According to him, the instruction was meant to ensure availability of resources for many generations on earth if they are used sustainably.
He called the attention of Muslim faithful to the admonition given by Prophet Yusuf to the King of Egypt whom he advised to plant for seven years and preserve parts of the farm produce, thereby preparing for future unforeseen circumstances.
The Islamic cleric suggested that agribusiness investors should embrace sustainable farming practices which are another way of addressing the needs of the future generations.
“Allah has given us the capacity to cultivate and develop the earth. This capacity should be used in a positive manner. Hence, a collective responsibility before us is to cultivate, maintain and preserve the earth. With this, we will ensure the continuity of life and its blessings will be shared by many people,” he added.
Muslims across the world commenced Ramadan fasting on 23 March 2023 for 29 or 30 days.
The new moon of Shawwal, the tenth Islamic month was sighted across the world yesterday, 20 April 2023 which automatically signaled the end of Ramadan fasting in 2023.
