By Mohammed Abubakar Dutse
The President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Muhammad Abubakar has admonished Nigerians to continue to pray for their leaders for Gods guidance in whatever circumstance.
In a remark at the opening of the ongoing 4th Annual National Conference of the Association of Zakat and Waqaf Operators in Nigeria, (AZAWON) in Hadejia, Jigawa state, the Islamic leader, however, urged leaders at whatever level to put the fear of God first in their dealings with the people.
He described the the theme of this year’s conference, which is “Application of Islamic Principles to Welfare System in Nigeria: Issues and Way Forward” as timely given the general economic situation facing not only Nigeria, but the globe as whole, and stressed the need for Muslims to endeavour to their extend their hands of fellowship to people of other faiths.
The sultan enjoined Muslims not to falter in the offering if Zakat which is obligatory and one of the five cardinal pillers of Islam, saying that the payment of Zakat would enable the look less privileged in the society to benefit from what Allah has provided for their fellow Muslim brothers sisters.
Describing himself as an advocate of prayer for the success of the leaders, the monarch said, “If you pray for your leaders and they so good things, you’ll enjoy but if you leave them to their whims and caprice, they do bad things and you will suffer, so which one do you prefer, is it to suffer or enjoy?”
He paid glowing tributes to the state governor, Malam Umar Namadi and his government for having agreed to host the yearly gathering for the second year running, saying the action was a reflection of the governor’s commitment to the cause of Allah.
Besides, Sultan Abubakar commended the cordial relationship between the state government and the traditional institution in the state, which has engendered peace and tranquility in the state., advising other governors to take. a cue from him.
Similarly, the monarch stressed the need for Nigerians to continue to dialogue with one another with a view to attaining lasting peace in the country
Stressing the need for Muslims to reach out to the needs of other segments of Nigeria, especially, in the light of the current economic crunch Abubakar said, “While we pursuing our own Islamic values and tenets, we must also help others that are not Muslims because Almighty Allah has placed us together in the same place because we didn’t ask Allah to give us Dutse for only Muslims.
“He, (Allah) does what He wants to do, to whom He wants to do to, at a time He wants, so let’s appreciate our diversity, let’s appreciate what Almighty Allah has been doing to us and the entire people so that we can live in peace and harmony, we can live peace anywhere we want, respect each others’ traditions cultures religious beliefs, ethnic backgrounds and we’ll have no problems.”
Continuing the monarch went further: “Let’s close ranks, let’s be more united, let’s talk to ourselves as brothers and sisters in this great country because Allah did not make mistakes. He never made mistakes by putting us together as a nation, because if He wants to separate us into one million pieces, He would do so within one split second, it will not take him anything, but He has reasons for bringing us together as brothers and sisters.
‘He created us into tribes and nations so that we understand one another and not to fight one another, so let’s take our religious texts very well, let’s look at what’s written in the Holy Qur’an and what’s in the Sunnah (Hadith) and what the consensus of Ulama is about living in peace and harmony with one another.’
Addressing the governor, who was the Special Guest of Honour, at the occasion the sultan described him as a man of many achievements and asked him to keep the flag flying, noting that he had been receiving positive report about the governor’s performance, urging him to continue to discharge his responsibilities to the people of the state.
His words, “For the governor to have taken his time, his energy let me tell you, that you’re only doing the job Allah has placed on your shoulders as the leader of your people. So note that you’re not doing anybody a favour here, you’ll grow bigger and bigger inshallah.”
Gov. Namadi appreciated the sultan for his presence at the conference, saying it was an indication of the Monarch’s desire for the growth of Islam.
He pledged the determination of his administration to continue to uphold principles of sincerity, accountability and transparency in managing the state with cooperation, understanding and prayers of the people for his administration.
The opening ceremony was witnessed by the array of dignatories including traditional rulers from within the state and different parts of the country, notably, including the emirs of Kazaure, Dutse, Mai Bade in Yobe state, emir of Lere in Kaduna state as well as the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who is also the Ajiyan Katagum, Dr. Yayale Ahmed.
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