•Sheikh SIRAJUDEEN AKANNI ASUKUNA Reveals
Alhaji Sirajudeen Akanni Asukuna is a respected Muslim cleric in the South-West. He is well loved because of his mastery of the Islamic faith. This handsome Islamic scholar is the National Chief Missioner & General Overseer, Hizbullahi International Ministry located at 2, Freeman Street, Oyingbo, Ebute-Metta in Lagos where he is currently building a big mosque. He enjoys a large followership.
He is also the Amir Zakireen of Oyo State.
As the Ramadan season is fast approaching, many Muslims don’t joke with his preachings and messages. Like many Islamic scholars, he holds lectures and talks on the significance of RAMADAN.
A few days ago, City People visited him at his Ebute Metta residence and got him to talk about the forthcoming Ramadan season.
As Muslims countdown to Ramadan, what are they to expect? What are Muslims suppoessed to do? How do they prepare for the Holy month of Ramadan?
“Alhandullahi, all praises due to Almighty Allah.”
“As Ramadan approaches, we are expecting the Holy month of Ramadan. We are preparing for it. Part of the preparation is that all Muslims must drop all inequities, all sins that someone might have been involved in, because the month, is a Holy month, it is a Forgiveness month that we are expecting.”
“So, before you meet something that is Holy, you yourself must be Holy. So, I implore everybody to start dropping all what we have been doing that is not holy, whatever we have been doing whether intentionally or not intentionally. That is how we can gain the bounteness of that Holy month, as Allah promised us that whoever that fast in that month of Ramadan and works with him, he or she will come out of sin, like the day his or her mother gave birth to him or her.”
“So, we have to be fully prepared with all piousness.”
“As we are saying, Insha Allah, we are preparing for the month of Ramadan.”
“We are starting by the 23rd of this month, March 2023. So, I implore everyone to move closer more to God, during that month. How?
“By going for Ramadan Lectures, and Prayers where they can hear the word of Allah, so that it will be more encouraging for them to do more good, particularly Prayers, during that season, because the prayers during the month of Ramadan is highly and quickly accepted by Allah. And as you know, in this our country today, we need prayers, a lot of it now, more than anytime. So, I implore everybody to please do the needful by being prayerful during that period of Ramadan.”
City People can tell you more about what Muslims should expect this Ramadan, the month-long religious holiday for Muslims, which is a time of self-reflection and strengthening their relationship with God.
City People can reveal authoritatively that the religious holiday involves fasting, praying, abstinence from impure thoughts, not eating in day time, and being around their loved ones. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islam calendar, a holy month designed for prayer and fasting. It begins and ends with the shape of the crescent moon, which is why Ramadan is not set on any specific days annually. Each year, the day it starts and ends changes as it goes with the moon calendar.
Muslims believe that Ramadan is meant to strengthen their relationship with God. Why do Muslims celebrate Ramadan? It is because of their believe that it was during the month of Ramadan that God gave the Prophet Muhammed the Holy Quaran, Islam’s holy book in 610 AD. It was the first time God revealed to Muhammed that he was a Prophet in-charge of carrying God’s message across the Arabian Peninsula. It is believed that The Quran was revealed during the night of destiny for Muslims and that’s why Ramadan has become the sacred month. It is believed to be a month of Charity and Generosity.
It is a time of doing good deeds for those near and far. And a time of spiritual reflection.
City People has found out that Ramadan is a month of fasting and abstaining from things considered to be impure for the mind and body. Muslims are expected to abstain from food, drink and impure thoughts between the hours of sunrise and sunset, allowing them instead to focus on Prayer and connecting with Allah (SWT). The significance of fasting is that Fasting allows the individual to understand the pain and suffering of millions around the world who live their lives in poverty and hunger, leaving the participant feeling more grounded and grateful for all that Allah (SWT) has given them.
Why is fasting so important during Ramadan? City People found out that it is because Fasting during Ramadan is one of the 5 Pillars of Islam. And it was ordered in the Quran and is expected that all able Muslims (those who are mature and in good health) should fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.
During the time, fasting is more than just abstinence; it is a means of worship and for Muslims to feel a closer and deeper connection with Allah (SWT). Fasting allows each individual to understand what it means to go without food for a long period and to learn patience with oneself and those around them, as well as compassion for those less fortunate.
What are the 5 Pillars of Islam? According to Muslim clerics, they are the 5 core practices that all Muslims should follow. They are: (1) Shahadah – the reciting and profession of the Islamic faith. (2) Salah-5 daity prayers and performing ritual cleansing or wudu.
(3) Zakat – giving to charity based on one’s wealth to help those less fortunate. Donations during Ramadan often hold much greater reward for the donor. (4) Sawm – the process of fasting during the month of Ramadan. There are exceptions as to who can take part in fasting, but it is expected if you are of good health and sound mind. (5) Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca, which every able-bodied Muslim must do at least once in their lifetime.
What is a typical day like for Muslims during Ramadan? According Muslim clerics, During Ramadan, Muslims usually wake up well before dawn to eat the first meal of the day, which has to last until sunset. This means eating lots of high-protein foods and drinking as much water as possible right up until dawn, after which you can’t eat or drink anything.
At dawn Muslims perform the morning prayer, rest a bit before getting ready for the day. Muslims are not supposed to avoid work or school or any normal duties during the day just because they are fasting. So for the most part, Muslims go about their daily businesses as they normally would, despite not being able to eat or drink anything the whole day.
In the evening, Muslims break the day’s fast with a light meal, before performing the evening prayer. This is usually followed by a larger meal a bit later in the evening which is often shared with family and friends in one another’s homes throughout the month.
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