The Jarman of Okuta kingdom, Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi west in the Senate, has called on his Muslim constituents to see the celebration of the Eid al-Fitr as a time of reflection, forgiveness and altruism.
In his goodwill message signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Gideon Ayodele, Melaye said Eid is really a time to remember Allah and to feel the joy that comes to us once we meet obligations toward Him.
“If you participate in the fasting, the celebration becomes even more meaningful!”, he said.
“I am grateful to God for keeping us all alive to witness the end of this year’s Ramadan. As the Ramadan is over and our Muslim brothers and sisters begin to celebrate, we must remind ourselves of the ultimate sacrifices others have been forced to make with their lives in this country. So, I urge all Nigerians to pray to the Almighty Allah to give the country peace, unity and stability as we continue to celebrate.
“We need to intensify prayers for peace and stability in the country, because nothing can be achieved without peace,’’ Melaye added.
“It is instructive for Muslims to know that Allah is compassionate and loves compassion. He wants it to be spread among men so that they will live with peace of mind. There is a mutual relationship between love and peace. No one can live in peace with his fellow man without expressing love towards him. This is what Ramadan brings”.
“Additionally, by demonstrating that Ramadan is a month of love, we should genuinely see the other person as ourselves. This means the lessons of the month is sincerely being learnt. If a person that says he loves his neighbour for Allah’s sake and later turns his back to harm his neighbour, it means he is being hypocritical. A person that loves his neighbour overlooks his shortcomings and corrects him where he goes wrong. Ramadan was decreed on Muslims so that they could have a feeling of the presence of Allah at all times. A feeling of the presence of Allah breeds love and peace.
“Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon his soul) said in one of the 40 Hadiths of An-nawawi that “No one of you would believe until the person wants for his brother (that is neighbour, fellow human being) what he wants for himself.” this means that people who want peace of mind for themselves should in turn want the same for others. As this is exactly what Ramadan brings and teaches humanity”, he concluded