Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O Allah! Lord over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honour whoever You please and disgrace who You please—all good is in Your Hands. Surely You ˹alone˺ are Most Capable of everything.” Quran 3: 26
“Our Lord! Bestow on us Mercy from Thyself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way!” [Quran 18:10]
O Allah! Do not give authority (to a leader) over us who doesn’t fear You and who doesn’t have mercy upon us.
Muslim Public Affairs Centre, MPAC, congratulates the President-elect, Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, and the Vice-President-elect, Alhaji Kashim Shettima Mustapha, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on their hard won and successful election to the highest offices as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the early hours of today 1st of March, 2023.
We use this auspicious period to remind all our elected officials of their duties to God and the nation. We pray that our elected officials will take counsel in the following wise and evergreen words of Caliph Abu Bakr (RA), in his inaugural speech, as the first successor to the Prophet (SAW):
“O people, I have been appointed over you, though I am not the best among you. If I do well, then help me; and if I act wrongly, then correct me. Truthfulness is synonymous with fulfilling the trust, and lying is equivalent to treachery. The weak among you is deemed strong by me, until I return to them that which is rightfully theirs, insha Allah. And the strong among you is deemed weak by me, until I take from them what is rightfully (someone else’s), insha Allah….”,
“…..Friends you have some rights on me, and I tell you of these rights, so that you may be in a position to call me to account. These rights are:
Firstly, that I should not exact any tax or other levy from you not authorised by law;
Secondly, that whatever taxes are lawfully realised from you are spent in your best interests;
Thirdly, it is incumbent on me that I should protect the frontiers of your land;
Fourthly, it is my duty to promote your prosperity and look after your interests;
and Fifthly, it is my obligation to do justice.”
We implore all elected officials to remember God Who alone has enabled their election, in Whose name and presence they make solemn promises to the nation, and to remember the day of accounting before Him.
As we pray that Allah “guide our leaders right. And help our youth the truth to know”, we earnestly pray that as a nation, we are guided by the Divine light of God Almighty to rediscover the sacred flame of our national heritage, which so many have given their lives to safeguard.
May the wounds of separation and division be healed and may our hearts always listen to the truth on all sides, allowing us to find a higher truth for a common purpose.
May the tenure of our President-elect and the Vice-President-elect bring peace, security, unity and abundance of Allah’s blessings.
Disu Kamor
Executive Chairman
Muslim Public Affairs Centre
E-mail: kamor.disu@mpac-ng.org
