*Nigerian Muslims express confidence in Sultan’s administration of Ramadan fasting exercise
*As Musa Lukwa, Niger Republic’s claims addressed
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
The uniqueness of this year’s 1445AH/2024 Ramadan fasting exercise from beginning to the end cannot be in doubt as it is the first such experience with no quantum of distractions usually seen from acclaimed scholars about administration of the all-important religious worship of Muslims in Nigeria.
It will be recalled The DEFENDER reported at the beginning of the holy month the League of Imams and Alfas in South West and Edo/Delta States finally coming to term with reality that administration of the Ramadan fasting exercise by Leader of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, is the sincere, trustworthy process that its leaders and members would henceforth reckon with and follow.
In the report titled, “League of Imams and Alfas finally unites under leadership of Sultan of Sokoto” and published by this online newspaper on 11th March 2024, it was said that, “The hitches in unity, which the Muslim Ummah of Nigeria has always had until recent years with the advent of Sultanate and Amirship of His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, have finally ended as Muslims of Yoruba Land, under the aegis of the League of Imams and Alfas in South West and Edo/Delta, declared vote of confidence in the leadership of the Ummah by Sultan of Sokoto and resolved to henceforth follow his directives on commencement and termination of Ramadan fast.”
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In the report it was noted that, “Long before the coming of the sitting Sultan, the League of Imams and Alfas who have the listening ears of the clerics of Yoruba speaking South West and Edo and Delta states had a practice of sitting down weeks before the month of Ramadan and picking a dates that suit their own calendar reading and announcing same to the government and Muslim elites in the region, a development that had always brought about the erroneous thought of “fasting of Muslim North different from fasting of Muslim South”.
“To many with comprehensive understanding of Islam among Muslims of South West, that was a long period of fitnah that is filled with moral and spiritual tribulations because disunity among Muslims anywhere all over the world is bad omen as they were created and scripturally binded together in a united brotherhood.
“Division or separation of Muslim North from Muslim South, which usually unveiled during the commencement and termination of Ramadan fasting in Nigeria, was considered as capable of subjecting adherents of the Islamic faith, especially in Yoruba Land, to risks of losing Allah’s mercy, being an easy prey and objects of ridicule in the hands of enemies of Islam and drawing back the entire country in terms of political and economic growth and development.”
ALSO READ RE: League of Imams and Alfas finally unites under leadership of Sultan of Sokoto
The takeaways from the whole exercise are in the fact of the overall joy that worn in the faces of the entire members of the Ummah that all of those demarcations are now over. Although since the advent of the Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar on his Usmaniyyah throne in the Sokoto Caliphate, which covers including nine provinces of Republic of Niger, there has been more unity among Muslims in Nigeria, this year came with a unique experiences that will any story incomplete until it is talked about.
This year was the first time that nobody had significantly posted side distractions to the unity process in the exercising of faith practice that Muslim ritually do before, during and after the Ramadan fasting as no such claim of sighting the moon but that his information was not accepted.
It was about the first time the Muslim Ummah of Nigeria in any history had seamless Ramadan fasting commencement and termination process.
It shows that there is now rising awareness within the Muslim Ummah as people are now more united across the regions in collaboration with and accepting that, “Yes, the Ummah of Nigeria now has a leadership that they can trust with guidance of their religion of Islam.”
It also further proves the relationship of Islam with science and how science has played role in making Muslims understand their religion and nature better.
What happened during this Monday sunset search for the new moon of Shawwal, not sighted, was that there was no conjunction of the moon and, once there is no conjunction, there can be no birth of the new moon other called the crescent.
This gives empowerment to a thought by a private person, who said there was no moon to be sighted reason the new moon was not sighted Monday night.
That opinion holder even went further to say that even if 1,000 telescopes were used that Monday night of 8th April, 2024 that was the 29th day of Ramadan 1445AH to try to see the new moon, nothing would be seen because there was nothing to be seen.
Reactions
Kwara State
From Ilorin, Spokesman to the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arowona said: “The seamless commencement and termination of Ramadan fasting has further reflected understanding among Muslim Ummah especially among the leaders and their subjects.
“Muslim leaders across nations have, by this means, embraced unity as enjoined by Allah (SWT) and His noble Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the Holy Quran and Sunnah by embarking on far reaching consultation before taking decisions especially on the commencement and termination of Ramadan fasting.
“In the last couple of years, there had been thorough efforts towards uniting the thoughts of religious leaders across nations and with the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar CFR, mni, at the helms of affairs in Nigeria, significant achievements had been recorded in this direction. And because of technology, through the use of handset and social media platforms, information can now travel easily from the far North, being the official seat of the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), to all other parts of the country without stress.
“Once the Sultan concludes with his consultations in line with the Islamic teachings, he disseminates the outcome of his findings to all other religious leaders for onward passage of such to their members before issuing official statement.
“We are happy to witness the era that technological advancement is aiding the unification of Muslim Ummah in decision making process and we hope that such measure will also assist in ensuring peaceful co-existence among us.
“May Almighty Allah continue to protect Islam and strengthen Muslim ummah globally,” the Emir of Ilorin’s Spokesman, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona, said in his response to The DEFENDER’s enquiries on Tuesday 9th April/30th Ramadan.
Ogun State
Secretary General of the Ogun State Muslim Council, Alhaji Kamaldeen Akintunde Esq also reacted baring his mind on the uniqueness of the process.
“The uniform commencement and termination of Ramadan fast can be described as a good omen and adherence to divine injunction by leaders.
“It is a pointer towards achieving the much desired Muslim unity, the hallmark of Islam.
“Therefore, leaders of various strata of the Ummah should eschew sentiments by playing down sectarian tendencies and unpopular references or “school of thought” for the attainment of Islamic cohesion crucial for Islamic progress and advancement.
“Leaders of thought need to eschew or do away with sectarian sentimentality for a collective march to attaining Islamic unity, a cardinal goal of our faith.
“A sustainable dialogue and interface between leaders and scholars of thought as well as followers has potential to check discordant tunes on a matter of this nature, capable of fanning ember of disunity. It explains why the much desired unity is still to be fully attained.
“As leadership comes with a responsibility, leaders should swallow their pride and embrace the teachings and injunction of our faith to achieve the much needed unanimity, concurrence and harmony on issues, including governance.
Lagos State
The Lagos State Chapter of the Muslim Rights Concerns (MURIC), through his Chairman, Dr. Muhammad Jamiu Busari, also reacted to the successes recorded by the effective administration of the Ramadan fast process given by the Sultan’s leadership.
“The Muslim Ummah under the leadership of the current Sultan of Sokoto and the leader of Muslim is going in right direction. This Ramadan (both commencement and termination) has shown that with good leadership and astute scholars of Islam, Muslim can be united religiously, politically and socially. Muslims are one Ummah, and we must not be divided along tribal and political sentiments.
“I advise that leadership should continue their unblemish consultation and involvement of all Muslim leaders, Imams, scholars and political leaders for the development of Muslims and Islam in Nigeria. Every one must be carried along because their is power in Unity.
“The total unity of Ummah is not yet achieved but a greater improvement attained. There is room for improvement and this would be achieved once the our leaders are not relenting in their efforts to achieve much desired Unity not in Ramadan alone but at every given occasion and period,” Dr. Busari said.
CIO
Secretary General of the Conference of Islamic Organisations (CIO), Engr. Luqman Balogun, also reacted.
On how he thinks this process has impacted the leadership of Muslim Ummah in Nigeria, Engr Balogun said, “It has portrayed the leadership as intensely committed to the issue of unity, and working towards it.”
Asked to suggest areas of improvement to the leadership he said, “More interaction and relationship building with all zones and critical stakeholders” should be encouaged.
Responding to whether he would say much desired unity of the Ummah is now here, the CIO’s chief scribe said, “NO! Not yet. But we are moving towards it, in sha Allah. The social medial is still replete with odious contents undesirable for Muslims.”
Musa Lukwa
The only area of dissension came by Musa Lukwa, a self-acclaimed Islamic cleric based on Sokoto, who celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr on Tuesday 9th April that is 30th Ramadan. Musa Lukwa’s followers were seen Monday night at the same new moon search mountain by members of the NSCIA’s National Moon Sighting Committee with a notable name among them known as ‘Mustapha VP’ testifying that they did not sight the new moon.
Lukwa, who would rather than take directive for commencing and terminating Ramadan from Nigeria’s leadership of the Ummah but take from Saudi Arabia, however, based his celebration without new moon of Shawwal sighted anywhere in the world, on a supposed video he said was done by Niger’s Republic minister of the interior saying moon was sighted in the neighbouring country.
This online newspaper reports that Musa Lukwa has a history of going against Sultan’s directive any time new moon of Shawwal to end Ramadan fasting is not sighted after 29th night and Muslims are directed to complete their fasting to 30.
Sources in Niger
From the Lukwa’s only acclaimed evidence (Niger) to back his celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr against the widely consulted decision of Muslim Ummah leadership in his own country, an impeccable source, however, neutralized his claim by saying there is no structure for moon sighting in the neighbouring country that could be as trusted as that of Nigeria.
Umara
Additional information provided by Dr. Tijjani Umara did a well researched report that finally cleared the air on the new moon claimed to have been sighted in the Republic of Niger Monday night.
In his write up titled, “RECURRENT PHANTOM CRESCENT SIGHTING IN NIGER REPUBLIC”, Dr. Umara started by making himself clear in the introduction to the write up: “Phantom limb syndrome is a medical condition in which patients experience sensations, whether painful or otherwise, in a limb that does not exist. This usually follows amputation in 80-90% of amputees.”
He then launched into the core of the discourse: “Sighting a crescent yesterday (Monday 8th April) in Niger republic is nothing but a hoax and the so called moon seen was nothing but a phantom crescent. No one can sight what does not exist. As at the evening of yesterday, the wanning Ramadan moon set was before sunset, the new Shawwal moon was not “born” at sunset.
“And even at the time of “giving birth” of the new moon, there was solar eclipse. This eclipse was recorded in video in countries that experienced it. We in Nigeria and the rest of Africa didn’t experience the eclipse because the sun had set as at the time the eclipse occured (7:21pm). Solar eclipse occurs in day time and lunar eclipse in the night. The time of solar eclipse coincides with the period of absolute invisibilty of the moon.
“How then can one claim to have sighted the moon in this circumstaces? Gaskiyar magana, ƙaraya ce.
“This is not the first time Niger is declaring positive sighting on a day it is practically impossible to sight the moon. As at sunset yesterday there is no moon above the horizon to sight anywhere in the world. The same Niger republic declared Eid in may 2021 folllowing a similar scenario.”
Umara continued, “On wednesday 12th may 2021, Niger republic ceberated Eid following a declaration of sighting on tuesday may 11th 2021.
“It is a well known fact that the astronomical new moon of shawwal was going to be after sunset and yet a “super sighter” claimed to have sighted the moon and Eid was declared. That sighting was also a false sighting just as yesterday’s!
“Mention can also be made on the fact that the zeal of sighting may make one have a sheer imagination that he has seen the moon.
“As it is always said, many sincere muslims have mistaken objects or other planets such as venus, for the moon.
“A thin streak of cloud, a jet smoke or sometines a strand of hair stuck to one’s glasses have all be mistaken for the moon.
“As far as events in Niger republic are concerned, they are passing through phases in their moon sighting milestones.
Examples of how Nigeria suffered same fate have earlier been given. But our errors have so far significantly reduced because we have a vibrant National Moon sighting committee.
“So long as Niger republic continue this way, it will take them a long time to recover,” he warned.
He added that, “There is no way any one can see a moon on a day there is solar eclipse, or on a day the conjunction would occur after sunset or on a day the moon will set before sunset. Yesterday was one such days.
“No amount of argument can convince anyone with the most basic knowledge of astronomy that a moon was sighted yesterday (Monday) anywhere in the world. It was practically impossible, making it phantom and a clear hoax!!”
Dr. Tijjani Umara concluded saying, “yesterday’s sighting in Niger can not be defended anywhere and by any means. It was only possible if Niger republic has its own separate moon from the rest of the world!!”
