Abba Dukawa
The Quran stresses clearly righteousness is not in precise observance of the prayer and other rituals but in acts of compassion and kindness. Quran 2:178) says that the litmus test for true belief and genuine worship is that it leads to compassionate living: Muslims throughout the country are now observing Ramadan in accordance with the dictates of the Qur’an (Quran 2:183).
There are two hundred verses about Compassionate among people in the Quran and all these verses stressed the importance of compassion, love and kindness.
Sadly for essential commodities traders are not observing the compassion especially at Holy month of Ramadan, instead Ramadan season has become an annual season to subject the people to underserved hardship as a result of their heartless action of hike in commodities prices.
It’s only in Nigeria traders take advantage of every period at the detriment of customers and the poor who are struggling to survive, . I am not trying in anyway to portray traders as evil.
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To be fair wealthy individuals, public servants, especially elected and appointees are more supportive in this month. In spite elected and appointees are mostly abused by poor but are more supportive to them in Ramadan as they aid million of homes from lack of assorted grains. Also wealthy individuals not left behind in support of the needy with foodstuffs and other goodies.
It is indeed instructive for traders to recognize that this years Ramadan coincides with that Inflation has hit another high record of 17 per cent with high level of unemployment in the country, which has reached an all-time high of 33 per cent.
With this twin problems of unemployment and Inflation peoples hoping that this year Ramadan assistance will be much more than last year’s Ramadan which the assistance rendered to needy in the society by wealthy people has doubled to more than 1000 percent because it coincides with Covid 19 pandemic global shutdown which has denied them an opportunity of performing lavish annual lesser Hajj.
The Almighty has made fasting obligatory to all Muslims. The wisdoms is to bring equality between the poor and the rich. He willed to create equal experiences between His servants by giving the rich a taste of the pain of hunger so they will become more lenient to the poor. Instead to become more lenient and stop putting people into serious hardship.
Unnecessary hike in commodities prices has became a norms to them without considering the effect such actions will have on us especially the poor because they mindless craving for materialism by all means at expense of peoples. After all they take their families to perform unnecessary lasser Hajj.
We should therefore, as a people, use the fasting to examine our hearts, take responsibility for our misdeeds and to seek Allah’s forgiveness and refrain from evil vi
. We should therefore, as a people, use the opportunity of this Ramadan to examine our hearts and make amends.
Stitch in time, they say, saves nine
Dukawa write in from Kano can be reached at abbahydukawa@gmail.com
