All praise belongs to Allah with regards to His essence, attributes and actions, because Allah is the Creator of everything. Everything belongs to Him and He is the disposer of their affairs; blessing individuals specifically and humans in general. Alhamdulillah. Allah Akbar.
There is no God but Allah, the Creator of the world and the heavens. He is the Master of the day of judgement, and Muhammad (pbuh) is the last of the prophets. May the peace and blessings of Allah be with him, his household, his companions and to those who believed in him till day or resurrection. Amen.
We give glory to our Lord for the coming of Ramadan. The Qur’an, which contains an obligatory reference to fasting, Allah commands: “About those who believed! Fasting is prescribed, just as it was prescribed to your predecessors, so that you may be frightened” (Qur’an 2:183).
As you can see, Allah says in the Qur’an; Allah openly declares that He judges people only by the degree of their godliness: “… and the most honorable of you before Allah is the most god-fearing” (Hujurat, 13). Imam Ali (ra) said this about faith: “ brings dignity to a person in this world, and internal, in the next.” The Prophet (pbuh) and the Imams used to start their sermons with the suggestion “Be God-fearing before Allah.”
May Allah make us humble to be grateful, and thankful for whatever He gives and provides for us. Amen.
The prophet (pbuh) at the end of his great sermon about fasting in the month of Ramadan said: “There is a gate in Paradise called Rayyan and it will not be opened until the Day of Judgment. On the Day of Judgment, they will be opened for the men and women; the Ummah of mine (pbuh) who observed the fast. The guardian angel of Paradise will exclaim: “O Ummah of Muhammad, advance to the gates of Raiyan!” the prophet (pbuh) said “my Ummah will enter Paradise through this gate. If someone is not forgiven in the month of Ramadan, then when will he be forgiven at all?” As can be seen from the hadith, Ramadan can also be considered an opportunity to earn forgiveness from Allah (swt). One hadith says; “If you fast, make sure that your ears, eyes, tongue, flesh, blood, skin, hair and genitals also fast.” Only in this case can you understand the true meaning of fasting (Imam Jafar Sadiq (ra).
Our Lord, we ask you for good health, strength and peace to fast in this coming Ramadan. And also, to accept our prayers and fasting. Amen.
The “Ilorin Alfas”…warnings…
Black magic is condemned in Islam but Muslim thinkers are not clear on how to deal with this superstitious holdover from an earlier age. Jalabi, Sorcery or witchcraft (sihr) is often equated with trickery aimed at conflating falsehood with the rational association of causes and effects.
Islamic scholars generally agree that the Quranic term siḥr, (usually defined as magic and Jalabi in Ilorin, Kwara State ofNigeria) is forbidden in Islam, there is less agreement on how siḥr is defined. Magic/Jalabi encompasses a wide-range of non-physical beliefs; including sorcery (using Sands and tying the Qur’an with shoe-laces with Keys in between to seeking to alter the course of events usually by calling on a supernatural force, divination; attempts “to predict future events or gain information about things unseen, precognition via dreams, or occultism.
These are the practice of the “Ilorin Alfas” by way of spreading Sands or counting Tesbah pretending to see the future. They are very many in Ilorin (Kwara State of Nigeria). Killing of human being, animals, etc. doing magic and Jalabi is Haram. Haram in Islam, includes protection from other forms of magic, such as black magic, the evil eye, demons, and evil jinn, which are thought to bring “illness, poverty, and everyday misfortunes or alternately seeking to bring “good fortune, health, increased status, honor, and power. These “Ilorin Alfas or Marabout” use other techniques which include evocation, casting lots, the production of amulets and other magical equipment.
Using divination to gaining information about future events or things unseen by these “Ilorin Alfas” by way of occult methods or to use a range of techniques, divide into those “largely intuitive”. For example, water diviners (Agbara Omi/power of water), the use of white sads, use of Tesbah (long beeds counters) and those employing “numerical or mechanical methods. interpreting the will of God almighty using the conformation of animal parts; the patterns appearing on the “surface of water, oil, or ink (Ontu, Qur’anic writing on the slates/skull of a cow, washing it to drink or bath and some of these “Ilorin Alfas” use human blood to writing Qur’anical verses. Use of hydromancy; dream interpretation, Oneiromancy, predicting changes in weather patterns based on the visibility of important star-groups, and focuses more on spiritual protection, wealth and prediction and prophecy of these fake Islamic Alfas from Ilorin. They also use to reading cards, dice, palms, and coffee grounds, selling amulets to ward off evil. In towns of Ilorin and now in Lagos State, these “Ilorin Alfas” are operating as fortunetellers out of small shops, offices or outside of mosques where they consult or to portend the future. Mostly, their clients are women or the elderly seeking guidance for problems affecting their families, money rituals and another tracts. All these ritualists are mostly “Ilorin Alfas”. They have no jobs, they all want to learn Arabic language and learn a bit of Al-Qur’an and study a bit of Hadiths but they will not learn the “tasfir” or the meaning after. These “Ilorin Alfas”, they rent a small room where they will operate from. All these fabricated, innovation and fettling things which are prohibited in Islam will be performed by them.
Quranic treatment is allowed.
“Quranic treatment” is made up of practices based “exclusively” on “reciting Qur’anic texts, and defining exactly what this implies”. Elements of the ‘Qur’anic treatment include “talking about the patient’s troubles”, recitation of ruqyah reciting specific Quranic verses and making du’a (prayers)and repeating or prolonging the treatment if no progress is observed.
However, to kill human being is Haram. We all know what happened recently in Ilorin where one Alfa (by name Abdulrahman Beĺlo) killed a young final year lady in Ilorin for money rituals. This young Alfa might have heard or seen his senior Alfas perform these evil acts. In Lagos, these Muslim clerics also known as “Ilorin Alfas” do not live in Lekki or Ikoyi, they live where many vulnerable people are living (mostly poorer people) like Ajegunle, Isolo, Ejigbo, Kotun, Ijegun, Iba, Igando, Isheri, Agege etc where they will be approached easily. These “Ilorin Alfas” commit adultery and fornication by looking and touching other women’s private part and their breasts and even cutting the hairs and nails of their bodies. All these are practices are prohibited in Islam.
Belief in sorcery is common in Yorubaland. half or more Yoruba Muslims believe in witchcraft. At the same time, however, most Muslims agree that Islam forbids appealing and looking into Sands or asking jinn or using sorcery and killing of human being as ritual to become rich. Black magic and Jalabi are condemned in Islam but these illustrate “Ilorin Alfas” are not clear on how to deal with this superstitious holdover that is common amongst them. Sorcery, Jalabi or witchcraft (sihr) is often equated with trickery aimed at conflating falsehood with the rational association of causes and effects. These lazy “Ilorin Alfas” are praying on the vulnerable people because of the situation of the country economy.
Islam does not allow killing of human being as rituals or killing of animals. These acts are prohibited totally in Islam. The prophet (pbuh) vorbid us from killing people or animals for rituals.
The “Ilorin Alfas” must learn the meaning of Qur’an not just read the Qur’an. All these Jalabis are not allowed in Islam. These elders of “Ilorin Alfas” must start telling these young “Ilorin Alfas” to stop killing humans for money rituals.
The Qur’an says 38:3 “How many a nation did We destroy before them! (When they approached their doom) they cried out (for deliverance), but the time for deliverance was already past.”
May Allah save us from becoming a victim to these “Ilorin Alfas” and may He bless us with good things in this world and the hereafter. Amen.
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