Muslims all over the world, including The Gambia has just celebrated the feast of Eid-ul-Adha commonly known as Tobaski. The highlights of the feast are congregational prayers, the slaughtering of ram, and the traditional Salibo (collection of gifts), especially by children from the neighbourhood.
It is also a day when neighbours visit each other to ask for God's supplication and forgiveness for whatever wrongs they might have committed during the past year.
It is in this spirit that we asked every Gambian and people living in The Gambia to use the occasion to forgive each other. We have no doubt that Gambians by virtue of their close knitted society will forgive and forget whatever wrongs they might have committed in the interest of unity, progress and prosperity of our dear motherland.
From village to familial level, and then to the work places there is the tendency to unknowingly step on each other's feet, and thus the need to forgive each other.
This brings to mind the fundamental lessons taught by the feast-forgiveness of each other.
The Holy Quran tells us that Prophet Ibahim was ever submissive to Allah, the Almighty, and that the religion of submission was what he enjoined on his progeny.
His righteous and obedient son, Ismail was regularly prayerful and used to love almsgiving. He was well pleasing to his Lord.
The best way to spread the true message of Allah is by showing the world the beautiful teachings of Islam. This is the philosophy of the Eid-ul-Adha.
"Good, to forgive; Best, to forget! Living, we fret: Dying, we live."
Robert Browning
