State House Chief Imam says COVID-19, trial from God

The Chief Imam of the Presidential Villa, Sheikh Abdulwahid Sulaiman, on Tuesday described COVID-19 as a trial from God.

According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the cleric spoke in a sermon he delivered before the commencement of the Ramadan Tafsir (explanation of the Qur’an) attended by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and personal aides.

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Shehu’s statement was titled ‘President Buhari joins worshippers for annual Tafsir.”

He quoted Sulaiman as lamenting that groups and individuals have been spreading concocted and senseless stories regarding COVID-19, misleading a large number of people.

According to him, the cleric called the epidemic ‘‘a trial from the Almighty, as well as a leveller and equalizer of humanity.’’

He further quoted the Chief Imam as urging Nigerians to continue to observe the regulations put in place by the relevant authorities to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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According to the statement, the President, who returned from a two-week trip to the United Kingdom a few days back, joined Muslim faithful in the State House mosque for the event.

He was said to have attended the Tafsir for the first time in two years, following the closure of the mosque throughout Ramadan last year due to the restrictions in public gatherings put in place by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, now renamed Presidential Steering Committee.