Muslims in the country were yesterday admonished to develop the spirit of self-sacrifice and submit to the will of Allah (God) if they are to attain nearness to him and be beneficiary of his favour.
According to a Central missionary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana, Maulvi Naeem Ahmed Cheema, it was important for Muslims to come to the realisation that, the religion they professed was one of self-sacrifice and submissiveness.
Addressing a sermon at the congregational prayer service of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission as part of the celebration of this year’s Eid ul Adha festival at the Bustan-e-Ahmed grounds at Ashongman in Accra yesterday, Maulvi Cheema said the only way they could attain the favour of God was by espousing the aforementioned tenets.
“Whatever is sacrificed, be it animals or others in the course of God are only symbolic. What is acceptable to God is the belief of the Muslim in His Oneness and abstinence from sin and unrighteous conduct,” he emphasised.
Maulvi Cheema explained that the celebration of the Eid commemorated the collective sacrifices of Prophet Ibrahim, his wife Hajara and son Ismail in complying with the directions of God in raising the foundations of the Kaaba in Mecca which was also described in the Holy Quran as the first house built for the worship of God.
He noted that following the construction of the Kaaba, God instructed Prophet Ibrahim to announce to the world the duty of believers to perform the pilgrimage to the Kaaba, perform the circuits around the house, proclaim the oneness of God and prostrate themselves in prayer.
Maulvi Cheema said it was important to emphasise that since the days of Prophet Ibrahim, the pilgrimage had continued to this day and the gathering every year of millions of Muslims from different parts of the world at the Kaaba bore irrefutable testimony to the fulfilment of this prophecy made in the Holy Quran.
He said the reward of sacrifices by the prophet Ibrahim indicated that nations and people who made sacrifices made progress and urged Ghanaians and their leaders to make the needed sacrifices for the country to achieve peace and prosperity for the present and future generations.
On the global level, he lamented the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities in certain parts of the world and called on the international community to put pressure on countries responsible for these human right violations.
From Sunyani, DANIEL DSIRASAH reports that Bono Regional Chief Imam Abdul Kadir, has advised that the peace and stability Ghana was enjoying now should not be taken for granted.
According to him, the peaceful coexistence of Muslims and other religious faiths was commendable and there was need to maintain it to ensure the development of the country.
The Chief Imam gave the admonishing during the Eid-ul adha prayers at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani yesterday.
He implored the citizenry to pray and support the current government to succeed noting that the failure of the government would affect all of us.
The Deputy Regional Chief Imam Alhaji Baba Seidu who led the congregational prayers also called on Muslims to ensure they lived in accordance with the tenets of the Eid ul adha celebration.
According to him the occasion enjoined Muslims to live with virtues such as uprightness, demonstrating good behaviour as well as eschewing selfishness and envy among others to enhance good neighbourliness.
The Deputy Bono Regional Minister Siaka Stevens applauded the Muslim community for their unflinching support to the government and urged them to continue to enable the government deliver on its promises to the people.
He later donated assorted food items and a cash amount to the Chief Imam and his people for the celebration.
Faustina Kwabea Osei, reports from Kumasi that, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, urged Muslims to take advantage of the Eid Ul-Adha celebration which was about sacrificing to God and make changes to where they fall short in their character.
He charged them to do everything possible to learn and practise the good deeds of Prophet Mohammed that promote peace in the country.
Mr Osei Mensah noted that, the Ghana was a blessed country because in spite of the diverse ethnic and religious groups in the country, it still could boast of being one of the most peaceful countries in the world.
He advised the Muslim communities to take advantage of the Free Senior High School policy introduced by the government as it provided an automatic scholarship to every child who passed Junior High School examination.
Touching on government policies, Mr Osei Mensah urged them to support the numerous government policies that he said was intended to improve on the lives of the citizenry.
The representative of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu, Sumankwahene, Baffour Asabre Kogyawasu ll, noted that, the peace and unity in the Zongo communities was dependent on how the chieftaincy dispute in those communities were managed.
Baffour Asabre stated that, authorities including the Regional Security Council would not tolerate unrests that would emanate from chieftaincy disputes in the Zongo communities.
He charged the Chief Imam of the region, Sheikh Abdul Mumin Harund, to do well to settle those disputes.
By Cliff Ekuful
