MUSLIMS have been advised not to be carried away by the vanity of life as recent events have shown that the end times are near.
A cleric, Imam Ahmad Sardauna, gave the advice on Wednesday in Abuja at the 16th annual Ramadan lecture/iftar of the Abuja chapter of the Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates’ Association (UNIFEMGA).
Sardauna, who is also the Chief Imam of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), spoke on the topic ‘Signs of the End Times’, said Muslims must be conscious of the major and minor signs of the period and seek Allah’s favour and guidance.
The cleric said: “Parents have great roles to play in making sure that their children understand the religion of Islam. When a child understands his religion, he will not go against the dictates of Almighty Allah. See what is happening around the world today. We are now seeing minor signs of the end times around us every day.
“The minor signs, among others, are that religious knowledge will disappear and illiteracy will be the order of the day, adultery, fornication, drunkenness will be rampant, knowledgeable religious leaders will be leaving the world in droves, women and girls will be exposing their nudity, there will be high birthrate of female children when 50 girls will suffice for one man.”
He went to list the major signs to include the appearance of dark evils such as the Antichrist (Al-Masih ad-Dajjal), Gog and Magog who will terrorise the world and its inhabitants.
He said to avoid the threat of these fearful creatures, all a Muslim needs is to be reciting the first and last 10 verses of Suratul Kahf (chapter 18 of the Holy Qur’an), or the whole chapter.
Earlier, the chairman of the Abuja chapter of UNIFEMGA, Alhaji Ismail Okunlola, described the Ramadan lecture as a flagship programme of the association.
Okunlola said UNIFEMGA, since inception in 2009, had offered scholarships to about 800 indigent students and empowered its members through various programmes.
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