Cebuano Muslims on Tuesday prayed for unity and love amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) as they celebrated the Eid al-Adha or the Festival of Sacrifice, a mufti in Central Visayas said.
Ustad Najeeb Razul, Islamic law scholar in Region 7, said the Muslims in Cebu observed the feast of sacrifice of the Prophet Abraham in small gatherings to comply with the minimum health protocol on physical distancing.
“It’s time to show our love. Let’s show in all honesty and sincerity because the time is tough. Let’s help one another as there is only one way that we can make ourselves progressive and prosperous,” Razul said in mixed Cebuano and English in a radio interview.
Razul called on his fellow Muslims to cooperate with the government protocols to ensure healthy well-being amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also urged Muslims to help their neighbors who are in need and seek ways to lessen the suffering of others who do not have something to eat.
In a community in Bulacao, a village of this city, the Muslims in Cebu shared food after listening to the sermon in time with the celebration of Prophet Abraham’s trust to God, a feast celebrated by 2 billion believers of Islam as a faith.
The Muslims here slaughtered 48 cows and more than a hundred goats and chicken that were shared by their members.
“Our theme for this celebration is not limited to sacrifice but also for the unity of mankind so that the world will have peace. This is very significant because it is the actual manifestation of the unity of Muslims coming from different parts of the world. And from there, it spread all over the world spreading the good news of the unity of mankind,” Razul said.
Razul, who is also an Imam (Islamic priest), said the entire mankind, not only Muslims, are called “to live in harmony, we have to live in peace, we have to share what we have to those who are in need.”
The Muslim scholar also called on his fellow Islamic believers to protect the environment and prevent acts that may result to the degradation of the mother earth.
Metro Cebu has more than 80,000 Muslims belonging to 29 different congregations.
Source: Philippines News Agency
