 |
| Pic credit abiyamo.com |
The Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede has said that the Muslim fasting season would start tomorrow following the non- sighting of the moon as at yesterday.
Fasting, is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is an annual and month-long spiritual exercise decreed for all matured Muslim faithful and the commencement is normally sequel to the sighting of a new moon which signals the holy month of Ramadan.
Oloyede made this known yesterday when he visited the LEADERSHIP office to announce that the moon had so far not been sighted and so the Muslim faithful cannot commence the Ramadan fast with sighting the moon.
He explained that in accordance with the tenets of Islam when the moon is not sighted during the period of Shaaban which is 30 days, after the 29th day whether the moon is sighted on the 30th day or not the fasting must commence after the 30th day.
He said, “The council has asked all Muslims to look for the moon and throughout the country, the moon has not been sighted anywhere and the Prophet has said that when the moon is not sighted you count Shaaban to be 30 days and consequently 30 days of Shaaban is tomorrow and whether the moon is sighted or not Ramadan starts on Wednesday.
Oloyede further stated that Islam is a religion of jurisprudence and so practiced on principles of law and not on wimps and caprices, saying that it is prohibited for anybody to fast on the day of doubt. He said other Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia, Japan and United Arab Emirate, UAE among others have also not sighted the moon.
Northern governors call for prayer for quick resolution of security challenges
In the same vein, the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NGSF) has called on the Muslim faithful to use the holy month of Ramadan to pray for quick resolution of the security challenge confronting the nation.
This is contained in a statement yesterday signed by Danladi Ndayebo, the chief press secretary to chairman of the forum and governor of Niger State, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, on behalf of northern governors. The statement enjoined Muslims to observe decorum in their undertakings, especially during the holy month, to enable them to maximise the spiritual and physical benefits of the month.
It identified good intention, prayer and firmness of purpose in the pursuit of good deeds as conditions for reaping the benefits of Ramadan.
The statement reminded Muslims that Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and urged them to accord it all the necessary attention it deserved.
It said Muslims could do this by being proactive in taking decisions and actions that would ensure their full participation in the exercise.
“The governors also called on preachers to guard their utterances during the fasting period and urged them to concentrate on the true teachings of Islam.
“Muslim scholars should instead educate their followers on what is expected of Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, to earn Allah’s blessings,” the governors further advised.
No comments:
Post a Comment