Be conscious of Judgment Day, cleric urges Muslims

MUSLIMS have been advised to be conscious of Almighty Allah in whatever they do and adhere to His commandment, knowing that everyone gives accounts of their stewardship to Him on the Day of Judgment.

The Chief Imam of Area 10 Juma’a Mosque, Garki, Abuja, Sheikh Yahya Garba Al-Yolaweey, gave this advice at the fourth annual Ramadan lecture of the Forum for Islamic Guidance (FIG), held in Karu, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State last weekend.

Delivering the lecture titled ‘Turn to Allah before You Return to Allah’, Sheikh Garba Al-Yolaweey said the first sign that one has turned to Allah is to see oneself as a sinner and seek Allah’s forgiveness at all times.

He said despite the status of the Prophet in the sight of Allah, Muhammad sought Allah’s forgiveness throughout his lifetime.

According to the lecturer, a Muslim must stick to his five daily prayers, fast during Ramadan, follow the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad and know that death can occur at anytime.

He said: “Muslims are expected to remember Allah every day of their lives and seek His forgiveness every time. A good Muslim is expected to have a good knowledge of his religion, read the Qur’an, books on Islam and learn the sunnah and about other prophets of Allah to enrich his knowledge. A Muslim is expected to support his religion morally and financially because these are part of what will work in his favour on the Day of Reckoning.

“A Muslim must prioritise his salat (prayer), knowing that this is what will be used to raise him on the Last Day. We should continue to turn to Allah.”

He called on the ummah to imbibe the lessons of Ramadan in order to make Nigeria a better place to live in.

“Ramadan lessons will lead you to do good to others, to be a just leader, a good parent and a good citizen. A God-fearing person will not steal, will not disrespect his leaders or even go against the unity of the ummah. A God-conscious person understands what he can do to uplift his nation and not to disintegrate it or make speeches that can easily create chaos in the society.

“I urge people to keep the lessons learnt from Ramadan beyond the month. It is a month of endurance, patience, endurance and spiritual development. All these are ingredients of peace, tranquility and harmony needed for nation building. And if we can stick to them, definitely we will see our country progress.”