Below is full text of Tinubu’s Sallah message:
I join with Nigerian Muslims and Muslims all over the world in observance of Eid-el-Kabir. This year’s observance comes at a unique moment in history where the normal activities of society have been upset and altered by the threat of deadly sickness. This sickness has touched Muslim, Christian as well as those who profess no religion at all. It has descended on both the high and the not-so-high. We have lost friends and loved ones. Too many people have died and far too many good people are still suffering because of the economic consequences of this scourge.
Thus, this Eid shall not be a moment of vigorous celebration simply because it is our tradition to do so. The pressing weight of events compels us to rekindle in ourselves a greater commitment to the true spirit and reason for this holy observance.
Coming as the end of religious activities spanning the first ten days of the Islamic Month of Dhul Hijjah, Eid-el-Kabir enjoins us as Muslims to show mercy and compassion to our fellow human beings. Given the challenges that have come this year, there is no time like the present to sow brotherly love and kindness. We thank Almighty Allah that he has given us the breath of life and allowed us to keep it. This means that we should be grateful for life and, in being so, that we should strive to live according to His munificent purpose as exemplified in the miraculous preservation of Prophet Ismail’s life.
Eid-el- Kabir, which celebrates this great event in Prophet Ismail’s life, occupies a most important place in the Islamic calendar for it is normally characterized by the holy pilgrimage, the Hajj, which unfortunately cannot be physically performed by most willing Muslims this year due to the coronavirus.
Although prospective pilgrims from Nigeria and other parts of the world cannot physically participate in this year’s Hajj, we must still walk in the spirit of the Hajj and conduct ourselves according to the compassionate ways of Almighty Allah. This means we must share with those who do not have; we must comfort those in distress, we must pass bread to those who are hungry and give a cup to those thirsty. Almighty Allah calls on us to live for others as well as ourselves.
This also means we must gird ourselves for a great struggle, one Allah wants us to fight and win. We must link ourselves in common purpose and with utter dedication toward helping Nigeria overcome both the health and the economic dangers posed by the coronavirus. This will be hard and will require that we be the best of ourselves. But we can overcome this disease and its effects as well as any other challenge that faces us as long as we treat each other as brothers and sisters and we adhere to the loving teachings of He who made us all.
It is in this spirit that I ask all Nigerian Muslims to observe this Eid with caution and utmost respect. As Muslims we are taught to respect the law. Thus, as we celebrate, we must observe all public health measures recommended by the authorities such as wearing facemasks and avoiding large gatherings. We do this not for ourselves but for the benefit of others.
During the days ahead, reflect upon this unusual time in which we have found ourselves, pray to Allah to pull us out of this situation but also ask Him how you may help a relative, a family member or even a stranger who may be in greater need than you are. We must pray that Almighty Allah lend wisdom and guidance to President Buhari and all those in government that they may continue to work to move our nation forward.
It is our responsibility as Muslims to empathize with our fellow human beings, to offer a hand of fellowship and comfort such that no one may feel alone and abandoned as if the entire world has turned its back against them. The greatest gift we can render at this moment is a touch of simple human kindness, an act of generosity that seeks no reward other than itself.
I pray for a better future, one free of all forms of pestilence and ills. We get there if we listen to Almighty Allah and if we love one another as members of the same national family. To all Muslims and other fellow Nigerians, I say Eid Mubarak.
SIGNED
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
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