By Olayemi Esan
The Minister of Defense, retired Major General Bashir Magashi has urged Muslim faithful to render sacrifice for national security and unity in their prayers for this year’s festival of sacrifice, known in the Islamic world as Eid’il Adha.
Magashi made the call in a statement to felicitate with the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of the celebration of Eid’il Adha festival.
He said the festival of sacrifice with its symbolic slaughter of rams is an act of expression of individual piety and conformity with the almighty Allah’s injunction as contained in the Holy Quran and the Hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
The Defense Minister underscores the need for Nigerians to patriotically sacrifice and support National aspirations to end the spate of insecurity bedeviling the nation, pointing out that National Security is the responsibility of all.
The Minister, therefore, appealed to the Muslims to intensify prayer for peace and stability to reign in the country as a matter of priority in this period of celebrations, while extolling the ideal and idea of mandatory sharing the sacrificial ram with non-Muslim and Muslim neighbours alike who are not privileged to slaughter ram. He said by so doing societal peace, progress, friendship and relationship will be unconditionally strengthened.
Magashi said, “Almighty Allah whose name is invoked on the animals before slaughtering does not need the pieces of the meat but He enjoined absolute show of piety and proper sharing and to put smiles on the faces of all irrespective of religious differences“.
The Minister besieged Almighty Allah to accept the sacrifice by Muslims as an Act of Ibadah and prayed to Him to bless the sacrifice of the troops in the frontlines who are not opportune to celebrate Eid’il Kabir festival with their loved ones, in a statement signed by Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence on Media and Publicity Mohammad Abdulkadr
