Imam warns muslims against suicide

The Imam of Gwallaga Mosque in Bauchi metropolis, in north western part of Nigeria, Sheikh Suleiman Bashir, on Sunday warned Muslims against involvement in suicide for any reason.

Bashir gave the warning in his Eid-el Fitr sermon preceding the two Raka’at prayers to mark the end of the Ramadan.

He said that suicide was un-Islamic and that its punishment was hell fire.

‘’Life is a gift from Allah and nobody has right to do away with it; ‘’Suicide for whatever reason is a grievous sin abhorred by Allah,’’ Bashir said.

He also warned Muslims against shedding the blood of innocent persons, whether they were Muslims or non-Muslims.

According to him, anyone who kills an innocent person will face the wrath of Allah.

‘’Every human being has a right to live and only Allah has the right to give and take life.

‘’Those who shed the blood of others would account for such souls before Allah,’’ he warned.

Bashir advised Muslims to respect the rights of others and not to go beyond Islamic limits.

‘’Killing a single Muslim or a trusted unbeliever is equal to killing the whole of humanity.

‘’Killing is only permissible in Islam when a person killed a fellow human being.

‘’If you chopped off someone’s ear, you should have your ear chopped off; if you pluck an eye, you should have your eye plucked.

“If you cause a bodily harm, you must pay compensation,’’ the Imam quoted from the Holy Quran.

He also warned Muslims against rebellion, adding that it was un-Islamic for Muslims to rebel against one another.

Bashir called on Muslims to always seek repentance for their sins and fear Allah in whatever they did.

He thanked Allah for the successful completion of the Ramadan fast and urged Muslims to carry the lessons learnt beyond the Ramadan.

The Eid prayer was attended by hundreds of Muslims amid heavy security presence.

The Imam’s sermon contradicted the hate sermon and promises of paradise that muslim leaders in the violent Boko Haram sect have been spreading to recruit suicide bombers.