– Enjoins love, prayer for Nigeria in emulation of Prophet’s love for Makkah
Seasoned Islamic scholar, Sheikh (Dr.) Siraajudeen Bilaal Al-Asrau has charged Nigerians on the need to love and pray for their country, noting that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) loved Makkah (in present-day Saudi Arabia), his country of origin.
Sheikh Asrau bemoaned the increasing trend of placing curses on the country and its leaders among some Nigerians, saying this is part of the impediments that have blocked the nation from progressing.
The scholar who obtained his bachelor, masters, and PhD degrees from the prestigious Islamic University, Madina, Saudi Arabia disclosed this while speaking at the Muslim News first Ramadan 1443AH lecture series.
The newly introduced Muslim News lecture series began on Saturday, April 9 (Ramadan day 8) with the first appearance being that of the revered Islamic scholar, live on the medium’s Facebook page, addressing the theme, “The love of one’s country”.
According to him, “Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is a role model that laid down great examples and legacies in terms of loving one’s country. Allah (SWT) honoured the Prophet (SAW) by giving his country of origin a mention in the Qur’an and swearing by it.
“The love the Prophet (SAW) had for his country, Makkah was so massive that when Allah commanded him to leave it for Madinah on hijrah, he stayed back a little at the border and said, ‘Oh Makkah, I love you so much. If not for fellow countrymen who had ganged up to send me away from you, I wouldn’t have left you.’ Allah then revealed in the Qur’an that the Prophet (SAW) was going to be returned to the city of Makkah once again, and should keep his mind at rest.
“When the Prophet got to Madinah, he was still always engrossed with Makkah until he had a dream that he would perform Umrah at Makkah. Since then, he looked forward to the day he would go for the lesser pilgrimage. Therefore, it is imperative to love one’s country dearly. And this is not for Muslims alone, people of other faiths too must join hands to love their country and ensure it does not fall.”
Sheikh Asrau said Muslims must be part of groups committed to national development and eschew disuniting or destabilizing the country.
He added that it is the prayer of Prophet Ibrahim that has kept Makkah which he met as a deserted land firm, charging Nigerians to see praying for the country and its leaders as a duty.
“Before the Prophet was called to prophethood, he had always been part of a committee in his country, Makkah that is responsible for defending the interests of those that were treated unfairly and have been undermined. This committee ensured restitution for them. Then, he was yet to be a Prophet but loved his country dearly.
“After he was called as a Prophet, he said he would have graciously accepted to join such a committee if invited once more. This shows national development is the duty of everyone irrespective of religion. In fact, if you get to a country that’s not yours, it’s required that you join hands with its citizens to move it forward.
“When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) entered Madinah, he met the Jews and so many other categories of people. He didn’t exclude them in his establishment of an Islamic government. Essentially, his Islamic government was founded on three principles: the building of his masjid, creating a bond between the Muhajirun and Ansaar, and securing the city of Madinah where he also included non-Muslims. This is a city that’s not of his origin.
“Therefore, we must have the love of our country at heart. There is no other place on the surface of the earth we can boast is ours apart from our country of origin. If you think you can leave the country with your immediate family, how about your extended family? We need to all join hands to build our country. We shouldn’t place curses on our country or the leaders.
“We must pray for them for guidance. These curses and negative statements coming from countrymen are too much. I have lived in so many Arab countries and I know how they react to their governments even when they are not living up to expectations. They seek Allah’s guidance for them. So, let’s compare our country where we dish all kinds of negativity to their own countries. Are they the same?
“One of my cousins came for hajj in Makkah. He was in tears when he got to Jeddah in preparation to leave the country. I told him not to cry but remain prayerful and optimistic about his own country.
“Look at what prayer turned Makkah into. Virtually everybody wants to visit Makkah. Though the city is a desert, all kinds of food get there. That’s prayer. But here, it’s the curse and negative words we say to our country. That’s why we have increasing kidnapping, terror attacks, insecurity, corruption, and bad leadership. We should not curse our leaders. Rather, we should pray for them and call their attention to issues.
“Allah says He will not change the condition of a community until they also change their attitudes. Let’s start praying for our country and leaders as a community. We should also be careful in choosing our leaders. We should elect the best of us,” he added.
Muslim News Ramadan lecture series continues tomorrow, Monday, April 11, with the appearance of another scholar, Sheikh (Dr.) Aliyu Yunus Muhammad, the Chief Imam of Usman Bin Affan Jumu’at Mosque, Kano. He will be speaking live on Muslim News Facebook page on the same theme, from another perspective. 11am Nigerian time: Language (English/Hausa).
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