#1439AH Ramadan: The inside story of how a Nigerian Palace manages multitasking affairs of monarchy, religion without stress
By Kemi Kasumu, General Editor
Immediately after climbing to the hilltop, one is exposed to a kind of breeze blowing from all directions with appetite to want to eat and drink water, nonetheless he just took some food and water before embarking on the expedition of mountain climbing. It then becomes clear to one new in the job of new moon searching that those coolers of food and assorted fruits and sachets of water brought along to the mountain top had serious roles to play. Another thing discovered was that, while the search was ongoing with highly deployed technology and other microscope equipment and naked eyes and even the use of software all being deployed in the work, the time to observe Solatul Magrib was not left out as the searchers divided themselves into two, one group leaving to pray after the other had finished. It was the water contained in the sachets that was used.
Wednesday was yet another experience in the journalism endeavour of this reporter as he usually takes up the challenge of helping the over 90 million Muslims of Nigeria get facts as regards how they commence and terminate their religious obligation of fasting in the month of Ramadan which had hitherto been source of divisions between what used to be reported in the media as “Northern Muslims different from Southern Muslims”. Concerned members of the Ummah insist there is only one Muslim Ummah in Nigeria not two and that the only one Ummah is under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, who is automatically the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
The Holy Qur’an states that, for healthy, living, sane, free Muslim male and female, Ramadan “fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil),” Allah states in Suratul Baqara, chapter 2 verse 183 of the Holy Book.
He goes further in verse 184 by stating the preconditions and limits of the fast: “For a certain number of days; but whoever among you is sick or on a journey, then (he shall fast) a (like) number of other days; and those who are not able to do it may effect a redemption by feeding a poor man; so whoever does good spontaneously it is better for him; and that you fast is better for you if you know.”
This, it is learned by this reporter, signifies that fasting in the month of Ramadan is not only good but is divine commandment that only by observing it has five pillars of Deen (Islam) of a professing Muslim is complete.
It is therefore the reason Muslims, taking the Ramadan as an all important affair, are united as One Ummah (community) under their leader, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, for him to manage their affairs as regards, particularly, how they go about this vital aspect of their worship of their Lord Allah since Islam says “There is no Islam except there is an Amir (leader), there is no Amir there is Jamah (followers) and there is no Jamah except there is samoa’ watoa’ (hearing instructions and obeying the instructions)?
This concept of leadership, followership and obedience to leadership is pivotal for any community of Muslims who want to meet their Lord in peace and be admitted into Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and it is the reason various communities of Muslims all over the world pay more attention to each and every aspect of the five pillars of Islam which include Sawmul Ramadan (fasting in the month of Ramadan).
The remaining four pillars in chronological order are, One, Sha’datul Anlailaha illa Allah (testimony that there is no one worthy of man’s worship except Allah) wa ana Muhammadu r-Rasulullahi (and that Muhammad is not but His messenger). Two, Iqomotus Solat (rising to pray five times daily). Third (taking as Ramadan fasting). Fourth, Watutiu Zakat (giving in worship the poor dues (zakat)). Fifth of the pillars of Islam that a Muslim observe to meet his Lord with hope of being admitted to Paradise is Hajjul Bayt (journeying to the Holy Land of Makkah and Madina for him that is healthy and has resources to do so).
Asides his regular work on peaceful co-existence, conflict resolution and unifying efforts cross-country and internationally, which had taken him to being the chosen resource person to speak on global peace and conflict resolution by the Vatican and by the New York-based United Nations, the Sultan, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III has been blessed with the energy and resources to carryout all of these multitasking duties of leading the Muslims in Nigeria and beyond in a way that peace and unity now exist among the faithful of the Islamic faith in Nigeria particularly.
Specifically, part of this responsibility was precisely what he carried out Wednesday night when he declared the sighting of the new moon of Ramadan for this year of 1439 After Hijrah (AH) and so, by implications, declaring Thursday May 17th as Ramadan 1st.
And in doing that, the Sultan therefore directed the Muslims in the country to commence the annual fasting that is one of the major five pillars of their religion, Islam.
Addressing a press conference of print, broadcasting and online journalists at the Sultan’s Palace at about 8.15pm on Wednesday, the Sultan said the new crescent signifying the beginning of the Ramadan fast was sighted in some parts of the country including Demoroji in Isa District Sokoto, Bonny in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Gumel in Gombe, Buji, Maiduguri in Borno State, Zamfara State, Bauchi State, Damaturu in Yobe, Minna in Niger State and Dutse in Jigawa State.
Speaking the Sultan said, “In accordance with the Islamic injunctions, we announce today Wednesday 1439A.H which is equivalent to May 16, 2018 has marked the end of the month of Sha’ban 1439A.H. which followed reliable reports of sighting from areas including Sokoto here, Maiduguri, Gombe, Zamfara, Bauchi, Minna, Rivers, etc, duly verified and certified by states and national moon sighting committees. Consequent upon which tomorrow Thursday May 17, 2018 is first of Ramadan’.’’
“We like to call on our Muslim brothers to devote themselves to the worship of Allah during the month and pray for our leaders in the country.
“We also urge all Muslims to use this month of Ramadan to dedicate themselves to the teaching of Islam and rededicate themselves to peaceful co-existence in the country,” Sultan advised.
The mood of the fresh embracement of this year’s Ramadan fasting period provided the this reporter with the opportunity to get words from some leaders of Nigerian Muslim Community who were also in Sokoto, during the visit of this reporter to Sokoto for the purpose of receiving direct information about moonsighting, to once again clarify issues about the repeated allegations of Islamisation of Nigeria leveled against President Muhammadu Buhari by no other but Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) constantly bought by their followers and other groups affiliated to them.
Convincing on why the CAN’s Islamisation cries are fake, a particularly leader who did not want his names in print and is one of those that converged for the spiritual task of moonsighting addressed this reporter like he was addressing CAN and Christian group which believe it that there can never be any iota of truth in their cries about Buhari’s Islamisation of Nigeria as, according to him, it is no more or less than “pure lie and mischievous propaganda”.
He said: “You say Buhari is Islamising Nigeria yet this is a President who is a Muslim and is practicing his religion to the best of ability but never even consulted us the Muslim leaders on anything he is doing as head of government and leader of Nigeria, which we are okay by. And he never sat us down for once to say, ‘Okay this government is for you. Bring this person and that other person who are Muslims to be fixed in some of the offices’, which we are also okay by because our religion of Islam is all about being fair to all people since the President is not President Muslims but President of all Nigerians regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds. Now, tell us, where is your allegation of Islamisation agenda coming from?” He challenged CAN.
Participating in this year’s Ramadan’s new moon searching with moonsighting of the Sultanate Council in a high hill in Wamakko Local Government area of Sokoto State was memorable and it will be understatement to say “interesting”.
The team including this reporter had been driven to the bush site some 30 minutes away from Sokoto metropolis as sunset was about to come. The need for taking food, fruits and sachets of “pure” water to the searching site was not clear to this inquisitive reporter until he along with others began to climb the high hill, Mountain of Darkeji, located at precisely at Darkeji village in the Wamakko LG, which could be described as Jamaratul Uhud (Mountain of Uhud in Makkah) standing on which “we saw every side of the communities and such hill could be liking to what Armies of the old used to locate from which side enemies were coming to attack them.”
Immediately after climbing to the hilltop, one is exposed to a kind of breeze blowing from all directions with appetite to want to eat and drink water, nonetheless he just took some food and water before embarking on the expedition of mountain climbing. It then becomes clear to one new in the job of new moon searching that those coolers of food and assorted fruits and sachets of water brought along to the mountain top had serious roles to play. Another thing discovered was that, while the search was ongoing with highly deployed technology and other microscope equipment and naked eyes and even the use of software all being deployed in the work, the time to observe Solatul Magrib was not left out as the searchers divided themselves into two, one group leaving to pray after the other had finished. It was the water contained in the sachets that was used.
Then the team, which itself did not sight or could not rely on what obtained from the deployed technology due to certain fault, was all along receiving phone calls from across the country being that one of the officers of the moonsighting committee, Simwal Usman Jubril, was amidst. Those among them that had role to play at the pre-announcement meeting with the moonsighting committee departed the mountain for the Palace where this reporter was also invited to see how it is done and from there, they moved to the presence of the Sultan, brief him and he asked them few questions regarding the locations and places of the sighting and after he took down the details, he made some insertions in his speech and that was how the national press conference of broadcast, print and online journalists was addressed that Wednesday night of 29th Sha’ban 1439AH equivalent of 16th May 2018.
