The Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger Council of Traditional Rulers, Yahaya Abubakar, has urged Muslims to emulate Prophet Ibrahim’s good virtues as they celebrate Eid-el-Kabir.

According to the Etsu Nupe, the prophet’s lofty virtues include sacrifice, obedience and submissiveness to the will of Allah to be successful in the world and the hereafter.

He made the appeal in his Sallah message to the Muslims in his domain and Nigerians in general to mark the Eid-al-Adhah celebration at the Eid-el praying ground in Bida on Sunday.

Mr Abubakar said, “Today’s celebration is a commemoration of total submissiveness and obedience to the will of Allah, as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail. It is also a lesson on the virtue of keeping our promises to Allah and to our fellow men. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) made a vow to sacrifice his son to Allah, and when it was time to fulfil the promise, he didn’t back out. That is a strong virtue worthy of emulation. It was in appreciation of that gesture that Allah converted what would have been a human sacrifice to that of a sheep.’’

The traditional ruler advised the Muslims to shun societal ills and to always endeavour to do good for the betterment of all.

“Social ills like bribery, corruption, drunkenness and gambling do not do any good to man, society, or the Muslim faithful; hence, all believers are enjoined to avoid them,” Mr Abubakar admonished.

He implored the Muslims in his domain and the country at large to reflect on the significance of the celebration bordering on encouraging piety, sacrifice and love, without which, according to him, no state or society could advance.

Mr Abubakar appealed to the wealthy individuals in the country to assist the less-privileged to enable all and sundry to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir with relative ease.

He said, “God has endowed wealth on people not for themselves and their immediate families, but for the benefit of the entire society. The present socio-economic predicament that we are facing requires such assistance from well-to-do individuals in the country.”

Mr Abubakar charged Muslims to pray to God to assist President Bola Tinubu and other elected and appointed leaders to overcome both the current economic downturn and the security challenges facing the country.

The Etsu Nupe also advised the people of his emirate to always monitor the movements of their children to check drug abuse rampant among the youth.

He added, “With fervent and ceaseless prayers by the adherents of the two major religions in the country, I am sure we will witness the peaceful conduct of general elections in the country.’’

The monarchs also prayed for a successful Hajj and the safe return of all the pilgrims who went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.

 (NAN)