An Islamic cleric has described the Holy month of Ramadhan as the antidote to all vices bedevilling the country.
The cleric, Barrister Shuaib Mustapha Agbarere, who was speaking as guest lecturer at 9th pre-Ramadhan lecture and special prayer for the nation held at the Mohammed Lawal Memorial Juma’ah Mosque, Asokoro, Abuja, at the weekend, added that both religious faithful should be united on engendering national cohesion.
“How do we prepare for Ramadhan? It is by turning a new leaf as a nation, shun kidnapping, banditry, cattle rustling, drug abuse and all these vices that are ravaging our national life. These vices can only be corrected by Ramadhan,” he said.
Explaining that “Ramadhan will be an antidote to those vices, the cleric advised that faithful “must not fast or break with haram (illegitimate means). If you know banditry and cow rustling will give you haram money why will you indulge in it when you knew that when you use that money to feed your family or yourself during Ramadhan your fasting will not be accepted?
“All of us should be good Muslims, we should change because changing this nation for good begins with individuals,” he said.
Similarly, Hajiya Aisha Mohammed Lawal said the mosque which was started by her late husband now organises pre-Ramadhan lecture to serve as reminder to get everybody ready for the special month of Ramadhan and also remind them of the goodness inherent in the month.
Ibrahim Mantu noted that some people go into Ramadhan without really knowing what is expected of them as stated in the holy Quran to reap the maximum benefit of the 29 or 30 days of Ramadhan.
He said, “Those who are very knowledgeable about Islam are here to teach us what to do exactly.”
In the same vein, Senator Khairat Abdulrazaq Gwadabe said the lecture is a reminder of Ramadhan, how to prepare for it and the behaviours to emulate.
“There are certain things we have forgotten in the year, as this month is coming we must remember how to behave and practice Islam better,” she said.
Chairman and Chief Executivem National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Major General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) said it is a traditional every year to reiterate the purpose of Ramadhan as one of the pillars of Islam, noting that Ramadhan is a month of piety, sacrifice and good behavior, spiritual awakening and pursuing the very best tenets of the religion.
