No matter how much you whinge about leaving the country, only a few eventually leaves ergo, the onus is on us to change ourselves (do a Jihad on our souls) regarding how we have contributed to the mess bedevilling our country.
A lot of people who need to clean the Augean stables in their various abodes bloviate about how unfair our leaders are; makes you wonder whether our leaders are Martians.
Whether we like it or not, most of us will never leave Nigeria until our deaths.
Rather than curse every time, do your bit while saying a prayer for our leaders (yes, a lot of people are sceptical about the power of prayers but it doesn't hurt to say them).
As Muslims, we all know the Prophet's mandate on how to foster a healthy society.
Y'all can't keep engaging in perfidy yet, expect the country to be in pristine condition.
You can't give what we don't have and this applies to every Nigerian.
I don't have the solution but little and consistent acts would make a marked difference.
One misconception I’ve heard from some people is that Islam, or Muslims, somehow desire or welcome suffering, and that this is what distinguishes Islam from other faith traditions. This claim is inaccurate and I will explain.
Islam does not teach that Muslims should seek out suffering or wish for hardship. On the contrary, the Prophet (SAW) taught us to seek well-being (‘afiyah) and to ask Allah for ease and protection from trials.
However, when difficulties do occur, Muslims are taught to recognise that everything happens by the decree and permission of Allah. In every situation, whether ease or hardship, we strive to be content and patient with what Allah has decreed.
The Muslim should realize that one principle underlies all the prohibitions in Islam: Allāh is testing His slaves by means of these prohibitions to see what they will do.
One of the things that distinguishes the people of Paradise from the people of Hell is that the people of Hell indulge in the desires with which the Fire is surrounded, whereas the people of Paradise patiently endure the hardships with which the Garden is surrounded.
Were it not for this test, the obedient would not be distinguished from the disobedient. People of faith look at the difficulties involved from the perspective of the reward they will earn by pleasing Allāh, so obedience becomes easy for them.
There is nothing as disrespectful to the self as Zina. Not just because Allah forbade it, but because it strips you of dignity from within.
Allah says:
“Do not come near zina, for it is an abomination and an evil way.” (Qur’an 17:32)
Zina is an erosion of the soul.
A betrayal of the honor Allah clothed you with.
The Prophet said:
“When a man commits zina, faith departs from him and hovers above his head like a cloud. When he stops, faith returns.” (Abu Dawud)
Faith flees when you indulge.
Why? Because your body, your soul, and your mind are trusts (amānah) from Allah. To cheapen them for fleeting pleasure is to say: “My worth is less than my desire.”
That is the ultimate disrespect to your self.
We should extend more grace to our parents. They were human, just like us, carrying their own struggles, wounds, and limitations... most of which we will never know or understand.
We ask Allah to forgive them, to have mercy on them, and to accept the efforts they made with what they knew at the time.
Where we have to get honest with ourselves (without blaming anyone) is acknowledging that just because something was "normalised" in our childhood, doesn’t mean it was healthy. Just because it’s what we “know” doesn’t mean it’s the way it should be.