Eid-ul-Adha observed in regions

Muslims throughout the country marked the Eid-ul-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) with prayers and sacrifice of animals last Saturday.

Dressed in their beautiful apparel, the Muslims, young and old, converged on prayer grounds in the morning to observe two unit prayers to thank Allah for His protection and blessing.

After the prayers, Muslims who had the means slaughtered animals — sheep, goats and cows — as their sacrifice for the occasion.

Eid-ul-Adha is a Muslim celebration that honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to obey Allah and also commemorates the end of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Accra

In Accra, Musah Yahaya Jafaru reports that the first National Deputy Imam of the Ahlussunna Wal Jama’a , Sheikh Munir Abdallah Taufiq, urged Muslim parents to invest more in the education of their children, since that was the only way the children could fit into the changing work environment. 

He said the focus should be on both secular and religious education.

Sheikh Taufiq made the call at the Eid-ul-Adha prayer at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra last Saturday.

No violence

He called for peaceful co-existence, love and understanding among couples.

He also said the lack of harmony in most homes had affected the peace among families.

Sheikh Taufiq condemned the perpetuation of violence among Muslims.

Quoting an Islamic traditional narration, he said Allah had cursed a Muslim who killed his brother as well as the one who got killed in a melee.

2014 Hajj 

The ASWAJ Deputy National Imam, lauded the National Hajj Committee (NHC) for a successful organisation of the Hajj this year.

He asked the committee to maintain the standards to ensure an equally successful Hajj next year.

President on economy

President John Dramani Mahama, in a speech read on his behalf by a Minister of State at the Presidency, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, said the economy had started responding positively to the measures introduced to address the challenges it suffered recently.

He said the expected outcome of the discussion between the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was an injection of more energy into the economy.

Touching on Hajj, President Mahama affirmed the government’s commitment to continue to support the NHC to guarantee the smooth organisation of the Hajj in the country.

Ho

Tim Dzamboe reports from Ho in the Volta Region that a large number of Muslims converged on the Police Training Depot Park to offer prayers to Allah in commemoration of the Eid-ul-Adha festival.

They were led by the acting Volta Regional Imam, Alhaji Alfa Amid Anas, who emphasised that they should renew their faith to show more generosity to the needy in society and that in all, they should demonstrate virtues of obedience.

The Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Mr Francis Ganyaglo, asked them to demonstrate the spirit of sacrifice as required under the tenets of the celebration.

He assured them that the government would deliver in accordance with the promises made to the people.

The Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Mrs Fafa Adinyira, advised them to live in peace while the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho-Central, Mr Benjamin Kpodo, said they should pray for everlasting peace for the nation since it was the only home for the people.

Wa

From Wa in the Upper West Region, Emmanuel Modey reports that the celebration at the Wa Jubilee Park was led by the Upper West Regional Chief Imam, Dr Sulemani Bakari, and the Wa Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Issahaku Nuhu- Putiaha. 

Dr Bakari called on the adherents to pray hard to Allah to intercede, since most of the problems confronting the nation were spiritual. 

He named some of the challenges as the gruesome murder of citizens for ritual purposes, abduction of children, bribery and corruption, and armed robbery which are occurring with uncontrollable regularity throughout the country.

The Chief Imam prayed for peace, stability, prosperity, good health and understanding for the entire leaders and people of the nation.

The Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemana, commended them for having undergone the month-long fasting and asked them to be guided by the two pillars of the festival, which are charity and forbearance. 

He expressed regrets that 11 cases of cholera had been recorded in the Wa Municipality with one death last Friday. 

He asked them to maintain serious cleanliness and personal hygiene to ensure that the disease did not spread further.

Kumasi

John K. Essel reports from Kumasi in the Ashanti Region that Muslims in Kumasi have held special prayers to mark the celebration.   

Leading the prayers of Muslims at TI Ahmadiyya Senior High School in Kumasi, the Regional Missionary of the Ahmadiyya Mission, Maulvi Abdul Hameed Tahir, called on Muslims to use the celebration of the Eid-ul-Adha festival to reflect on their social life and promote righteousness, peace and unity in their communities. 

He stressed the need for Muslims to promote peace, love, unity, discipline and religious tolerance.     

The regional missionary urged Muslims to share their sacrifices with the needy in the society but not to exchange parcels with only their close friends and relatives.    

The Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Yammin, who joined the Muslims for the prayers, called on them to continue to submit to the teachings of Islam and shun vengeance, violence, indiscipline and other negative attitudes.

He said the government and the religious organisations sought a common interest of promoting the well-being of Ghanaians and, therefore, stressed the need for the people to support the government to achieve its vision for development. 

Mr Yammin stated that the vision of the government was to improve upon the quality of life of Ghanaians.

Sunyani

From Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, Zadok Kwame Gyesi reports that the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Sunyani, Mr Kwesi Oppong Ababio, asked Muslim youth to desist from indecent dressing, which, he said, was blinding  many young people in recent times.

He said dressing fashionably did not mean exposing your nudity to the public but “adding a touch to your beauty”. 

Mr Ababio was speaking at this year’s Eid-ul-Adha festival at the Sunyani Coronation Park, where several hundreds of Muslims converged to offer prayers to Allah.  

He said he was sad to notice some of the youth who came to the prayer grounds with indecent dressing, saying, “When we are coming to God, we must dress properly”.

He bemoaned that due to modernity, many young people, mostly students in high schools, had taken to indecent dressing.    

The Brong Ahafo Regional Chief Imam, Alhaji Umar Abdul Kadir, called on Ghanaians, particularly the Muslim community, to continue to pray to God for sustainable peace in the country.

He said there would be no development in a country where war had taken over, and that Muslims must promote peace wherever they found themselves. 

The Dwantoahene of Sunyani, Nana Takyi Abeam II, addressing the gathering, warned against the use of vulgar language on those in authority, saying, “It is against our cultural norms to disrespect the elderly in the society, let alone our leaders”.

He, however, commended the Muslim community in the region for their contributions towards the development of the area.  

Tamale

From Tamale, Zakaria Alhassan reports that hundreds of spotlessly dressed Muslim men and women joined the rest of the country to observe the festival at various centres in the Tamale metropolis.

At the Tamale Jubilee Park, the Chief Imam of the Central Mosque, Alhaji Ahmed Abdul-Salam, who led the prayer, called for sustainable peace and unity in the country.

He entreated Ghanaians to use the occasion to reconcile and live together in harmony for the progress of the nation. The imam further advised Muslims to share with the poor and their neighbours during their feast.

The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, entreated Muslims to live by the tenets of the Islamic religion that called for peace, tolerance and endurance at all times.

He also asked them to be law-abiding, respectful to the elderly and to eschew all forms of vices, adding that “with such virtues, investors and visitors would be attracted to the region, and create jobs for the youth.”