Eid-el-Kabir: Alaafin urges Nigerians to support charitable causes

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, has called on Nigerians to rededicate themselves, not only to their Creator, but also to the cause of mankind, appreciate the gift of life and to imbibe the virtues of tolerance, understanding and good neighbourliness.
 More importantly, Oba Adeyemi said it is a period that calls for caring for the less privileged of our society.
In his message on this year’s Idel-Kabir celebration made available to the media, the paramount ruler stated that Prophet Ismail total submission to the will of his father and to the command of Allah symbolises genuine obedience, which is the basic essence of the festival.
‘’Love that considers others first, prefers others above personal and
selfish desires, and which seeks to emancipate, unshackle and
liberate. Also, Obedience begets mercy; and the ransom that
substituted the sacrifice of Ismail with a ram thus became a mercy for
believers’’.
According to him, imbibing the virtues of tolerance, understanding and
good neighbourliness could transform our nation, heal our
relationships, and give us the polity of our dreams. If we love with
the spirit of Eid-el-Kabir in our hearts, governance would work, electoral reforms would be easier to accomplish, funds would be judiciously utilized for the good of the larger number, leadership would love and cherish the led. That is the essence of the festival, which I recommend to all Nigerians, indeed, to all humanity, at this time’’.
He went further, ‘’indeed, the timing of the festival this year could not have been more auspicious, given that the economy is now in recession with all the attendant implications for millions of
Nigerians. What that suggests is that the socio-economic condition of
most Nigerians this year makes it compelling for adherents of Islam to
look beyond themselves and their immediate environment, especially in
this holy season. The lessons of Eid el Kabir are simple: by paying
attention to the plight of the poor, we invariably place the welfare
of our neighbours as important as ours; by allowing others to partake
of our wealth or material possessions, we honour the One who made the
provision in the first place’’.
This, Alaafin asserted, happens to be at the heart of all religions,
but a virtue that is particularly at the heart of this festival.
‘’While today is usually a day of merriment, it is important not to
lose sight of the true meaning of this special occasion and the spirit
of sacrifice it represents. With millions of our compatriots now
refugees in their own country, the significance of Eid Kabir  this
year cannot be over-emphasised. The occasion should therefore go
beyond the slaughtering of rams to sharing love and material
possessions not only with relatives or acquaintances, but also with
the displaced, the elderly, the orphans and other people at the margin
of the society, including those with special needs. It is also
important that Nigerians begin to embrace and support charitable
causes and there is no better occasion than today’s to make such resolve’’, Oba Adeyemi pointed out.