The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has urged Muslims to emulate Prophet Ibrahim’s virtues of sacrifice, obedience and submissiveness to the will of Allah, to be successful in life.
Abubakar, who is also the Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, made the appeal in a Sallah message to the Muslim Ummah at the Eid praying ground in Bida on Saturday.
“Today’s celebration is a commemoration of total submissiveness and obedience to the will of Allah, as exemplified by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail.
“It is also a lesson on the virtue of keeping our promises to Allah and to our fellow men,” Abubakar said.
“Prophet Ibrahim made a vow to sacrifice his son to Allah, and when it was time to fulfil the promise, he didn’t back out.
“That is a strong virtue worthy of emulation.
“It was in appreciation of that gesture that Allah converted what would have been a human sacrifice to that of a sheep,’’ the royal father added.
The monarch advised Muslims to shun societal ills and always endeavour to do good, for the betterment of all.
“Societal ills like bribery, corruption, drunkenness and gambling do not do any good to man, society, or the Muslim faithful, hence all believers are enjoined to avoid them.”
He implored the Muslim Ummah in his kingdom and the country at large, to reflect on the significance of the celebration, which bordered on encouraging piety, sacrifice and love.
The Etsu noted that without piety, sacrifice and love, no state or society could advance.
”The significance of the season should be beyond the festivities, but the real essence is to encourage piety, total commitment to Allah, self-discipline and sacrifice, ’’ he said.
Abubakar also admonished Nigerians to strive to live in peace with each other, irrespective of religious , political, cultural and ethnic affinity.
He urged: ” We should also continue to be our brothers’ keepers, to collectively bolster peace, unity and even socioeconomic development of the country .
” The Almighty Allah has created us in different ways, with varying potentials and faiths, cultures and ethnicities .
” But, our rich diversities should serve as our formidable unifying factors and not dividing ones.
“The Almighty Allah has not made a mistake by creating us together in Nigeria.”
The royal father further appealed to Nigerians to shun all acts capable of breaching peace and unity.
“Peace is the veritable tool of national development and without it no nation could prosper to greater heights,” he added.
Abubakar appealed to wealthy individuals in the country to assist the less privileged, to enable all and sundry to celebrate Eid-el- Kabir with ease.
He said, “God has endowed wealth on people not for themselves and their immediate families,but for the benefit of entire society.
“The present socio-economic predicament that we are facing requires such assistance from well to do individuals in the country.”
The monarch charged Muslim faithful to pray to God to assist President Muhammadu Buhari, other elected and appointed leaders to overcome both the current economic meltdown and security challenges bedeviling the country.
The emir also advised the people of his emirate to always monitor the movements of their children, to stem the habit of drug abuse that is rampant among the youths
Abubakar however called on Nigerians to offer special prayers for peaceful, credible and violence-free 2023 general polls in the country.
“With fervent and ceaseless prayers by the adherent of the two major religions in the country, I am sure we will witness peaceful conduct of the general elections in the country,” the Etsu Nupe added.
The royal father also prayed for successful Hajj and safe return of all Muslim ummah who have gone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform the pilgrimage.
