With the economy in recession and the naira in free fall and inflation soaring, few Nigerians can escape the country’s economic troubles – and that includes Muslims, who are called upon to share the ram with the poor and less privileged, in line with Allah’s injunction. But the point needs to be made, and without equivocation, that whatever the justification, there is no compelling need for a country in dire economic straits to waste two working days in an eating and drinking spree. The Eid-el-Kabir, called the feast of the ram is an opportunity for the faithful to embrace the fear of Allah as the beginning of wisdom. The lesson of Sallah is not to indulge in merriment, but to use the occasion to share with the poor and less privileged. Therefore, all Nigerians who have contributed in different ways to the socio-economic and political adversity of the country should reflect and change their ways; and begin anew the work towards rescuing Nigeria from the stranglehold of failure.
The federal government declared Monday September 12 and Tuesday September 13 as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Kabir. This effectively means Nigerians will observe a five-day hiatus beginning last Friday till next Wednesday, during which all government services will be shut down. In a nation where government has crowded out the private sector, this amounts to virtually grounding the country. Nigeria officially plunged into recession last month after the second successive quarter of negative growth. The nation cannot afford the loss in revenue from two days of shutdown, even as forex has become scarce and investment stalled. The times demand belt-tightening measures. Therefore the public holiday profligacy amounts to economic suicide. This is irresponsible and must never happen again.
Ahead of the festivities, the IGP, Ibrahim Idris, directed Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) and all Commissioners of Police in state commands to deploy adequate personnel to cover all the praying grounds, recreation centers, public places, public infrastructures, utilities and other venues where celebrations would take place. He also directed that Police Mobile Force, Counter-Terrorism Units, Explosive Ordinance Department and personnel of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department to be deployed to all the locations, while sustained surveillance and special attention should be paid to flashpoints and other hot spots to prevent criminalities during the Sallah celebration.
Such an elaborate and expensive security disposition is unacceptable, disgraceful and smacks of insensitivity on the part of government when viewed against the 40 million unemployed youths in the country; the failure of governments to pay workers; the corruption and general waste in government. The domino effect of this reckless decision was evident when the Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) suspended its passenger train service from Abuja to Kaduna on Monday and Tuesday, because of the public holidays. All this shows a government whose priorities are upside down and reinforces perception in certain quarters, that there is a concerted ongoing effort to “Islamize” Nigeria.
In line with the humility underlining the feast of the Ram, the celebrations ought not to have been this elaborate spanning across five days; if only to appreciate the plight of millions of Nigerians facing poverty and hardship. To appreciate this fundamental need for sobriety, Muslims and non-Muslims are reminded of the origin of Eid-el-Kabir, 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 the revelation, in dreams, to Abraham in which Allah asked him to sacrifice his son. At the appointed time, and just before Isaac was slaughtered, God miraculously provided a ram in replacement.
In appreciation of this merciful act of Allah, many people have correctly interpreted Eid-el-Kabir as the festival of life. Obviously, it would have been difficult to replicate the scene had Abraham sacrificed his son at the time. It is worth emphasizing, therefore, that the 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 only son, Abraham never hesitated in carrying out Allah’s commandment. That was an exemplification of the fear of Allah. And Isaac who knew from his father that he was to be sacrificed, never complained, again because he had the fear of Allah.
These are the lessons of the Sallah celebration, which Muslims and all people should imbibe. They are lessons about having unwavering faith in God; being ready to make personal, even painful sacrifices; and keeping away from sins or acts that are detrimental to fellow citizens or to the society. Indications that Nigerians have little respect for these ideals are manifesting in the sorry state of affairs in the country, where people that are well-connected virtually commit murder every day and get away with it; where bribery and corruption have become so endemic as to completely stifle national development; and where people go to any length to undermine due process to maintain the status quo.
In the spirit of the Eid-el-Kabir, all Muslims should be worried that the perpetration of these vices is often done by people some of who profess to be Muslims, and without regard to the piety, and holiness that formed the fulcrum of Islam. Equally worrisome is the fact that, people who use Islam as undercover have embarked on wanton destruction of lives and property, much against the grain of the faith as a religion of peace. It is not enough, therefore, for true Muslims to sit on the fence as terrorists use their religion to commit crimes against humanity. All Nigerians, irrespective of their religion, should openly denounce the grievous and destructive acts of extremists whose activities only reduce their religion in the esteem of the average person.
It is also important that Muslims should not over-indulge in eating and drinking, as these are contrary to Allah’s rules regarding the festival. Moderation is the key word and sharing is a watch word. Alcohol consumption is always forbidden; and the fear of Allah, while slaughtering the rams, sharing the meat and eating it, should always be paramount in people’s mind.
As Nigerians celebrate the Eid, they should spare a thought and prayer for the thousands of Nigerians among the 1.5 million pilgrims performing the holy rites in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Having successfully passed through Mount Arafat, signifying a gradual end of their pilgrimage, they still need all the prayers to return home safely. The pilgrimage’s connection with the Eid-el-Kabir, and the fact that pilgrimage to Mecca is a pillar of Islam, cannot be overstressed in the circumstance. The authorities should intensify efforts to restore normalcy and to frontally confront the development challenges in the country. We nevertheless wish all Muslims and other Nigerians a happy and rewarding Eid-el-Kabir.
