It is that time of the year when my Moslem brothers and sisters celebrate two unique ceremonies in their faith: the Arafah day and Eid el-Kabir (day of sacrifice). These days are considered sacred and special within the Moslem calendar.
The day of Arafah is a day of forgiveness of one’s sins by the Most High and it is the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage. Moslems who are unable to make the pilgrimage are expected to fast on Arafah day and the Almighty will expiate the small sins committed in the previous two years. At dawn of the day of Arafah, Moslem pilgrims will make their way from Mina to a nearby hillside and plain called Mount Arafat and the plain of Arafah. It was from this site that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, gave one of his last famous sermons in the final year of his life. Some Moslems hold that part of the quaranic verse announcing the religion of Islam had been perfected and was revealed on this day. It is after the Arafah day that the day of sacrifice, Eid Al-Adha, comes up and it is considered a holiday as the last day of the Hajj. This is the longer of the two Eid holidays observed by Moslems. It is expected that Moslem families who can afford it sacrifice a sheep and share the meat with the poor. The meat from the sacrificed animal is preferred to be divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbours; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy.They are also required to donate to charities that benefit the poor and exchange presents during the holiday.
Religion is good for mankind. It nourishes our souls, gives hope to believers for eternity and is expected to keep us in good relationship with our neighbours and our creator. Listening to the Dan Mossanin Kano, elder statesman Alhaji Maitama Sule, diplomat par excellence and orator plenipotentiary, at the 70th birthday of Nigeria’s former ambassador to Canada, Ojo Madueke, recently, I understand why he is such a much-loved and respected man. I shall paraphrase his absolutely brilliant treatise on nation-building which held us all spell-bound.
When several religions say love your neighbour, none of them defined your neighbour. It did not say your neighbour must be Christian or Moslem. It did not say your neighbour must be an atheist, Budhist, or an adherent of traditional religion. It just said “love your neighbour”. Our many challenges as a nation is in that simple request to love our neighbour. I believe Nigeria will be great if we all work towards making it great again. I was totally awed when he spoke. Great words from a great man.
Nigerians are exceptionally religious people and many persons outside of us believe that with the number of churches and mosques in Nigeria we should have overcome our challenges. But religion and honest observances of faith are two different things, and as it is often said among the Moslem Ummah, “Only God knows who worships him in light and in truth”.
With a grandfather who was Moslem, the revered Alhaji Lani Boyi; an uncle who was a Grand Khadi, the most respected Alhaji Ustaz Yunusa Abdullah; and two uncles who are Imams, I consider myself a child of the earth from a mixed religious background eating shared rams at Sallah and rice and chicken at Christmas. I am quite familiar with the thoughts of Dan Massanin Kano. The good books did not say your neighbour necessarily has to be of a certain religious inclination. As we celebrate, as we felicitate, who do we consider our neighbour? Charity entails forgiveness, and forgiveness entails good neighbourliness. Make peace, reach out, keep the faith, love your country. There is no better time than now when a major sacrifice in the holy books is commemorated, when God appeared to Ibrahim in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience. As Ibrahim (known to Christians as Abraham) was about to sacrifice his son, God stopped him and gave him a sheep to kill in place of his son. A version of the story also appears in the Torah and in the Bible’s Old Testament.
It is my prayer that as we celebrate this season of sacrifice and charity, we remember to pray for our nation and for those citizens who may have lost their way back to reckoning. May we all pause a little and remember the poor, the displaced and the orphans. There is work to be done in Nigeria. No matter your faith, keep your hand on the plough and as my Bible reminds me daily, be kind to one another.
May our dreams as a nation and collectively as a people come true, Amen. May the Sallah season give us respite from those who do not wish us well, Amen. May our sacrifice and charity be received by he who can see our hearts, Amen.
To all my readers and fans across Nigeria, Eid Mubarak.
Eugenia Abu
