RIGHTS OF THE NATION ON MUSLIMS: NIGERIA FROM INDEPENDENCE TILL DATE

All praises are due to Allah Who decrees and executes all affairs, He disposes of affairs according to His knowledge. He preordained the beginning and the end of all matters. My praise unto Him knows no end. I testify there is no god but Allah alone, He has no associate, He manifests signs of His Oneness firmly. And I testify that Muhammad (pbuh) is the servant of Allah send to all mankind. May Allah bestow peace and blessings on him (pbuh), his families, his companions whom Allah had granted piety to their souls. Thereafter, Dear Servants of Allah, I enjoin myself and you all to fear Allah- the Exalted, this was God’s recommendation for us and those before us. Allah says: { وَلَقَدْ وَصَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنِ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ }(النساء: 131). “ And We have instructed those who were given the Scripture before you and yourselves to fear Allah..” (4: 131) What is a country? A country is a homeland or place chosen as abode for living. It is described as the dwelling place of a person irrespective of being his birthplace. Prophet Adam (AS) and the wife were living in paradise, they ate as they wished, and all their needs were adequately provided. Allah said: "إن لك ألا تجوع فيها ولا تعري وأنك لا تظمؤ فيها ولا تضحي" (طه 118-119) Indeed, it is [promised] for you not to be hungry therein or be unclothed. And indeed, you will not be thirsty therein or be hot from the sun." (20: 118- 119) When Allah sent Prophet Adam (AS) and his wife down to the earth, to be His vicegerent on earth, including his progeny, and to worship Allah and develop the earth, the earth was prepared to serve as stable abode for Prophet Adam (AS) and his progeny to come after him. Allah says: "قال اهبطوا بعضكم لبعض عدو ولكم في الأرض مستقر ومتاع إلي حين" (الأعراف 24) “[Allah] said, "Descend, being to one another enemies. And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time." (7: 24) Hence, the earth was made a stable homeland for Prophet Adam (AS) and his progeny from inception, without congestion, rivalry or preference of a part over the other. However, as children of Adam multiply, clustering of places began, social gathering increases, a reason why man has been described as social by nature, modern scholars described man as a social animal. Origin and principles of Patriotism People began to settle in towns and villages, they chose settlements for themselves and families which could protect them from cold and heat, interference of men, and be as shelter for their privacy. Growing from these clusters of houses are cities where the inhabitants correlate in various ways; including descent, kinship, neighbor, friendship and professional fellowship, as well as the forming solidarity based on the needs of the society and its defense. Eventually, these villages or towns or cities became a large country. In such event where the towns and cities multiply, people are forced to migrate from their birthplace for one reason or the other, without forgetting the environment they first lived, with families, parents, in-laws, relatives and friends and they become emotionally attached to this place and its people. Abu Tammam described this as follows saying: Transport your heart where ever you want in the air, Love is for no other than the first lover. How much of houses in the land had the young lad habited, but his longing forever will be for the first House! In summary, a country starts from that small village or city, then as human life and relationships grow, larger countries evolved including large regional territories, and several regions come under a single authority which could be religiously, politically, or socially bounded. The importance of the homeland: With regards to man, the home is of high importance. Every living being needs a shelter or housing to protect him, the beasts have their holes, the birds have their nests. We have seen birds, fishes and such other creatures that travel vast distances, transverse through seas and oceans, but return back to their take-off point- the parent abode, without losing track, owing to the sense of guidance given to all creatures by God. Allah says: "قال ربنا الذي أعطي كل شيئ خلقه ثم هدي" (طه 50) He said, "Our Lord is He who gave each thing its form and then guided [it]." (20: 50) Every mentally sound person yearn for his homeland, he wishes for it every good including security, stability and success, an enterprise in which every person participate; the unbelievers, the Muslims, the whites, the blacks. Ibn Rumi says: He endeared people’s homeland to them As goals carried out by youths there When they remember their homeland, they remember their youthful days, and they long for it base on that. After migration to madinah Abu Huraira fell sick and composed some poetry revealing his desire for his homeland- Makkah. If only I knew, do I sleep at night At a valley, and around me are lemon grasses and great ones Do I wish for a day the waters of Majnah Do Shamah and Tufail appear to me? (These are all names of rivers, valley and mountains of Makkah to which he passionately long for) The messenger of Allah (pbuh) addressed Makkah while he was migrating from the land to Madinah thus: “By Allah, you are the most beloved land of Allah before Allah, and the most beloved land of Allah to me. Had it not been that my people exiled me I would not have left” (Al-Baaniy) The prophets were sent to their people, they wished the best for their people and the land, Ibrahim prayed for Makkah and its people, and Muhammad (pbuh), the messenger of Allah prayed for Madinah and its people. Let us follow the prophets and the righteous ones, let’s wish the best for our country Nigeria, pray for her security and prosperity, especially now that we mark the 53rd anniversary of our independence, and the nation experiences difficult and regrettable situations, may Allah grant us peace and good health. Nigeria from independence till date: progress or regress (facts and figures) Nigeria is the largest African country as a whole, in terms of population density, it forms a quarter of the African continent, and fifth of the black nations in the world. It occupies more than 1, 923 square kilometers of fertile land rich in various minerals, such as gold, gemstones, oil, Nigeria is the sixth oil exporting countries in the world, the first in the African continent, and the seventh in terms of natural gas deposit, along with other agricultural products including animals, poultry, plants of high commercial value. In summary, Nigeria has about 34 natural resources and 64 other materials suitable for export. On gaining independence from the British colonialist for over half a century, before South Africa and Malaysia for example, unfortunately, we cannot match up to them in scientific progress and economic growth Nigeria before Independence Varying religions existed in Nigeria before independence both in the Northern and Southern part of the country. Muslims made up the majority in the North and in the South, even though, the south was not free of idolatry, a situation which is still common in the area today. Islam preceded the Christian missionary colonization of the country by approximately six centuries (600 years). The Eastern part of the country mostly consists of the idolaters before Christianity gained entry through the foreign colonialists. Nigerians before independence were active in various economic fields- cultivation, craft making etc, they had enough food for their daily livelihoods- (food security). The food security then, reached the cattle, they fed their cattle, dogs etc with the staple foods for human beings like beans, cassava etc; a sharp contrast to the realities of today where humans have not had their fills takeless of giving the animals. The southwest had cocoa, the north thrived in cotton and groundnuts, and the southeast was affluent in rubber, the country had surplus fund and income, they built powerful historic edifices, they built the country, they implemented developmental projects with incomes from agriculture before the discovery of oil in 1956. They built first class universities such as University of Ibadan, University of Ife, University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Bayero University in Kano, University of Nigeria, Nsuka, all with proceeds from agricultural produce- cocoa, cotton and rubber. Even the historic building in Dugbe, Ibadan (COACOA HOUSE), NTA Station, the kainji dam built in 1970 before the creation of NNPC in 1971 and a host of other developmental projects ranging from roads, water pipelines and other facilities such as hospitals (UCH & LUTH), schools, factories driven by agricultural resources. Early Nigerians’ humanitarian values Our predecessors, in all honesty, had good human values of diligent hardwork without laziness, trust without betrayal, chastity and decency and not indulging in immorality and prostitution, values of generosity and not being stingy. They viewed idleness and complacence as disgraceful and a blemish, they also had poetry to support this values: Meaning: The Idle person is humiliated deprived of all value, he hisses at the daybreaks when the cock crows, he who do not work goes poor, and he who works defeats poverty. In another poem it reads: Meaning: What do I do with stealing in my life? What do I do with stealing in my life? I submit to slavery over stealing… Instead of stealing I better die. Therefore, honesty and trustworthiness flow among them, mercy and compassionateness radiate. A farmer could after harvesting his crop- place it by the foot path for sale, he places the amount he sells it on it- because they could not write then- without a guard or a watchman. A buyer will approach the goods, place the right amount of the goods, without taking more than he paid for or reducing the price, or stealing from any money he met there. And when the farmer returns in the evening, he finds his money complete. Our predecessors in this country praised chastity and cared about their reputations, hence adultery was little, they do punish the offenders with quick death, they honoured chaste women and praised them, while adulterous one brings shame on her family, Then came colonization… Then colonization came with its civilization of liberalism, it came with its culture of nudity and shamelessness, it came with its alcohol and the unveiling of the face, the cinema, music, and it came with great sins and few benefits for the people. Several escapades took place before they eventually granted our independence in 1960. But on their departure, they left behind our fellow Nigerians who speak our language, they are Nigerians in colour and language but westerners in ideology and culture, their loyalty to the colonial enemy is continuous, they are a threat to the country as truly captured in this words of Allah: "فخلف من بعدهم خلف أقاموا الصلاة واتبعوا الشهوات فسوف يلقون غيا" (مريم 59) “But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil” (19: 59) They were the political leaders with personal ambitions, thus you find some of them who want to die on the throne, running for the second and third term in office, if he had the power, he would have remained in power. Nigeria had witnessed eight military coups from independence to date, it also witnessed the civil war in eastern Nigeria (the Biafra war) alongside the crisis in the nooks and crannies of the country where thousands of people were killed. We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound. Brothers in faith we should care much about the affairs of our homeland, Nigeria, we should be concerned about who manages her affairs and directs finances, Allah bless us with all we need of means of advancement and progress, however the deficiency is good leaders, a project which is not automatic rather with diligent effort at actualization. THE SECOND SERMON Praise be to Allah alone. May peace and blessings be upon he that no other prophet succeeds, and his families and companions. Be aware that he who holds firm to this religion of Islam, work by the Holy Book of Allah, and follow the Prophet (PBUH), actual gain a great manifest reward, and deserve to live in the paradise in the company of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous, Allah says: { وَمَن يُطِعِ اللّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاء وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَئِكَ رَفِيقاً , ذَلِكَ الْفَضْلُ مِنَ اللّهِ وَكَفَى بِاللّهِ عَلِيماً } (سورة النساء 69- 70) “And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions. That is the bounty from Allah, and sufficient is Allah as Knower.” (4: 69- 70) I hereby enjoin you dear Muslims to hold fast to your religion- Islam, in this era where the similitude of he who holds tenaciously to his religion is like that of he who grabs an ember of fire. Oh Allah descend peace; flowing with continuous tranquility and security upon Nigeria and all other Muslim nations. O Allah accept the worship of the pilgrims of hajj and Umrah, and grant us all Your pleasure, And the last of our call will be, "Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds!"