By Abubakar Yunusa
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has urged Muslims across the country to pray for divine guidance, peace and responsible leadership ahead of Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
The NSCIA Secretary-General, Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, made the call on Wednesday while speaking with journalists after a national prayer held at the National Mosque, Abuja.
The prayer session, led by the President-General of the NSCIA and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, focused on Nigeria’s peace, security, economic prosperity and political leadership.
Islamic scholars, chief imams, traditional leaders and representatives of Muslim communities from the six geopolitical zones attended the session.
Oloyede said praying for Nigeria was both a religious and civic responsibility of Muslims as citizens of the country.
He said, “It’s a duty that everybody—because we are Muslims, but we are also indigenous nationals. We are members of this country. We are citizens of this country.
“We owe it a duty, a religious duty indeed, to pray for Nigeria.
“And that’s why the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has organised it today, and tomorrow we will start our General Assembly.”
The NSCIA secretary-general said the National Mosque belonged to Muslims across the country, irrespective of their ethnic or linguistic backgrounds.
“This is a national mosque, and this mosque belongs to all those who say La ilaha illallah in the country,” he said.
Oloyede explained that the National Mosque had continued to recognise Nigeria’s linguistic diversity in its religious activities.
“Almighty Allah understands every language, and that is why on Friday, on the pulpit here, we translate the khutbah into Arabic, English, Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.
“We are even trying to use technology to reach many other people who are beyond those languages.”
He said the diversity of languages spoken by Nigerians was part of God’s creation and should not prevent people from seeking divine intervention.
“So, the languages they spoke showed clearly that Almighty Allah had created us with different tongues, and He understands every tongue. And we call on the same Almighty Allah,” Oloyede said.
He added that while Arabic was used for canonical Islamic worship to ensure uniformity, Muslims could use their own languages in personal supplications.
“Islam allows the use of Arabic for our canonical worship, so that there can be uniformity in our canonical prayer. But for all other supplications, Islam allows us to do it in the language of our thinking,” he said.
Oloyede also dismissed any suggestion that the national prayer was linked to partisan politics.
“This is a national mosque. We have prayed for our nation. We have prayed for everybody,” he said.
He added, “What will a mosque, a national mosque, have to do with a political thing?
“All those who are contesting entirely, who are Muslim, cut across all the political parties.
“What we are doing is that we are praying for our country. We are praying for our leaders, and we are praying that all those who will be participating, even in the political activities, have the fear of Allah and the commitment to this great nation in mind.”
Also speaking, an Imam of the National Mosque, Imam Harun Mohammed Eze, said the prayer was aimed at seeking divine intervention in Nigeria’s challenges.
“We are praying that Allah should come in and take control and bring back peace, bring back stability, bring development to our nation,” he said.
Eze said the gathering reflected the unity of Muslims from across Nigeria.
“We have traditional leaders from the South, from the North, from all geopolitical zones in this area.
“We have scholars, Imams from all the geopolitical zones in the country.
“We have Imams from the Southeast, we have from the South-South, we have from the Southwest, we have from all the zones in the North, converging here to say that we are united in asking God Almighty to intervene in our issues and affairs.”
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