As Muslims celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan or the end of 30 days of mandatory fasting, Nigerians can only hope that the feast of the ram as it is popularly known, will provide yet another opportunity for the faithful to embrace the fear of Allah as the beginning of wisdom. Apart from the socio-economic and political doom and gloom enveloping Nigeria, there is cause for all Muslims to recall the genesis of Eid-el-kabir as a deeply religious one in which the faithful are admonished to submit themselves totally to the will of Allah, in good and bad times; not the voluptuous eating and drinking that many have erroneously come to associate it with. Indeed, the lesson is not to over-indulge in merriment, but to use the occasion to foster peace, love, care for the less privileged, help the needy and generally strive to uplift society. At no better time than now, does the message of Eid-el-Kabir resonate with Nigeria; a nation in dire need of redemption. All those leaders – Christians and Muslims, who are beating the drums of war and championing the dismemberment of Nigeria, should, in the spirit of Eid, reflect and change their ways. Nigerians must begin anew the work of rescuing the nation from the forces of darkness and halt the doomsday descent into chaos and anarchy.
To appreciate this fundamental need for sobriety, Muslims and non-Muslims are reminded of the origin of Eid, thousands of years ago when Prophet Abraham (May the peace of Allah be upon him) took out his only son at the time, Isaac, for sacrifice to Allah. The action was sequel to revelations, in dreams, to Abraham in which Allah asked him to sacrifice his son. At the appointed time, and just before Isaac was slaughtered, Allah miraculously provided a ram in replacement. In appreciation of this merciful act of Allah, many people have correctly interpreted Eid-el-Kabir as the feast of life. The yearly festival of Eid-el-Kabir, therefore, is to enable Muslims to demonstrate their unflinching belief in Allah; considering that but for Allah’s mercy, the sacrifice of Isaac would have had devastating effects on mankind. That is why under normal circumstance, Eid should not be observed in excessive feasting or extravagance.
It is worth emphasizing, therefore, that Eid-el-Kabir is a time for sober reflection; a time for all Muslims to appreciate the divine mercy of Allah in preserving their lives, and for them to reciprocate by seeking to walk only in the way of Allah. The significance of obedience to the will of Allah is underlined first by the fact that, pained as he was in deciding to sacrifice his son, Abraham never hesitated in carrying out Allah’s commandment. That was an exemplification of his trust in Allah. At the time, Isaac was his only son and both Abraham (he was 95 years when he had Isaac) and his wife were old. And Isaac who knew from his father that he was to be sacrificed; neither complained nor questioned Allah’s motives. The main lesson of Eid el-Kabir is the demonstration of Allah’s infinite mercy on mankind, as borne out of his message to Prophet Abraham.
These are the lessons of the celebration, which Muslims and all people should imbibe. They are lessons about having unwavering faith in Allah; being ready to make personal, even painful sacrifice for one another; and refraining from acts that are detrimental to fellow citizens or to society. On the other hand, this year’s celebrations come when the nation is at a crossroads politically, economically and socially; hardly an atmosphere for religious felicitation, especially as primordial sentiments by some sections of the country are fanning the embers of national disintegration. Eid-el-Kabir 2021 is therefore, significant, first for the different template it brings to the country and for the opportunities it offers Boko Haram and other terror groups who perpetrate evil in the name of Islam, and for leaders who jettison the commandments of Allah in preference for self-aggrandizement and primitive accumulation. On the whole, the example of Abraham seems lost in Nigeria, where greed and corruption run riot.
These are difficult times for Nigeria and it is tragic that these terrible vicissitudes are being daily visited upon the country and the government fails to protect Nigerians in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution that they swore to uphold. For one, prices of ram and other animals, as well as all food items, are outrageous and beyond the reach of many Nigerians who have therefore psychologically and mentally tuned themselves from having any major benefit from the sacrifice. And to add insult to injury, they cannot even travel to their home towns, as they did before, because of insecurity and fear of being kidnapped, attacked, raped or even killed. The president who could have made a difference in stemming the criminalities either turns a blind eye on them or expend energy and resources complaining and blaming others. That attitude, whether deliberate or not is totally at variance with Allah’s injunctions exemplified in Eid-el-Kabir.
Beyond these, what should not be lost on Nigerians is the essence of the conscious sacrifice. Too often, the pervasiveness of religion is directly proportional to the level of criminality. Eid is an opportunity for all Muslims to retrace their steps and seek the peace, blessing and mercy of Allah. Forgiveness of sins, which Eid entails, ought to be complemented with a desire to contribute positively to the society, and to eschew acts that hunker Nigeria down. Muslims and indeed all Nigerians need to offer special prayers of atonement and show remorse and seek Allah’s forgiveness. Leaders at all levels should resolve to stop the corruption, gross mismanagement of public resources, nepotism and flagrant acts of injustice, which impoverish and undermine the dignity of the people who put them in power.
As Nigerians celebrate, they must not lose sight of the notion of selfless and sacrificial love that is central to the life of Abraham. Authentic religion and genuine worship necessarily involve sacrifice and self-denial. What appears to be popular in Nigeria today, however, is religion of convenience that glamorizes wealth, pleasure and power with scant regard for sacrificial love, self-denial and self-abnegation. As adherents of the two major religions of Christianity and Islam, when Nigerians abandon hypocrisy and, live out the high ideals of their religions, redemption is certain. Believers in Nigeria must therefore capitalize on the best ideals of their religion to transform Nigeria from a land of terrorism and insecurity, endemic corruption, greed and graft, led by opportunists, to a corrupt-free one under visionary leaders.
Eid-el-Kabir is an opportunity to reflect on the state of the nation. A nation may be awash with corruption and official malfeasance. It may even be tottering on the brink of collapse. But Nigerians need not give in to a death wish. They can dream dreams. Nigeria can rise to new heights and regain her dignity. Nigerians can make Nigeria work for everyone. It only takes sacrifice, discipline, determination, focus, commitment, integrity, and visionary, selfless leadership. There is need for sober reflection on the moral imperatives of the political and economic choices before the nation. The values for which Abraham was to sacrifice his only son – love, truth, humility, service, self-sacrifice, remain elusive as Nigerians struggle for the soul of the nation. Muslims and non-Muslims alike must embrace the higher values of sacrificial leadership that make for lasting peace and prosperity.
