In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
All praise is due to Allah, who has commanded fidelity and trustworthiness, and has forbidden treachery and betrayal. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship but Allah alone, without partner—Glory be to Him—“He does not guide the plan of the treacherous” (Qurʾan, 12:52). And I bear witness that our master and Prophet Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the truthful and trustworthy. O Allah, send blessings, peace, and grace upon him, his family, and all his companions, and upon those who follow his guidance with excellence until the Day of Judgment. To proceed:
Dear brothers and sisters! I enjoin upon you, servants of Allah, and upon myself, Allah-consciousness (Taqwa). Allah The Most High says:
“O you who believe, have taqwa of Allah and be with the truthful.” [Qurʾan, 9:119]
Dear Muslim believers! There is a vile trait and a sinful act, rejected by noble souls and detested by sound natures. Its bearer is cursed by his Lord, rejected by his family and society. It is betrayal of the country —a grave crime and one of the major sins. It is among the ugliest things a person conceals within himself and hides from others.
For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to seek refuge in Allah from betrayal, saying:
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from betrayal, for it is the worst of inner qualities.” [Abu Dawud]
Indeed, he (Peace be upon him) counted among the signs of a hypocrite:
“When he is entrusted, he betrays; and when he makes a covenant, he breaks it.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
How evil are the traits of the treacherous, and how far they are from the Lord of the worlds:
“Indeed, Allah does not love the treacherous.” [Qurʾan, 8:58]
Our Lord—Mighty and Majestic—has exposed them and unveiled their reality so that people are not deceived by them. He said to His Prophet (Peace be upon him):
“And do not argue on behalf of those who betray themselves. Indeed, Allah does not love one who is a habitual traitor and sinner. They conceal themselves from people but do not conceal themselves from Allah, while He is with them when they plan by night, words that He does not approve. And Allah encompasses what they do.” [Qurʾan, 4:107–108]
Thus, even if they claim affiliation with us, they are not truly of us. Reflect on the saying of Allah regarding their like:
“They swear by Allah that they are from you, but they are not from you; rather they are a people who are afraid.” [Qurʾan, 9:56]
They outwardly display belonging to our nation (Nigeria), while their hearts are subservient to the enemies and terrorists agendas. They lie in wait to harm society and seek to bring damage upon its people:
“If they could find a refuge, caves, or a place to enter, they would turn to it while rushing headlong.” [Qurʾan, 9:57]
Indeed, they have deceived themselves, so their society and country detest them. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever deceives us is not one of us.” [Sahih Muslim]
How great is their crime, how severe their disgrace, how harsh their punishment, and how great their scandal! The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“When Allah gathers the first and the last on the Day of Resurrection, a banner will be raised for every traitor, and it will be said: ‘This is the treachery of so-and-so, son of so-and-so.’” [Bukhari and Muslim]
There is no wonder in this: they are immersed in the swamp of betrayal and discord, indulging in dubious funds, bound by terrorist partisan loyalties, devoted to terrorist organisations, pledging allegiance to their leaders, hiding behind deceptive religious slogans—whose outward appearance is righteousness and goodness, but whose inward reality is treachery and deceit:
“And they have plotted their plot, but with Allah is their plot—even if their plot were such as to move mountains.” [Qurʾan, 14:46]
How vile it is for a person to become an agent or follower of evil, manipulated by foreign hands against his own country whenever they wish; or to be like the tail of a venomous serpent, moved to betray his country at will. How disgraceful are those who live off the goodness of their nation while betraying it!
Have they not realised that a wise leadership will care for them and encompass them with goodness, and that their nation will honour them and raise their status among nations? Yet their response is nothing but ingratitude and betrayal, breaking covenants and trusts. Allah the Most High says:
“And do not exchange the bad for the good.” [Qurʾan, 4:2]
O Nigerian youth! Fear Allah concerning your country. Beware of being deceived by the words of corrupt traitors who cloak themselves in the garments of the righteous, yet:
“They are the worst of creation.” [Muslim]
The best of Messengers, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) warned us severely about them, saying:
“There will emerge among you a people whose prayer you will consider insignificant compared to their prayer, your fasting compared to their fasting, and your deeds compared to their deeds. They recite the Qurʾan but it does not go beyond their throats. They will pass through the religion as an arrow passes through the target.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
The Sunnah of Allah has already passed that their plots are repelled, and that the sincere people are empowered to thwart their treachery:
“And if they intend to betray you, they have already betrayed Allah before, so He gave you power over them. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” [Qurʾan, 8:71]
So be, O children of Nigeria, be firm upon your religion, loyal and sincere to your country, working day and night for its sake, united behind its leadership. For true loyalty is among the traits of the people of fidelity.
“O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you.” [Qurʾan, 4:59]
Respected brothers and sisters! Indeed, among the greatest losses for a person in this world and the Hereafter is that harm should come to his nation through him. So, beware of being the breach through which your enemy enters to harm your country. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
So, remain faithful to your covenant—the one you have repeated since your childhood with your tongue and your heart:
“We would sacrifice our souls for you, O our country.”
Allah the Almighty says:
“So, whoever breaks his pledge only breaks it against himself, and whoever fulfils what he has covenanted with Allah—He will grant him a tremendous reward.” [Qurʾan, 48:10]
I praise Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for having provided our precious nation with vigilant eyes and alert men from among the state’s security institutions—those who have been and continue to be a fortified fortress for our safety and a strong barrier for our comfort and happiness. They cut off calamities before they arise and expose betrayal before it appears. They deserve from us greetings of appreciation and reverence. How great is their reward with their Lord, and how noble is the saying of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) concerning them:
“Two eyes shall not be touched by the Fire: an eye that wept out of fear of Allah, and an eye that spent the night guarding in the way of Allah.” [Tirmidhi]
It is our religious and national duty to cooperate with them in safeguarding and protecting the nation. Whoever observes in another any sign of betrayal toward the country, or abuse toward its symbols, should report it through the official platform designated for receiving reports of terrorism, extremism, espionage, and harm to the state and its symbols—even if that person is among those closest to him. For the nation is more precious than everything, and love for it does not admit division between two loyalties. Whoever conceals a traitor is himself one of the traitors, and falls under the statement of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him):
“Allah has cursed the one who shelters an innovator (or wrongdoer).” [Muslim]
We also extend our deepest gratitude and fullest appreciation to the protectors of the land—our armed forces—who continue to offer the greatest sacrifices in devotion and loyalty to the nation and its leadership.
Ya Allah, send blessings, peace, and barakah upon our master and Prophet Muḥammad, the Seal of the Messengers, and upon his family, his pure wives—the Mothers of the Believers—and his noble companions.
Ya Allah, be pleased with Abubakar, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, and with all the noble Companions.
Ya Allah, protect our country. Grant success to our leadership through Your guidance. Support our forces with Your power. Grant firmness and rectitude to all our security personnels.
Ya Allah, whoever intends good for our country, grant him success in every good. And whoever intends evil against it, turn his plotting back upon himself; make his destruction lie in his own planning; nullify his efforts, frustrate his schemes, return his evil upon him, and let the circle of evil fall upon him. Indeed, You are the Strong, the Mighty.
Ya Allah, protect the youth of our country from destructive ideas and terrorist loyalties. Grant success to parents in safeguarding their children from the dangers of extremism and terrorism, and gladden their eyes with the sincerity of their children’s loyalty, their devotion to their country, and excellence in their learning and deeds.
Ya Allah, make us believers in You, devoted in worship to You, truthful and loyal to our nation, dutiful to our parents—have mercy on them as they raised us when we were young, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
Ya Allah, we ask You for the completion of blessings, the abidingness of well-being, the perfection of goodness, and the most beautiful forms of Your clemency.
Ya Allah, protect our nation with Your protection; be for it a helper and support, a guide and one who grants success; bless the life of its citizens and their deeds. Ya Allah, grant success to them in that which You love and are pleased with. Ya Allah, have mercy on our parents and our forefathers who have passed to Your mercy. Admit them by Your grace into the expanses of Your gardens and envelop the martyrs of the nation in Your mercy and forgiveness.
Ya Allah, have mercy upon the believing men and women, the living and the dead. Ya Allah, make what You send down of rain a rain of mercy and blessing, by which You increase blessings and bring forth goodness.
All perfect praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of: Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah Mosque; and Late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene Mosque, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected]; or +2348038289761.
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