Fun, thrills of Eid-el-Maulud

This year’s Eid-el-Maulud was marked throughout the country on Monday, November 11. Our correspondents recall how the Muslim festival to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad was celebrated in their locations.   Eid-el-Maulud was celebrated in Katsina and Daura emirates with processions of school children along major routes in the state capital, accompanied by recitation […]

This year’s Eid-el-Maulud was marked throughout the country on Monday, November 11. Our correspondents recall how the Muslim festival to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad was celebrated in their locations.

 

Eid-el-Maulud was celebrated in Katsina and Daura emirates with processions of school children along major routes in the state capital, accompanied by recitation of the Holy Quran and preaching from Islamic scholars. Several overnight gatherings of praise and worship songs were held across the metropolis and other big towns in the state.

In Daura, a spectacular durbar known as Sallar Gani is usually held to mark the day. About 16 district heads of the emirate took turns to display the culture and tradition of the emirate with a colorful durbar procession.

 

Horse riders and traditional hunters shot into the air intermittently to the admiration of spectators, with sword displays, traditional drummers and dancers entertaining the crowd. Cheers greeted each display.

Hundreds of spectators thronged major streets to watch the fanfare. It was not short of the needed entertainment as families, friends, women and children came out to watch horse- riding men fully dressed in traditional regalia.

On the first day, the Emir of Daura, Umar Faruk, took off from the palace through Kofar Arewa to Motel Junction, then to Kofar Sarki Abdurahman, before returning to the palace amidst cheers from residents who gathered to pay homage to him.

The following day otherwise called Hawan Magajiya, the emir left the palace for Gidan Magajiya where he distributed kola nuts and headed to Kofar Sarki Musa through Shaiskawa and Tone Quarters before returning to the palace.

In his message, he urged parents to take good care of their children and stop handing them over to operators of torture centres.

He said security is the responsibility of all and should not be left  to security agencies alone, adding that traditional rulers and every individual in society have roles to play in ensuring security, especially by urgently reporting to the authorities.

Governor Aminu Masari called for reflections on the rich culture and tradition of the people and an avenue to further seek God’s guidance and protection against evil.

He said the state was doing its best to address insecurity and other challenges, noting that it was high time security agencies began to prosecute kidnappers, cattle rustling and other bandits under the new law that stipulates death penalty for offences such to serve as deterrent.

He said lack of education is the cause of the security challenges and urged people to seek it to make their lives better.

This year’s event was graced by representatives of some neighbouring emirates like those of Hadejia, Dutse, Kazaure, Gumel and some part of Niger Republic.

 

Lagosians celebrate in ‘Lagos style’

The festival was celebrated in Lagos State by both the young and old. Muslims across the state celebrated the holiday in their own different ways. Some celebrated with their family and friends while others celebrated with members of their religious organizations through different avenues such as public lectures, fund raising, a walk, among others.

Some Islamic organizations and mosques across the state held different informative and educating programmes geared towards teaching Muslims the teachings of Prophet Mohammed and to pray for peace in Nigeria.

Some used the opportunity to take their children to parks to have fun, while others merely carried on with their normal day to day activities.

Various parks and recreational centres were filled to the brim with both Muslims and non Muslims. Such parks include the JJT (Johnson Jakande Tinubu) park in Alausa, Lakowe Lakes and Golf Resort in Ajah, Ndubuisi Kanu Park in Ikeja, among others. Children were not left out, at the popular Lagos Central Mosque on Lagos Island, some Muslim pupils entertained guests.

Some religious organizations also used the opportunity to sensitize Nigerians on several topical issues. The Muslim Awareness International (MAI) held its annual Aqsa Day to educate and sensitize Nigerians on the plight of Palestinians. MAI organized a rally where hundreds of Lagos residents trooped to the streets to express their concern on the plight of Muslims in Palestine.

Hundreds of activists thronged the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos in pro-Palestinian vests with Palestinian and Nigerian flags on a solidarity walk which started at about 7:00 am.

The Muslims displayed different captivating inscriptions on placards, as they walked together in an orderly manner through major routes like Ojuelegba, Jibowu and Yaba, chorusing the call for freedom, justice and liberation of oppressed Muslims across the world.

Some of the inscriptions read; ‘Nigeria belongs to Nigerians, Palestine belongs to Palestinians. End Occupation’, ‘We say No to destruction of lives and property in Palestine’, ‘Stop terrorism in Nigeria and Palestine’, ‘Kudos to the Presidency in Nigeria for supporting peace in Palestine’.

The Director of MAI, Alhaji Abdul Waheed Atoyebi, told the gathering why the annual programme which hitherto was a lecture series took a new dimension.

“We decided to take a walk for peace and freedom in solidarity with our brethren during this year’s Aqsa Day, so as to diversify and be more dynamic with our pro-Palestinian advocacy.

“We would be walking for societal enlightenment on Palestinian struggles. Their struggle for liberation is a global issue. Our President, Muhammadu Buhari, had on several occasions rallied support for the Palestinians at the United Nations. This is our own way of showing solidarity with them and other oppressed Muslims in Syria, Yemen, Burma and lately, China.@

He said Walking for Palestine would assist the participants to improve their health and keep fit, in accordance with the saying of Prophet Muhammad who stressed that a strong Muslim is better than a weak one.

Asides the walk by MAI, a public lecture was organized by Nasru-llahi Fathi Society (NASFAT) for its members as a way of celebrating the birth of the prophet.

In the lecture organized at the Lagos secretariat mosque, Alausa, its chief missioner, Imam Abdul-Azeez Onike, said the controversy over the propriety of celebration of the birth of Prophet Mohammed was needless.

Onike stressed that marking the birth of the prophet does not conflict with any fundamental of Islam while declaring that the organization would in the nearest future make the celebration a seven-day event which would end on the public holiday to take a detailed look at the personality and characters of the prophet.

 

Quiet celebration in Oyo

Though there was poor outing in Oyo State, the Muslim faithful observed Eid-el-Maulud in a graceful and peaceful way.

Unlike in the past when the faithful gathered at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba to celebrate the birth of the prophet, there was no official celebration by the state government.

Speaking on the development, the founder of Shafarudeen in Islam Worldwide, Professor Sabit Olagoke Ariyo, blamed it on the change of government in the state, which according to him would take a little time before the incumbent could understand and support the celebration.

He said the importance of the celebration is a challenge to every human to develop their capacity and have impact before receiving the supreme call.

“The impact of the prophet was appreciated by God by recognizing him as his person. If we could live our lives that way, the world would be better.  Not that we didn’t celebrate it in Oyo State but it was not officially celebrated because of the change in government. The celebration used to come with huge financial support from the government, but because the government is still very new, we could not celebrate it. However, it was celebrated on some radio stations and among the faithful brothers and sisters,” the Islamic scholar said.

Another Islamic scholar, Dr. Bayo Busari, said celebration was politically motivated and not supported by Hadith or Qur’an.

He said; “According to Islamic records, there is no proof to show that Eid-el-Maulud was celebrated when some Islamic leaders were alive. Meanwhile, records can be only drawn from two sources, from Qur’an and Hadith. Anything outside these two are innovations which are not supported by the doctrine of the Islam.

“Eid-el-Maulud has no record in Islam. I understand it was started with one wealthy man in Egypt who felt the prophet was larger than life and he deserved to be celebrated. If you go to Saudi Arabia, it is not being celebrated there but you know in Africa, we have politicized everything. We put religion in a pedestal and we also like to personalize everything. We used to say if the government had done something for somebody, it must be done to other people.”

Governor Seyi Makinde, earlier in a statement through his media adviser, Taiwo Adisa, emphasized the need for religious tolerance and harmony in the country.

He called for greater emphasis on religious harmony, tolerance, and peaceful co-existence.

Bauchi stands still

Bauchi metropolis stood still due to the unprecedented mammoth crowd of Muslim faithful that participated in the Maulud procession in the state capital.

Thousands people including children, married women and men as well as the elderly from Bauchi metropolis met with hundreds of other participants from the 20 local government areas of the state. Another large number of people from the 36 states of the country also thronged Bauchi city with other participants from outside the country.

The celebration was organized by the Tijjaniyya Sect in collaboration other sects.

It started on Saturday morning with a Qur’anic centre graduation ceremony when hundreds of students of the renowned Shekh Dahiru Usman Bauchi Foundation gathered at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium Bauchi preceded by a Maulud gathering on the same day and venue at night.

The procession began at 8:00am from Kobi Primary School playground where thousands of people dressed colourfully and assembled according to their respective schools and organizations, holding various banners with inscriptions for the long procession. The rally started from the palace of the Emir of Bauchi through major roads and streets and lasted until late evening.

The spectacular celebration also featured colourful motorcades including well dressed camels and horses moving the procession with participants moving slowly and singing praises of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It virtually brought the metropolis to a standstill.

Colourfully dressed participants wearing school uniforms, unified cultural wears, with some holding colourful umbrellas that matched their dresses in the rally passed through, chanting and singing praises of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in a stylish form throughout the day, and thanking Allah for being able to witness another celebration of the birth of the prophet.

The most astonishing part of procession was the colourful and sequential dresses of a section of the participants signifying national unity who wore cultural attires of the people of southern Nigeria, including attires of the Igbo, Yoruba and other cultural dresses from the southeast and southwest people of Nigeria, blowing various types of trumpets and cultural instruments amidst praises of the prophet.

Another area of attraction in this year’s Maulud celebration in Bauchi was the hospitality displayed by many host communities who throughout the day continued to bring different kinds of food and drinks for the participants. Containers of food and drinks were coming out in large numbers from different houses and distributed to participants and spectators in the town while some people bought cartons of bottle water and shared to others.

Traders, especially those selling garments, made brick business as thousands of young men and women sewed a variety of clothes. Islamic schools and organizations also sewed new clothes for the celebration. Tailors and designers had a large number of customers.

One week before the celebration, traders besieged the venue, the  Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi where they set up hundreds of tents in and around the stadium roundabout and all the roads around the area  and displayed their goods, especially  those selling garments, shoes, and caps. Our correspondent observed that four days after the Maulud, many traders were still hanging out along the busy Bauchi-Gombe highway with their goods on display in tents.

Taxi and bus drivers were also not left out of the celebration as they had many passengers, especially those from outside the state. Hotels and restaurants also had high patronage of visitors during the event which paved way for petty traders to make brick business. Investigation also revealed that houses of privileged individuals were full to capacity.

This year’s Maulud celebration however had some unusual practices that generated heated reactions and condemnation, including musicians who engaged young girls and boys dancing together in the procession which contravenes Islamic practices. The video of the dancers went viral and attracted reactions.

Despite the large number of participants, the  celebration ended peacefully with the help of heavy presence of security operatives and local vigilantes to ensure peace.

Governor Bala Muhammed appealed to those celebrating to observe traffic regulations in order to avoid accidents as such occasions are normally characterized by high traffic flow.

He renewed his call for mutual respect and peaceful coexistence among the citizenry, adding that the primary objective of any responsible government is to ensure the security of lives and property and assured that his administration would continue to do everything possible to ensure that no one is molested or harassed.

Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi enjoined the Muslim faithful to emulate the life of Prophet Muhammad, saying the purpose of Maulud was to commemorate the birth of the prophet and inculcate his love in the minds of all Muslims so as to practice what he taught and emulate his noble character.