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Friday Sermon] The 1443 AH/2022 Eid-ul-Fitr Celebration

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4 years ago

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By Imam Murtadha Gusau

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day – then to proceed:

Dear brothers and sisters! Eid-ul-Fitr or the Festival of breaking the fast is one of the most celebrated of all Muslim holidays, observed by over two billion Muslims around the world. During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict fast and participate in various pious activities such as charitable giving/Sadaqah, peacemaking, Qur’an recitation, Zikr, Tarawih/Qiyamul-lail etc. It is a time of intense spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world break their fast and celebrate their accomplishments in Eid-ul-Fitr.

Respected brothers and sisters! This year, 1443 AH/2022 Eid-ul-fitr is expected In Shaa Allah to be celebrated on Sunday, May 1st 2022 or Monday, May 2nd 2022. However, the exact date is subject to the sighting of the moon of Shawwal, 1443 AH, the 10th month of Islamic Calendar, and the announcement from your country’s supreme Islamic leader.

Beloved servants of Allah! Eid-ul-Fitr, known as ’عيد الفطر’ in Arabic, is a religious festival for all Muslims around the world. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of noble month of Ramadan. Eid-ul-Fitr is Allah’s reward for believers who fasted during the noble month of Ramadan. This is also believers thanking Allah for giving them the chance and the strength to carry out His commands during the blessed month of Ramadan. Traditionally, Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated for three days in almost all Muslim countries.

Both Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-Al-Adha have great significance in Islam as the same is evident from the following Hadith, which was narrated by Anas Bin Malik (RA), who said:

“Allah has given you better than those feasts (festivals of non-believers): the Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr.” [An-Nasa’i]

Remember one thing that Fasting on Eid days i-e Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha is forbidden as the same is evident from the following Hadith, which was narrated by Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (RA), who said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“No fasting is permissible on the two days of Eid-ul-Fitr and EId-ul-Adha.” [Bukhari]

Since it is a religious festival, Muslims all over the world celebrate this event with much fervour and each country’s celebrations vary as there is an influence of their traditions. Muslims all over the world celebrate the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr by starting the day with the Eid prayer. After offering prayer, Muslim greet each other with the customary Eid greeting, ‘Eid Mubarak.’ Everyone gets new clothes made for the special occasion because every single person wants to look his/her best. The day is spent with friends and family get-togethers, indulging in delicious feasts and handing out gifts also known as Sallah gifts or Barka da Sallah in hausa language.

Eid-ul-Fitr is a time of happiness and enjoyment; and this is also evident from the following Hadith, which was narrated by Aisha (RA), who reported that Prophet (Peace be upon him) said to Abu Bakr (RA) (On the day of Eid when Abu Bakr (RA) saw two girls were singing the stories about the Day of Bu’ath in Madinah):

“….. O Abu Bakr! Every people have their Eid and this is our Eid.” [Bukhari]

In another narration, it is said that Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said to Abu Bakr (RA):

“Let them be O Abu Bakr, for these are days of Eid.”

Religious scholars have differing opinions on Eid prayers. However, all Muslims should attend prayers of both Eids as most scholars, on the basis of strong evidence, is of opinion that it is Wajib (obligation). One of the purposes behind Eid Prayer is to provide an opportunity to a large number of Muslims to attend congregations in an atmosphere of religious piety. Apart from prayer, the Eid sermon (after Eid Prayer) has also been made an integral part of this gathering and the prayer.

It is important and compulsory for a Muslim to pay Zakatul Fitr or Sadaqatul Fitr before offering of Eid Prayer. [Bukhari]

The time for Eid Prayer begins from the time the sun is three meters above the horizon until the sun reaches its meridian. However, it is better to offer the prayer in the early hours after the sunrise. [Abu Dawud]

Know that, Eid Prayer is performed without any Iqamah or Azan. [Muslim]

And Eid prayer consists of two Raka’ats (Two Units Prayer) during which Takbir (Allahu Akbar) is announced seven times. [Abu Dawud]

Rest of the Eid prayer is same as other prayer offered daily. After completing the prayer, it is Sunnah (some scholars say that it is Wajib/obligatory) to listen to the Sermon (Khutbah) after Eid Prayer. So one should stay for the Imam’s sermon to end after completing the Eid Prayer. After listening to the sermon, Muslims congratulate each other with greetings such as Eid Mubarak, Happy Eid, and عيد مبارك etc. However, the most common Eid Greeting Muslims like to wish their friends and fellow Muslims with, is Eid Mubarak.

A person should follow the teachings of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) for every aspect of life. Same should also be applied for Eid Prayer. Following are some of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) with regards to Eid prayer that every Muslim should follow:

1. Take a bath or perform ablution before going for prayer.

2. Use a toothbrush or Miswak to clean your mouth.

3. Wear your best clothes on this day.

4. Apply perfume.

5. Eat an odd number of dates before leaving for prayer of Eid-ul-Fitr. [Bukhari]

6. Make sure that you have paid Zakatul Fitr before offering Eid Prayer.

7. Recite the following Takbirats while going to and returning from Eid Prayer:

“اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illallah, wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, walillahil hamd.

Meaning:

Allah is Most Great, Allah is most Great, Allah is most Great there is no god but Allah, Allah is Most great, Allah is most great, and to Allah be praise.” [See Irwa Al Ghalil, vol. 3, page 125]

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8. Listen to the Sermon (Khutbah) after offering Eid Prayer. [An-Nasa’i]

9. Use different ways while going to and returning from the Mosque (Eid ground) after offering Eid Prayer. [Bukhari]

Dear brothers and sisters! Narrated Ibn Umar (RA) that:

“Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) made it incumbent (Wajib/obligatory) on all the servants or free Muslims, male or female, to pay one Sa’i of dates, barley or grain as Zakatul Fitr.” [Bukhari]

According to above mentioned Hadith, Zakatul Fitr or Sadaqatul Fitr is Wajib/obligatory upon every Muslim including servant, freeman, male, female, young, new-born and old. Compulsion of Zakatul Fitr on a Muslim is same as the Nisab of normal Zakah (Nisab Is the exemption limit for the payment of Zakah).

The amount of Sadaqatul Fitr to be given by each person is an amount minimum or equivalent to one Sa’i of grain, barley or date. Sa’i is an ancient measure of volume and most common understanding is that one Sa’i is equivalent to approx. 2.25-2.5 KGs. However, Muslim scholars all around the world usually announce the amount of Zakatul Fitr to be paid during Ramadan.

As in normal Zakah, Zakatul Fitr is distributed among poor and needy Muslims. It is preferable to give Sadaqatul Fitr first to needy relatives, then to needy neighbours and then to other needy Muslims. And the Zakatul Fitr should be paid before the Eid Prayer.

Celebrate the day with your loved ones by indulging in delicious festive feasts and handing out gifts. Give out charity as much as you can so that your underprivileged Muslim brothers and sisters can also celebrate this blessed festival. And please remember the entire Ummah and your country in your prayers and your Du’as (Supplications).

Dear brothers and sisters! We sincerely seek your financial support on the feeding and Eid-ul-fitr celebration in this blessed month of Ramadan. Your support is highly needed for Allah’s sake.

As usual, we sincerely solicit for your kind and sincere contribution towards the Ramadan feeding and clothing of our orphans, widows and less privileged; and the development of our schools and Islamic Center financially, materially and morally.

Our aim and objective always is to have a standard Islamic center and Arabic/Islamic schools for orphans and less privileged Muslims children in Nigeria.

If you want to pay your Zakah, Sadaqah, Zakatul-Fitr/Sadaqatul-Fitr, Fidyah, or Kaffarah, our great Islamic center is waiting for you. Your donation will help distribute clothes, food packs, and iftar food for our orphans.

Remember, Ramadan will not be the same without our families, but unfortunately this is not a privilege enjoyed by everyone. This is the reason we’re steadfast in planning to provide iftar for poor people, orphans, widows, less privileged etc.

We are planning to distribute food stuff package that worth amount of to 4000 poor Muslim families and 2000 orphans In Shaa Allah.

And your contribution towards feeding the fasting souls is highly waiting as usual. May Allah rewards all your efforts and your good deeds, ameen.

Allah Almighty says:

“If you support the course of Allah, He will support you.” [Qur’an, 47: 7]

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

“Whoever relieves his Muslim brother of a hardship from the hardships of this world, Allah shall relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Judgement. And whoever makes things easy for a person in difficulty, Allah will ease for him in this world and the Next. Allah is forever aiding a servant so long as he is in the aid of his Muslim brother.”

And he (Peace be upon him) said:

“Every act of goodness is considered as Sadaqah.” [Al-Bukhari]

We need the followings:

• Permanent buildings with many classes

• Boards, chairs and desks

• Arabic and Islamic books

• Feeding facilities

• Uniforms

• Computers

• Foodstuffs for Ramadan Iftar and clothes for orphan’s Sallah festival

Account details:

Account no. – 0048647196

Account name – Murtala Muhammed

GTBank

For more enquiries contact, Imam Murtadha Muhammad, the director and Imam Of the Center: 08038289761.

To donate foodstuffs. Contact the following Numbers: 08038289761, 08056557477

Jazakumullah Khairan as you kindly contribute.

Ya Allah, the blessed month of Ramadan is now coming to an end, please help us to remain steadfast in your religion. Grant us the knowledge of your religion.

Ya Allah, you are truly merciful, please forgive us. Choose for us, what is best.

Ya Allah, help us to succeed in this life and the hereafter.

Ya Allah, if we have been in anyway ungrateful, unjust, dishonest; please forgive us.

Ya Allah, we don’t know if we will be alive next Ramadan, please forgive us. Grant us a place in paradise. Save us from hellfire.

Ya Allah, include us in the people who will be put in heaven without accountability.

Ya Allah, help us to spread your religion in the best of ways.

Ya Allah, please let us not be among the backbiters.

Ya Allah, forgive us if we have been among the arrogant.

Ya Allah forgive us, grant us success, verily you are most forgiving, most merciful, ameen.

May Allah send His Salah and Salam upon our noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

And all praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Ramadan 28, 1443 AH (April 29, 2022).

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ADC Accuses APC of Avoiding Performance Record, Shifting Focus to Personalities Ahead of 2027

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August 3, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to divert public attention from its economic and security record by obsessively focusing on opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar and former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s personal opinions.

In a statement issued Monday, ADC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said the APC’s response to recent criticism from Catholic Bishops reveals a party unable to defend its governance record.

“The APC wants the 2027 election to be about personalities because it cannot defend its performance,” Abdullahi said. “They want this election to be about Obasanjo’s personal opinion of Atiku based on a distant past because they cannot defend Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s record based on current performance.”

The statement comes after Catholic Bishops reportedly raised concerns about worsening poverty, insecurity, and the rising cost of living during a recent meeting with President Tinubu. The ADC accused the ruling party of attacking the Bishops rather than addressing their substantive concerns.

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“Whenever respected Nigerians point to the deepening poverty, worsening insecurity, rising cost of living, or the collapse of public confidence under this administration, the APC never answers for its record,” Abdullahi said. “Instead, it looks for someone to attack. Yesterday, it was the Catholic Bishops. Today, it is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Tomorrow, it will be someone else.”

The ADC challenged the APC government to answer specific questions about its economic management, including why food prices continue to soar despite proclaimed economic growth, why poverty has deepened, and why the government is spending 69% of revenue on debt servicing—a figure the World Bank has described as dangerously high.

The party also defended Atiku Abubakar’s record as Vice President under Obasanjo, noting that Nigeria experienced stronger economic growth and greater macroeconomic stability during that period.

“While President Obasanjo was in office, with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar serving as Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council, Nigeria experienced stronger economic growth, greater macroeconomic stability, stronger investor confidence, and a far more affordable cost of living than Nigerians endure today,” the statement read.

“Whatever political differences may now exist between the two men, that record remains a matter of public history and cannot be erased.”

The APC had not issued an official response to the ADC’s allegations at the time of this report. However, party officials have previously dismissed opposition criticism as politically motivated.

Political analysts note that the exchange reflects an intensifying campaign season, with both parties already positioning themselves for the 2027 presidential election. The ADC, while a smaller opposition party, has sought to align itself with the broader critique of the APC’s economic policies under President Tinubu.

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Atiku Fires Back at the Presidency: “767 Factories Shut, 335 Others in Distress Under Tinubu”

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8 hours ago

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August 3, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Tinubu administration of presiding over an increasingly hostile business environment, alleging that 767 factories had shut down while another 335 were operating under severe distress.

Mr Atiku said the closures and difficulties facing manufacturers contradicted the Federal Government’s claims that its economic reforms were restoring growth and improving the business environment.

The former vice-president, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, stated this in a response to the Presidency’s defence of President Bola Tinubu’s economic record.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Mr Atiku said the government’s claims of economic prosperity existed largely in official statements and had not been reflected in the experiences of businesses and ordinary Nigerians.

He said the administration was celebrating Gross Domestic Product, GDP, growth and other macroeconomic indicators while manufacturers, small businesses and households faced rising operating costs and declining purchasing power.

“The Presidency proudly announced that Nigeria’s GDP has increased significantly since the exchange-rate adjustment. We ask a simple question: Has the purchasing power of the average Nigerian increased?” Mr Atiku said.

“Are manufacturers paying less for energy? Have small businesses become more profitable? The answer, tragically, is no.”

He said the closure of hundreds of factories and the distress faced by many others reflected the pressure created by high energy costs, multiple taxes, expensive logistics, rising electricity tariffs and weak consumer demand.

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Mr Atiku argued that government policies could not be described as successful if they increased public revenue while reducing the productive capacity of the economy.

“Government cannot tax its way into prosperity while simultaneously shrinking the productive capacity of the economy,” he said.

“Manufacturers are battling record energy costs. Small businesses face multiple taxes, rising electricity tariffs, escalating logistics expenses and declining consumer demand.”

The former vice-president said tax reforms should be designed to encourage production, create jobs and expand the tax base rather than place additional pressure on struggling businesses.

“A tax reform that expands government revenue while ordinary citizens become poorer cannot honestly be described as progressive,” he said.

He added that successful tax systems were built on productivity and economic growth, not by extracting more revenue from businesses and households already facing financial pressure.

Mr Atiku also questioned the government’s borrowing policy, saying the debate should not focus solely on Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio but on the economic value generated by borrowed funds.

“No serious economist argues that borrowing is inherently wrong. Nations borrow. The real question is this: what has Nigeria obtained in return for the unprecedented debts accumulated under this administration?” he asked.

He said Nigerians had a right to demand evidence that borrowed funds were being used to improve infrastructure, create jobs, strengthen public services and raise living standards.

Mr Atiku noted that businesses continued to spend heavily on alternative sources of electricity, while high logistics costs and poor infrastructure remained major obstacles to production.

“After record borrowing and record budgets, businesses are still forced to spend enormous sums generating their own electricity,” he said.

“Logistics costs remain among the highest in Africa. Manufacturers continue to struggle under crushing operating costs, while many roads remain in deplorable condition.”

The former vice-president said infrastructure should be assessed by its economic impact rather than the number of projects announced or commissioned by the government.

“Every administration announces projects. Nigerians are interested in completed projects that reduce the cost of doing business, improve mobility, guarantee stable electricity and stimulate economic growth,” he said.

Mr Atiku also challenged the Presidency’s explanation concerning crude-backed financing arrangements, arguing that the government had admitted that future oil earnings had been committed in ways that limited the country’s ability to benefit from favourable crude oil prices.

He said Nigerians deserved full disclosure on the terms of such arrangements, including the volume of crude committed, repayment conditions, funds received and projects financed.

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The presidency has officially set a seven-week timeline for the completion of the draft executive bill on state policing, with the proposed legislation expected to reach President Bola Tinubu for review by September 3, 2026.

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Femi Gbajabiamila, chairman of the presidential working group on the national policing bill, disclosed the schedule on Monday, confirming that the draft will be formally transmitted to the president exactly seven weeks from now.

Gbajabiamila’s announcement underscores the administration’s accelerated push to overhaul Nigeria’s centralized policing structure, a reform initiative that has gained significant traction amid growing calls for decentralized security architecture to address the nation’s complex law enforcement challenges.

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