Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated Nigerians, and particularly the Muslim faithful, on the celebration of the 2021 Eid-el-Kabir, saying the season “teaches and reminds us of the meaning of sacrifice, love and forbearance with God and in our relationships with one another.”
In his goodwill message on Monday, Atiku said the Eid-el-Kabir and the stories of Prophets Ibrahim and Ishmael that accompany it “requires that we take the whole of humanity as one nation.”
He said, “The significance of the celebration today is rooted in peaceful co-existence, mutual respect and tolerance. These are the virtues that we, as Nigerians, need to imbibe as we seek to heal our country of all shades of mistrust.”
The teachings of noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the slaughtering of animals in celebration of the festival, he stressed, are “to evoke and reinforce the consciousness of God in all our deeds and wishes.”
“We would not be able to fully appreciate the love from God if we allow killing of the innocent souls and propagation of hateful rhetoric become a norm amongst us,” he said.
While congratulating Muslims in Nigeria and across the globe on this year’s Eid el-Kabir, Atiku reminded Nigerians of the Holy Prophet’s saying that, “no nation is superior to the other. But the best amongst you is the one with the best piety to Allah.”
