Welcoming Hijrah 1442

The earth rotates on its axis;  and it makes a complete rotation in 24 hours. The same earth, clement habitat of man, revolves in an elliptical orbit; and makes its complete revolution in 365.25 days. The 0.25 value of a day adds up to a whole day in 4 years. This gives rise to a leap year of 366 days every quadrennial. It is these movements of the earth around the sun that gives credence to dates and seasons, known as the Solar or Gregorian calendar. These are universal truths, established not only in Geography, Physics, Climate and Weather Studies and science generally but also attested to in the religions.

Issues of dates and calendars originated from empirical studies and findings which predated ancient and modern religions. However, these religions have overtaken events in these studies, such that they now set the pace and pattern for days, seasons and date-counting.

The planet-earth has the moon as its only satellite. The date system prescribed by the Islamic Faith is counted in relation to this. The Lunar Calendar, known as Hijrah began to gain conceptualization in 622 AD, with the movement of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) from Mecca to Medinah. The Holy transit was completed in 632 AD with his movement back to Mecca. However, the date-counting stuck; and the significance of the movement was not lost in the flurry of the transit.

Aside the literary significance of the movement, which culminated in the eventual victory the Prophet had over his adversaries, the spiritual value entreats all adherents of the Islamic Faith to drift / move away from all vices and eschew / shun all acts of immorality. The lessons stand sacred till date.

With the entrance of the New Year, 1442 AH, we felicitate with all faithful and adherents of Islam in Osun in particular and globally. We sue that they should not allow the lessons of Hejirah to be lost with the festivities of this season. The world will be better by far if adherents of all faiths and across all belief patterns shun immoralities and depart from evil.

In the State of Osun, like in other places, the events of the celebration will be marked low key this year, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact calls more for sober reflections. Little wonder the central theme for the events is dubbed: Coronavirus Pandemic In The World: The Islamic View. We use this occasion to enjoin all faithful and all of us to allow the lessons of the pandemic to remain with us, even after we must have overcome the COVID-19 scourge. Cleanliness, sanity, decent and orderly interpersonal contacts and all the rest are good etiquette, which we must uphold all the time. Strict and fastidious observance of these will make us please Allah, our Creator the more, while we do ourselves the noble service of living in sound health and warding off diseases and plagues from our midst. Afterall, cleanliness is second to Godliness.

Happy New Year 1442 AH!