NIGERIAN
UMRAH PILGRIMS 2017
ASSEMBLED
BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana
emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com;
abba.abana@gmail.com
Bismillah
Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum
Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu. Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and
whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is
no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam)
is His slave and Messenger.
1.0 WHAT IS THE RULING OF
HAJJ AND `UMRAH?
Hajj
is one of the pillars of Islam. Allah says in the Qur'an {And pilgrimage to the
House is a duty unto Allah for mankind, for him who can find a way thither}
(Holy Quran Chapter Aal `Imran 3:97).`Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased
with him) quoted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying
"Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no god
but Allah and that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah, performing the prayers,
paying the zakah, making the pilgrimage to the House, and fasting in
Ramadan."
So,
Muslim scholars are unanimously agreed that Hajj is obligatory once in a
lifetime for those eligible.
As
for `Umrah, Muslim scholars disagree whether it is obligatory or merely a
recommended Sunnah. However, it is better to perform it in order to be on the
safe side.
2.0 IS `UMRAH OBLIGATORY
OR MERELY A RECOMMENDED SUNNAH?
The
scholars are agreed that ‘Umrah is prescribed in Islam and is an act of virtue.
They differed as to whether it is obligatory.
Imam
Abu Haneefah and Imam Maalik were of the view that it is Sunnah and mustahabb,
but not obligatory; this was also the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah.
They
quoted as evidence for that the hadeeth narrated by al-Tirmidhi (931) from
Jaabir, who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
was asked whether ‘Umrah is obligatory. He said, “No, but if you do ‘Umrah it
is better.” But this hadeeth is da’eef (weak); it was classed as da’eef by
al-Shaafa’i, Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, Ibn Hajar and al-Nawawi; by al-Albaani in Da’eef
al-Tirmidhi, and by others.
Al-Shaafa’i
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It is da’eef and cannot be used as
evidence. There is nothing proven that says that ‘Umrah is a voluntary act of
worship.
Ibn
‘Abd al-Barr said: This was narrated with isnaads that are not valid, and such
reports cannot be used as evidence.
Al-Nawawi
said in al-Majmoo’ (7/6): the scholars of hadeeth are agreed that it is da’eef.
One
of the things that indicate that this is da’eef is the fact that it was proven
that Jaabir was of the view that ‘Umrah is obligatory, as we shall see below.
Imam
al-Shaafa’i and Imam Ahmad were of the view that it is obligatory. This view
was also favoured by Imam al-Bukhaari. (May Allaah have mercy on them all).
Those who say that it is
obligatory quoted a number of things as evidence:
1 –
The report narrated by Ibn Maajah (2901) from ‘Aa’ishah who said: “I said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, do women have to engage in jihad?’ He said, ‘Yes, they
must do jihad in which there is no fighting: Hajj and ‘Umrah,’” Al-Nawawi said
in al-Majmoo’ (7/4): Its isnaad is saheeh according to the conditions of
al-Bukhaari and Muslim. It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
Ibn Maajah.
The
point in this hadeeth is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said alayhinna i.e., they must do, which means that it is obligatory.
2 –
The famous hadeeth of Jibreel (peace be upon him) in which he asked the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about Islam, eemaan (faith) and
ihsaan, and about the Hour and its signs. This was narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah
and al-Daaraqutni from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him),
in which ‘Umrah was mentioned along with Hajj: “Islam means to bear witness
that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah;
to establish regular prayer; to pay the zakaah; to perform Hajj and ‘Umrah to
the House; to do ghusl to cleanse oneself from janaabah (impurity following
sexual activity) and to do wudoo’ perfectly; and to fast Ramadaan.”
Al-Daaraqutni said, “This isnaad is proven and saheeh.”
3 –
The hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood (1799) and al-Nasaa’i (2719) from al-Subay
ibn Ma’bad who said: “I was a Christian Bedouin… I came to ‘Umar and said, ‘O
Ameer al-Mu’mineen, I have become Muslim and I found that Hajj and ‘Umrah are
prescribed for me, so I entered ihraam for them.’ ‘Umar said, ‘You have been
guided to the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him).’”
4 –
The opinion of a group of the Sahaabah, including Ibn ‘Abbaas, Ibn ‘Umar and
Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with them all). Jaabir said,
There is no Muslim for whom ‘Umrah is not obligatory. Al-Haafiz said: This was
narrated by Ibn Jahm al-Maaliki with a hasan isnaad.
Al-Bukhaari
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Chapter: The obligation of ‘Umrah and its
virtues.” Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: There is no one who
does not have to do Hajj and ‘Umrah. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: It is mentioned together
with Hajj in the Book of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “And perform
properly (i.e. all the ceremonies according to the ways of Prophet Muhammad),
the Hajj and ‘Umrah (i.e. the pilgrimage to Makkah) for Allaah”[Holy Quran
Chapter al-Baqarah 2:196]. Because it is mentioned together with Hajj, this
means that it is obligatory like Hajj.
Shaykh
Ibn Baaz said: The correct view is that ‘Umrah is obligatory once in a
lifetime, like Hajj. Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 16/355.
Shaykh
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (7/9): The scholars differed
concerning ‘Umrah and whether it is obligatory or Sunnah. It seems to us that
it is obligatory.
It
says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 11/317
The
correct one of the two scholarly views is that ‘Umrah is obligatory, because
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And perform properly (i.e. all
the ceremonies according to the ways of Prophet Muhammad), the Hajj and ‘Umrah
(i.e. the pilgrimage to Makkah) for Allaah”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Baqarah
2:196]. Reference al-Mughni, 5/13; al-Majmoo’. 7/4; Fataawa Ibn Taymiyah, 26/5;
al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 7/9. Ref Islam Q&A,
https://islamqa.info/en/39524
3.0 INSENSITIVITY OF
NIGERIAN MUSLIM GOVERNORS
Dr.
Aliagan Imam Abubakr Has This To Say To Nigerian Umrah:
http://www.nairaland.com/3884649/insensitivity-muslim-governors
Allahu
Akbar......majority of our Muslim Governors spent the last 10 days of Ramadan
in Makkah performing the lesser hajj. They spent huge amount of tax payers’
money on this questionable project which is devoid of any reward. They used 1st
class flights with chains of gold digger sycophants. They lodged in the best
hotel near the HARAMAIN both at Makkah and Madinah.
Are
they so religious in their private lives that warrant such Umrah venture?
Addict drunkards pretending to be religious..did I hear you saying that some of
them are drug addicts?
A
simple layman calculation reveals that such executhieves Umrah trip amount to
millions of Naira.....
Governor
Expenses= (1st class flight, the best hotel and logistics).
The
entourage = (10 sycophants, Business class, middle class hotel and allowances)
The
Venal Scholars=( 15-20, whose main job is to pray for continuity in error,
Economy class, between $500 to $1000).
1st
lady and her group (1st Class flights, The best hotels for ALL, and stop over
at Dubai for shopping).
Over
#250m must have been spent on just one Umrah trip from the tax payers money (my
wrong calculation).
My
question is that before these opportunists got elected how many of them ever
used Business class flights not talk of 1st class simply because they want to
perform a religious duty?
And
by the time they vacate the office will they be driven by religiosity to spend
such huge amount from their pockets?
Let
us be on the positive thinking. Our leaders embarked on such trip especially
during Ramadan to get reward from Almighty Allah, but is there not a better way
of achieving the rewards as recommended by the Prophet Muhammad
(SallalahuAlaihi Wasalam)?
Bringing
sucoor to the down trodden masses is far better than the multiple Umrah
ventures. I have explained this point in details in my on line academic paper
entitled "The concept of Al Istitah and hajj sponsorship in Nigeria"
The philosophy of ZAKATUL FITR is another pointer in this direction.
Imagine
if such huge waste is used to purchase drugs for free distribution in our
HOSPITALS and the ESE KUKU clinics? This would have reduced the spread of
cholera and maternal mortality cases.
Imagine
if such huge reckless spending is used to rehabilitate our potholes driven
streets. Many avoidable deaths through accidents would have been averted.
Imagine
if such bonanza is used to fund the educational sectors.. our overcrowded
classes would have been a matter of the past
Imagine
if the chains of unemployed graduates are given N500,000k to start small scale
business. 500 young graduates would have been empowered. Imagine if such is
their programme for the past sixteen years they would have empowered 8,000
graduates.
Imagine
if such amount is used to purchase tractors and fertilizers to be given to
local farmers at subsidized rate, we would have chased the foreign farmers from
our land.
Did
I hear you saying that the money could be used to pay part of the worker’s
salary or to provide adequate water supply? .....well help to share this dream
may be they will ponder over it.
4.0 ABUBAKAR JIBIA WROTE
ON NIGERIAN UMRAH PILGRIMS
In
arguably his best piece of critique, Adamu Adamu reprehended regular Umrah
goers. The column appeared in his Daily Trust column in 2002: This is the first
article, written by Adamu Adamu sometimes in 2002, arguably his best piece of
critique ever:
Memo
To Umrah Returnees By: Adamu Adamu
Around
Umrah time ten years ago, I suggested to Dr Musa Babayo, Talban Katagum, who
had gone to Umrah countless times and was then an intending pilgrim, that there
were many more things he could do with his Umrah funds to win him greater
pleasure of Allah. Talba accepted my suggestion, and we all saw the many lives
he was able to touch with goodies and with much affection. And that is the goal
of Islam: to develop people who will adopt the doing of good as personal motto
and practice. For this religion is not a religion of rituals as an end but that
of rituals as a means to an end, which is public utilitarianism. And Umrah is
supposed to make the Muslim community conscious of, and alive to, its
responsibility.
Muslims
pray and fast and go on pilgrimage so that they become good to people and be
witnesses to fair dealing between men, at whose hands no one—whatever his
religion—despairs of justice. The best of Muslims is not the most frequent of
them in dashing off to Umrah; the best of them, according to the Holy Prophet
[Sallalahu Aalaihi Wa Salam] is the one who is most beneficial to others,
generally making life better for the bondsmen of the Lord—eliminating the fangs
of hunger from their stomachs; lifting the yoke of poverty from their
shoulders; and removing the contours of misery from their faces. Islam is not
turning your face to Mecca or to any other direction: it is to have
God-consciousness in all you do; and when you have that, there is nothing good
that you will not, unprompted, do. Today, even with all the promptings in the
world, Muslims will not be moved to do what is required of them; because they
are not united and are not ready to struggle.
And
as we saw, this year alone Umrah returnees spent more than 106 billion naira.
If this year’s total Umrah expenditure represented an annual average, more than
a trillion naira had been spent within the decade that separated this column
from its precursor—the original memo to Umrah goers. And certainly, a sensible
community could do a whole lot with a trillion naira. The following suggest
themselves:
One,
a modern school in each of the domains of the original 14 Danfodio flag bearers
to train students in traditional Islamic sciences to become erudite Ulama,
whose class, with the creation of Tsangaya schools, will gradually begin to
become an endangered species until it finally disappears completely, perhaps
within the next three decades or so. While these schools can stop all the
roaming and all the begging and all the dirt of the almajirai, they will not
produce a single traditional alim on whom the future of Islam—its scholarship,
its modernization, its interfaith dialogue and even its relevance—will all come
to depend. To be fair to them, they were not designed to achieve that; but a
school like this can only complement them, so that Muslims can get the best of
both worlds without having to sacrifice their religious tradition at the altar
of a new educational policy.
Perhaps
the necessity for such a school may better be appreciated when it is recalled
that almost all the crises that have erupted within the House of Islam within
the past 200 years have sprung from pseudo-scholarship and the related exploits
of Western-educated Muslim activists who thought they were Ulama and attempted
to replace them and do their work.
Two,
in view of the total breakdown of the Western education system itself, the
money may instead be used to establish the best university in Africa. Nothing
good will come out of this North without real, practical, functional education.
And since the rot in education started actually from the root, a trillion naira
can be used to rehabilitate the entire lower—primary and secondary—levels in
the states of the Umrah goers. And within the next decade in which another
trillion can be collected, the graduates of these secondary schools will be in
senior secondary schools waiting to enter the new universities that can be
built to educate entire generations if the current one can forgo what is no
longer a religious trip but mostly a frivolous second-rate tourist vacation.
Where is the struggle?
Three,
even for less spiritual reasons, at least ten fertiliser factories that will,
if nothing else besides, make fertiliser cheaper, available and on time to help
save agriculture and boost agricultural production; and at the same time help
keep and circulate our money here and not remit it to Ukraine or China. Where
is the struggle?
Four,
if all the defensive noise recently made about interest-free banking is
genuine, this money that can be saved and be channeled to establish an Islamic
bank, a Sukouk, an Islamic Mutual Fund or an Islamic Unit Trust; and with their
intermediation, this region will be on its way to raising the extensive
financing needed for its economic development. Where is the unity?
Five,
if every Umrah goer invests the money in agriculture, this food-importing
nation will become not only self-sufficient in food production, but will be in
a position to export foodstuff and begin the process of true diversification of
its economy as the oil dries up. Where is the struggle?
Six,
with famine ravaging the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, it is criminal to
contemplate going on Umrah with funds that can save lives—yes, and they are
Muslim lives too, even though Islam has not asked you to discriminate between
grieving souls. Yes, these Northern Umrah-going Muslims are waiting for Catholic
Caritas, Christian Aid and Save the Children to come and save their children.
Where is the unity?
No
doubt, these two most important and most immediately available lessons of the
Umrah, unity and struggle—the abiding need for unity and the never-ending necessity
for struggle in life—are necessary in order to surmount all spiritual and
physical obstacles and to tame nature for the common good of man.
To
go on Umrah and Hajj and assume Ihram and engage in Talbiyah is to momentarily
abandon this material world behind by doing away with, and casting off, all
distinctions of nationality, race, colour or tongue, individual differences of
identity, riches, status or rank. Joining the circular caravan of the Tawaf is
to lose all personal, sectional and national individualisms and join the great
sea of human unity. Lesson number one: nothing spiritual, social or cultural
can be achieved without unity. And to go from Safah to Marwah and back and
forth, traversing the valley between them, is to engage in an unceasing struggle
looking for the water of life—economic, political and social development. The
spiritual war in Mina and the physical one between Safah and Marwah are
complementary to each other and are designed to define the parameters of good
Islamic conduct and inculcate the contours of best practice. Manna will no
longer drop from heaven, it will have to spring up from earth.
Muslims
must accept that development is not external: it is internal; and it is not
money: it is an attitude. And He whom you worship will not change anything for
you until you change that which is in yourselves. Or are you waiting for Jesus
[AS] to return and request for manna? No, look around you—under the ground
where you make the Tawaf. Underneath you lay Sayyidah Hajar.
Hajar
was the wife of a Prophet, the mother of a Prophet and, considering our
attitude to gender role-play, a woman who ought to have needed and expected and
waited for help, and was placed in the valley by the command of God; yet she
didn’t throw up her hands in the air and expect God—or some man—to solve her
most immediate problem, which was procuring water for her baby. She ran not
once but seven times with strength without lethargy, with hope and without
despair, with focus and not with aimlessness. She finally found water as a
result of the struggle by the baby—proving that everyone, including those
considered the weakest, must contribute his quota for the society to advance.
Lesson number two: nothing practical can ever be achieved without a focused
struggle.
If
you go to Umrah and come back without your lesson, you have not understood the
acts you performed or their relevance to the world you live in. And today there
is no Muslim group in the world in need of greater unity and struggle for a
transformational cultural, social and educational programme than the Muslims of
Nigeria.
But
these Umrah goers, who are mostly men, and are strong and well-endowed with
resources, have apparently decided that they have no role to play in the
advancement of their societies: they only wish to go to Mecca and pray Tarawih
and Tahajjud. They have converted the arena of ibadah into one of competition,
not for devotion but for show. They are content to go round the Ka’abah and
traverse the valley of Sa’y, and prove to the world that they are prosperous
enough to undertake the journey every year—a journey that has become the status
symbol for an elite class that is lost and mired in the worst cultural
illiteracy seen anywhere in the Muslim World. No, you need a revolution in your
thinking or you are fit only for the cemetery.
5.0 GIVING ZAKAAH TO A
POOR PERSON SO THAT HE CAN GO FOR HAJJ
Allaah
has mentioned the things on which zakaah is to be spent in the verse
(interpretation of the meaning): “As-Sadaqaat (here it means Zakaah) are only
for the Fuqaraa’ (poor), and Al-Masaakeen (the poor) and those employed to
collect (the funds); and to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined
(towards Islam); and to free the captives; and for those in debt; and for
Allaah’s Cause (i.e. for Mujaahidoon — those fighting in a holy battle), and
for the wayfarer (a traveller who is cut off from everything); a duty imposed
by Allaah. And Allaah is All-Knower, All-Wise”[Holy Quran Chapter al-Tawbah
9:60].
The
scholars are agreed that the phrase “for Allaah’s Cause” refers to jihad for
the sake of Allaah. But they differed as to whether Hajj is included with jihad
or not.
The
majority of scholars were of the view that it applies only to jihad and does
not include Hajj. Imam Ahmad was of the view that it includes Hajj as well, and
he quoted as evidence for that the report narrated by Abu Dawood (1988) from
Umm Ma’qal, who said: “O Messenger of Allaah, I need to go for Hajj and Abu
Ma’qal has a young camel.” Abu Ma’qal said, “She is telling the truth, and I
shall donate it for the sake of Allaah.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Give it to her so that she may go for
Hajj on it, for it is for the sake of Allaah.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
And
it was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “Hajj comes under the heading of for
Allaah’s Cause.” Al-Haafiz said: Abu ‘Ubayd narrated it with a saheeh isnaad.
See al-Mughni, 9/328; al-Majmoo’, 6/212.
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in al-Ikhtiyaaraat, 105: Whoever has not done the
obligatory Hajj and is poor should be given what he needs to do Hajj – i.e.
from the zakaah funds.
And
it says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 10/38: It is permissible to give
zakaah so that poor Muslims can travel to do the obligatory Hajj, because this
comes under the general meaning of the phrase “for Allaah’s Cause” in the verse
which speaks of the ways in which zakaah is to be spent.
https://islamqa.info/en/40023,
Islam Q&A
6.0 SHOULD HE PERFORM THE
OBLIGATORY HAJJ OR GIVE THE MONEY IN CHARITY TO HIS NEIGHBOUR WHO IS POOR?
The
majority of scholars are of the view that it is obligatory to do Hajj
immediately for everyone who has the means.
Ibn
Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (3/212):
If a
person is obliged to do Hajj and he is able to do it, he has to do it straight
away and it is not permissible for him to delay it. This is the view of Abu
Haneefah and Maalik. That is because Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“And
Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka‘bah) is a duty that mankind owes
to Allaah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision
and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to
Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allaah], then Allaah stands not in need of
any of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)”[Holy Quran Chapter
Aal ‘Imraan 3:97]. End quote.
What
is meant by having the means is having the physical and financial ability to do
it.
It
says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (11/30):
Having
the means with regard to Hajj means being in physical good health; having the
means of transportation to reach the sacred House of Allah, by plane, car or
mount, or by being able to pay for that according to one’s situation; and
having sufficient provisions for the journey there and back. This is on
condition that this is surplus to the expenses of those on whom one is obliged
to spend until one comes back from Hajj. A woman should also be accompanied by
her husband or a mahram even when travelling for Hajj or ‘Umrah. End quote.
Shaykh
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Having
the means is of two types: having the physical means and have the financial
means. Having the financial means is a condition of it being obligatory and
having the physical means is a condition of performing it. End quote. Al-Liqa’
al-Shahri, 1/391.
As
you have the means, it is an individual obligation upon you to go for Hajj, and
this takes precedence over giving charity to your poor neighbour, because he is
one of those on whom you are not obliged to spend and your charity to him –
when this is the case – comes under the heading of voluntary and naafil
actions, and what is obligatory takes precedence over what is voluntary.
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Doing
Hajj in the manner prescribed in sharee‘ah is better then charity that is not
obligatory.
But
if he has relatives who are in need or there are poor people who are so poor
that they need maintenance, then giving charity to them is better.
But
if in both cases it is voluntary, then Hajj takes precedence because it is an
act of worship that is both physical and financial. End quote. Al-Ikhtiyaaraat,
116
Islam
Q&A, https://islamqa.info/en/146390
7.0 OPEN OBLIGATIONS TO
NIGERIAN MUSLIM MILLIONAIRES BUT SIDELINED
Many
areas of concern in Nigeria by millionaires yet abandoned and spend millions to
proceed to Umrah either on Government funding or looters fund or corporate or
individual funds.
See
the great lapses particularly Internally Displaced Persons (IPDS) in Borno state.
Christian Evangelists are taking over IDP camps in Borno and Muslim
millionaires are just looking at. None is asking; what do we do to reach out to
this children Or else a lot of them will be converted to Christianity?
The
church is really working to win souls and most orphans will be victims of such
circumstances.
RCCG
Gives Free Medicare to IDPs in Borno | THISDAYLIVE.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/ind
ex.php/2016/07/03/rccg-gives-f ree-medicare-to-idps-in-borno/
One
might assume the IDPs assistance by Christians was deliberate knowing the
weakness of the Government and Muslim millionaires? Too bad!
Michael
Olugbode wrote:
The
Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has treated people especially
internally displaced persons in Maiduguri of medical cases of malaria,
hypertension and diabetes.
The
treatment were conducted at the Borno Provincial Headquarters as part of the
programme line up for the Annual Sisters’ Convention tagged: “All in His
Fullness.” Apart from treating people who throng the venue of the programme,
free drugs were also given out based on prescriptions.
Speaking
on the reason the church decided on the programme, the wife of the provincial
pastor of Borno, Pastor (Mrs.) Bolanle Afe Johnson said it was part of the
community relations programme of the church and since it was discovered that
many people cannot afford to treat themselves of these ailments, it was decided
that the church should be of assistance.
She
also said it was an opportunity to evangelize to the town by telling the people
that the church cares and can always provide a big canopy over their head.
She
said over two hundred people were attended it during the two days programme,
promising that before the end of the year the church will give free treatment
to women with cervical cancer.
Johnson
lamented that during the programme, it was discovered that many persons were
suffering from high blood pressure which may be an indication that the
insurgency crisis in the state may have contributed to this.
She
asked that other well-meaning Nigerians should come to the assistance of the
state especially internally displaced persons who need to have good nutrition
and should be given medical treatment.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/ind
ex.php/2016/07/03/rccg-gives-f ree-medicare-to-idps-in-borno/
Another
shocking event is the undercover investigation: in Borno, children are dying at
idp camps, foodstuffs are ‘disappearing’ at SEMA STORE. Refer to
https://www.thecable.ng/undercover-investigation-borno-children-dying-idp-camps-foodstuffs-disappearing-sema-store.
'Half'
Nigeria food aid for Boko Haram victims not delivered - BBC News. Refer to
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40325043
8.0 LATEST UPDATE ON THE
DATES OR DABINO SCANDAL
"National
Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs Re: Distribution of Saudi Arabia
Dates to IDPs.
The
attention of the National Commission For Refugees, Migrants and Internally
Displaced Persons NCFRMI, has been drawn to a public announcement emanating
from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria, to the effect that the dates
packaged and distributed as gifts from the Government of Saudi Arabia are being
sold by some members of the public.
This
has generated comments from the public.
For
the avoidance of doubt and further clarification, the Commission wishes to
state that the said dates were presented to the Commission for onward
distribution as gift to Internally Displaced persons by the Saudi Arabian
Embassy on the 7th of June, 2017, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Nigeria.
Immediately
the dates were received, that same night, the Commission got down to the
business of dispatching same to the Beneficiaries in Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe,
Borno, Kano as well as Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi States and the Federal Capital
Territory, with the Saudi Embassy's Charge de Affairs in attendance. The
exercise Commenced same night between 9pm and 6:00am of the following day.
Trucks were hired at the expense of the Commission for the exercise. The IDPs
in the Federal Capital Territory were also included in the distribution. The
dates were also presented at some of the mosques identified as where IDPs
worship.
The
National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons
would like to emphasize that no other person or groups of persons were included
as beneficiaries of the gift from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. The
Commission cannot control what happens after the distribution exercise. Cases
of IDPs selling relief materials are not new though, which is why the
Commission is focusing on Durable solution strategies in its interventions.
The
National Commission For Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons
hereby restates its commitment to its mandate of leading and coordinating
humanitarian activities in the country, protection and the treatment of its
persons of concern with respect and dignity."
Signed
Halima
Musa
SA
Media to Honourable Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI.
Why diversion: fraudulent activities or
corruption, poverty, greed, unemployment etc. caused.
9.0 CONCLUSION
This
year 2017 alone Umrah returnees spent more than 106 BILLION NAIRA. If this year’s total Umrah expenditure
represented an annual average, more than a trillion naira had been spent within
the decade. Nigeria With a population of approximately 170 million, there is no
doubt that a conservative estimate of Muslims in Nigeria would be around 85 million.
Very high percentage is poor or average or middle class. This is nearly thrice
the population of Saudi Arabia. Where are the Muslim millionaires who SHUNNED OR
REFUSED TO LISTEN TO scholars in Nigeria? Is that the way IDPs are dying and MUSLIM
millionaires and government officials are performing Umrah at such high costs
when hunger and unemployment are on high status?
These
people going for Umrah in Ramadan are not first timers but continuously going
when huge obligations of poor neighbors are on ground at home? The correct view
is that ‘Umrah is obligatory once in a lifetime, like Hajj. Let us be on the
positive thinking. Our political leaders embarked on such trip especially
during Ramadan to get reward from Almighty Allah, but is there not a better way
of achieving the rewards as recommended by the Prophet Muhammad
(SallalahuAlaihi Wasalam)? Bringing sucoor to the down trodden masses is far
better than the multiple Umrah ventures.
The
scholars are agreed that the phrase “for Allaah’s Cause” refers to jihad for
the sake of Allaah. But if one has relatives who are in need or there are poor
people who are so poor that they need maintenance, then giving charity to them
is better than Umrah. These Umrah goers, who are mostly men, and are strong and
well-endowed with resources, have apparently decided that they have no role to
play in the advancement of their societies: they only wish to go to Mecca and
pray Tarawih and Tahajjud. They have converted the arena of ibadah into one of
competition, not for devotion but for show. They are content to go round the
Ka’abah and traverse the valley of Sa’y, and pictures taken to Facebook and
prove to the world that they are prosperous enough to undertake the journey
every year—a journey that has become the status symbol for an elite class that
is lost and mired in the worst cultural illiteracy seen anywhere in the Muslim
World.
When
do we change to fight against the Satan? Remember Holy Quran Chapter 9.60 on
charity, Sadaqat, zakat, Zakat Fitr etc. are only for the Fuqaraa’ (poor), and
Al-Masaakeen (the poor) and those employed to collect (the funds).
