Muslim faithful for Nigeria don begin dey prepare for di celebration of Eid-el-Kabir wey pipo sabi as Sallah.
Some dey also refer to am as Ileya wia Muslim faithful get to visit dia loved ones and spend time wit dia family members to celebrate.
During dis period, ram dey sell well well and oda food items as well.
Muslim go fit slaughter rams and oda animals like cows and camels to seek reward from God.
Eid-el-Kabir na one sacred month in Islam, wey Muslims dey perform di Ḥajj (Holy Pilgrimage) as well as observe di Festival of Sacrifice.
But di current economic situation for Nigeria go change how dis year celebration go take turn out for Muslims.
Bifor, for 2023, one yam dey sell for as low as 800 naira, but now for 2024, even 3,000 naira fit no buy a single yam
Garri wey be food for common man wey be around 500 naira for one paint (mudu) dey currently sell for ova 3,000 naira.
One litre of petrol cost more dan three times wetin e be nine months ago, while di price of foods like beans, rice, yams, don double in di past year.
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Nigerians lament how high cost of food go affect dia Sallah celebration
One resident for Sokoto, Muhammad Bashir Gatawa, tell BBC News Pidgin say di celebration dis year go dey different from last year.
“Dis year Sallah no easy compared to last year, di ram wey I buy for 130,000 naira now dey sell for 180,000 to 190,000 naira.”
For di mata of soup ingredients, Gatawa tok say bifor, di ingredients wey im dey buy for 1,000 naira, now don reach 2,500 naira, and even dat one, you go still manage am.”
“Right now, dem dey sell five pieces of pepper (attarugu) for 200 naira, and each piece of red pepper (tattasai) dey cost 200 naira,” im add.
Wen BBC News Pidgin tok wit Salim Abubakar Ahmed wey dey live for Kano, im tok say di cow wey im buy last year for 650,000 naira now dey sell from 1.2 – 1.4 million naira.
“Di cow wey we slaughter last year I buy am for 650,000 naira, but dis year di same type dey cost between 1.2 to 1.4 million naira, wey mean say di price don change well well.”
Abdullahi Umar wey also dey Kano tok say many pipo don stop to make soup becos soup ingredients don cost.
E say, “Right now for Kano, if pesin wan make soup like how e like am, e go spend more dan 5,000. Dis one don make pipo dey use sachet tomatoes becos each bundle of pepper dey cost 100 naira, and di quality no good, and di same tin apply to red pepper.”
Idera Fatima wey dey live for Lagos say di Eid-el-Kabir festival na season wey family and friends dey come togeda to celebrate but di cost of food items don change tins.
Fatima wey currently dey school for Ondo State, southwestern Nigeria, say di increase in transportation no go even allow her travel to go celebrate di season wit her family.
“As student, I bin dey always go home to my family during dis festival but di high cost of foodstuff and transportation no go make me go house. Even pepper don cost, pesin fit use about 5,000 cook bifor but now, you gatz use up to 10000.”
“Imagine di Ileya period wey you go get your family and friends, pesin go wan cook food for dem and all di food items don dey expensive now. Di cost of food go make pipo consider dia cooking as dose wey dey cook bag of rice during Ileya go consider to reduce am to half.”
Fatima add say dis year Sallah fit no dey interesting becos of di high cost of food prices – and even for her side wey dem dey ram kill bifor, dem gatz use goat as alternative since price don increase.
Wetin go happun if you no get ram to celebrate?
Sheikh Mustapha Umar explain say to offer sacrifice no dey compulsory if pesin no fit afford am.
Im say to do ram sacrifice no be by force.
“For Islam, if pesin no get di means, den to sacrifice no be by force. Also, pesin fit still do di sacrifice up to two days afta Sallah if dem get di means later.”
Fatima say dose wey no fit afford ram make dem no stress diasef and pipo wey no get new clothes fit wear wetin dem get to go Eid prayer as “begging or borrowing to celebrate even dey against Allah wish for di festival”.
Wetin to do sake of high cost of living
Hashimu Adamu for Abuja say no how wey di high cost of living no go affect di Sallah celebration but make pipo do within dia power.
“Di high cost dey affect evribodi. Na now we go even return to di root of love and sacrifice. Di cost go affect, if you go house, you go spend moni. Na to just stay wia pesin dey and celebrate wit love.”
Fatima dey hopeful say notin spoil even as prices don high, but families gatz cut dia coat according to di kain clothes wey dem get wey mean say make dem celebrate in moderate.
“Dose wey dey kill cow bifor fit no fit afford am, and dem go kill chicken. Instead of travelling, stay wia you dey and just make somtin for yoursef.”
“Make large families embrace di true spirit of Sallah for dis challenging economic times and still honour Islamic values,” she tok.
Fatima say extended families fit come togeda to ease di cost of tings by contributing moni to buy di sacrificial ram, foodstuffs and clothing materials.
She advise say pipo wey wan travel fit dey dia house and celebrate wit di little wey dem get
‘No cutting of hair, nails for pipo wey go slaughter ram’
Sheik Abubakar Isah na imam for Kano State wey dey northern Nigeria and e tok say based on teachings from di prophet, evri Muslim wey go slaughter animal on Eid-el-Kabir no suppose cut nails or shave any hairs from di bodi.
According to di Sheik, dis teaching no dey compulsory but na one wey carry heavy reward on di scale of good deeds for Muslims wey adhere.
“So from di first day of Dhul Hijjah month, any Muslim wey go slaughter animal suppose maintain all im bodily hairs and nails for finger until Eid-el-Kabir day afta im slaughter im animal bifor e go shave and cut nails.”
“E no dey compulsory but heavy reward dey for Muslims wey respect dis prophetic teaching,” e tok.
Significance of Eid el Kabir to Muslims
Sheik Abubakar say Eid-el-Kabir day na veri important day for Muslims across di world and day full of plenty rewards for doing good deeds.
Di most important tin on dat day na di slaughter of animals wey imam tok say start from wen Prophet Ibrahim AS (Abraham) get ram from heaven to slaughter.
“So na from Prophet Abraham di tradition start becos God send am ram to replace im pikin Isma’el wey e bin wan slaughter as per instruction wey e get.”
“So for Muslims, slaughtering animals especially ram wey carry more reward compared to oda animals dey veri important,” di imam tok.
Sheik Abubakar say anoda tin be say make Muslims share dia meat and food wit di needy instead of eating alone.
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