LAGOS – Clerics on Sunday urged Muslims to uphold the lessons of Ramadan to promote love and unity in the country and to sustain the blessings of God as Ramadan draws to an end.
The clerics told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that there would be peace in Nigeria and the world at large when people adhered to the lessons of Ramadan.
Dr Mashuud Fasola, Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Lagos, urged Muslims to hold on to the lessons of Ramadan to promote national unity.
According to him, the lessons are the fear of God, love, caring for the poor through charity and sacrifice, among others.
“Fasting elevates a person from the material life to a higher spiritual life and helps him or her to approach a spiritual level where he can show humility and selflessness.
“Muslims should be committed to serving Allah and looking beyond Ramadan by showing love, care and tolerating one another without discrimination.
“All these virtues will strengthen our national unity,” he said.[eap_ad_1]
Imam Saheed Oki, Chairman of the Surulere Branch of NASFAT, said that “fasting instills Islamic values, such as compassion, cooperation, diligence, firmness, affection, fear and trust in God’’.
According to him, such values increase the practical aspect of the unity of Muslims that is shared among other religions.
“Fasting establishes equality among the rich and the poor as well as other tribes and religions.
“These feelings motivate the rich people by way of empathy to assist the poor in the society.
“The Ramadan experience shapes and molds a Muslim`s life positively and I pray that we continue to exhibit such positive attitudes in our daily lives,” he said.
Also speaking, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Director of the Muslim Rights Concern, reminded Nigerians the lessons inherent in the fasting exercise.
“Apart from its health related gains, Ramadan instills piety, reduces the tendency for wastefulness, compels empathy, pegs immorality and engenders high-level discipline.
“These gains will be lost unless Nigerians allow these lessons to reflect in their daily lives.
“According to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the beginning of Ramadan opens the door of blessings; its middle facilitates spirit of forgiveness while its end symbolises liberation.”
Akintola, however, called on Nigerians to show mercy to their fellowmen and forgive those who had offended them.
“Fate has joined us all together in this country and the best we can do is to think first of saving our country from disintegration and total destruction,” Akintola said. (NAN)[eap_ad_4]
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