Thousands attend Eid prayer at Husainiyyah Baqiyyatullah Zaria/pics

By Khalid Isa
With citing of the new crescent of Shawwal in some places in Nigeria thousands of Muslims attended the eid prayer at Husainiyyah Baqiyatullah Zaria on Thursday the 1^st of Shawwal 1436 after completing 29 days of fasting.

Areas where the month of Shawwal was cited include Isa town,  Takakume, Dandami/Birnin Yero,  Jaji, Rigasa Kaduna, Yola, Kano and Zuru. The citing was confirmed in those areas, he added.

The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria explained some issues regarding differences in citing of the months in his sermon after the eid prayer which he called the prayer of hope  as certain conditons are not met.

He further said that sultanate in Sokoto deliberately changed the counting of the month of Shaban to suit an agenda of equating month citing in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia as it happened the previous years  when a lot of people cited the new month  and reported to him but refused to announce deliberately. Even last year  the month of Ramadan was ciited in Sokoto and people informed the Sultan whereupon he refused to announce.  He only announced it around 1.am in the night after people gathered in his house threatening to set it ablaze should he refused to announce.

The leader of the Islamic Movement further said that last year the eid was celebrated amid agony due to  the killings of some people and loved ones by the Nigerian Military on Quds day; some were even tortured to death in the army barrack.

He further says  the  enemies never gave up as this year  too hundreds were targeted and killed with bomb in Jos, Kano and Zaria;  In Zaria alone over 100 were killed majority of them pregnant women who were called in to conduct their screening for them go back to their houses and rest.

He expressed that none can do such a crime expect a people whose Qur’an says regarding them ‘Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder…….’

He described with disamy and unfortunate  how the blame was shifted on whom the enemies of Islam and Muslims  called jihadists to ridicule Islam.

Such crimes are only committed  by those who see Muslims and everyone else as enemies; they are the killers on quds day procession last year, the sheikh concluded.

 

photos by Muhammad Isa Ahmad