The 2016 Eid al-Fitr festival celebrated by Muslims around the world, to mark the end of holy month of Ramadan, will go down in Nigeria as another tragedy and comedy of errors. Eid al-Fitr in Arabic literally means “festival of breaking the fast”. As per Muslim tradition, the beginning of the Eid can only be confirmed based on sightings of the new moon every year. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that Wednesday, July 6, will be the first day of Eid. In the United States, the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) announced that Eid al-Fitr will be observed on July 6, based on astronomical predictions. In anticipation that the moon would be sighted on Monday July 4, the Federal Government declared Tuesday, July 5, and Wednesday July 6, as public holidays. What was already a tangled tale moved into the realm of parody, when the moon could not be sighted on Monday night.
In his capacity as the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, directed that the Ramadan fast be continued on Tuesday. With that the federal government also extended the public holidays till Thursday with all the implications for the economy. This is a tragedy that needs not befall a nation. And that Nigeria loses a huge amount of money to these endless public holidays and many others in the course of the year is a phenomenon that must end. There has to be a better way to “see” the moon. There is no reason why the Eid cannot just be celebrated 30 days after the fasting begins, given that there is no central Islamic authority with power to see the moon.
The present system whereby each country virtually “sees its own moon” and celebrates accordingly is a recipe for chaos and portends uncertainty. Little surprise that Nigerians with their remarkable genius for travesty, found yet, another way to transform Eid al-Fitr; one of the most important days in the Muslim calendar, into a childish and cacophonous instrument to poke fun at each other; even as they continue to suffer, while at the same time; they keep smiling. There were all kinds of banner “headlines” mocking the non-sighting of the moon on Monday, July 4. And the parody makes for some interesting copy.
Some of the headlines include: “Saraki, Ekweremadu will be arraigned for forging moon sighting rules-Uba Malami; INEC hereby declares the sighting of the moon inconclusive-Mahmoud Yakubu; EFCC will soon name the politicians who collected N99.9 billion to loot the moon-Ibrahim Magu; There is no Igbo man in the moon sighting committee-Ohanaeze; Blame APC for allowing Fulani herdsmen to kill the moon-Ayo Fayose; Until we restructure the galaxy, there will be no moon in Nigeria-Afenifere; The problem arose because budget for the moon was padded-Udo Udoma; The North owns the moon and will decide when it can be sighted-ACF; Under the last government, moon sighting was job for the boys-Babachir Lawal; To address the problem, the CBN will release a flexible moon-sighting window-Godwin Emefiele.”
Others are: “Sabotage of gas pipelines responsible for not sighting the moon-Babatunde Fashola, SAN; There was no transparency in the way the moon was sighted-Waziri Adio; Sheriff asked Boko Haram to lock the moon at PDP secretariat-Ahmed Makarfi; Buhari should probe Amaechi over the missing moon-Nyesom Wike; The APC will soon create another moon for Nigerians-John Oyegun; We blew up the moon and we will blow up more moons-Niger Delta Avengers; The last administration embezzled the money meant for the maintenance of the moon-Lai Mohammed; We have arrested and detained all the IPOB members who stole the moon-DSS; We will go on strike if moon is not found within 24 hours-ASUU President; The disappearance of the moon will soon be a thing of the past-T Y Buratai; The decision to hide the fact that the moon was actually sighted on Monday is part of the grand conspiracy to prolong the Sallah holiday in order to Islamize Nigeria-CAN.”
This is the pathetically comic environment in which this year’s Eid was celebrated in Nigeria. The cynicism is hardly an appropriate environment for merriment; the circumstances demanded a sober, moderate and spiritual celebration rather than one with abandon. It is a bit discomforting that most Nigerians, even Muslims who should know better, tend to perceive the Eid as an occasion mainly for merriment and feasting, more so as the rams slaughtered are consumed with friends and neighbors. Nothing can be farther from the truth, as a reflection of the history of the festival reveals.
For the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims, the Eid’s significance is purely spiritual. The festival has no connection with any historical event but is a day where Muslims thank Allah for the strength, the will and the endurance he gives them, especially during Ramadan. Regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam, Ramadan is the period when Muslims fast every day from sunrise to sunset. They refrain from eating, drinking and engaging in sexual activities. It also includes the increased offering of prayers and recitation of the Quran.
More than ever before, this was supposed to be the time to share the rams of Eid not just with friends who may be already well-endowed; but with poor neighbors many of who cannot afford the rams. That would reflect God’s commandments regarding the Eid, in addition to acknowledging the distended economy that has precluded many Nigerian Muslims from performing their obligation of slaughtering rams in commemoration of the festival.
In other words, the Eid is all about sharing, giving, supplications to God, respecting humanity, showing mercy and kindness to people and generally preserving mankind. If these lessons are imbibed by Muslims and all Nigerians at this time, it will engender the enthronement of good governance to protect the interest, and improve the lot of the masses; it will require that political leaders and public officials eschew corruption, greed and selfish interest; it will require that public resources be used judiciously in the public interest; and that all actions of government should be guided consciously by fairness and balance.