The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has directed the suspension of Eid-el-Fitr congregational prayers in the outskirts of towns and cities across Nigeria.
The Sultan, who doubles as Head of Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI), gave the directive in a statement on Thursday by the JNI Secretary-General, Dr Khalid Aliyu.
The Sultan, who is also the President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), urged Muslims to observe the Eid-el-Fitr prayer at home with family members, or alone in the case of an individual living alone.
He also counselled the state governments that have reached concrete decisions to observe the Eid-el-Fitr prayer, based on their medical experts’ advice.
The Sultan urged them to ensure that the worshippers observe the strictest measures of distancing, face masks, and the use of hand sanitisers at the praying ground.
According to him, the authorities should consider using neighbourhood mosques if it becomes necessary to observe the prayer in an open space.
He also urged Ulamas to fear Allah and be mature enough in guarding their utterances and actions for the overall interest of the Deen and the Ummah.
The statement read, “Nigerian Muslims are, therefore, called upon to reflect their minds to the good virtues of the month of Ramadan and keep to its teachings all through their respective lives, as the Lord of Ramadan, is still and shall remain The Lord of other months, and above all keeps the records of our actions and inactions.
“More so, Muslims are reminded to keep to the ordinances of the Glorious Qur’an, for the prestige of the Muslim Ummah.”
