Imam Fouad Adeyemi, the National Chief Imam of Al-Habibbiyyah Islamic Society, has admonished Nigerian youths to desist from ritual killings and series of nefarious activities as a short-cut to success.
The cleric admonished them to work hard to become wealthy.
Adeyemi gave the advice on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin.
He said that only Allah has the ultimate power to enrich with wealth and not these obnoxious acts.
According to him, the increasing rate of youth involvement in ritual killings for financial freedom is alarming and should be of great concern to society.
He condemned the growing trend of youths going into ritual killings for self-enrichment and other nefarious acts in order to make quick money, describing such actions as highly ungodly, unIslamic, barbaric and sinful.
Adeyemi also flayed ritual killings for money act as baseless, as it does not exist anywhere and warned the youths to stop believing they can get rich or become wealthy through such acts.
The cleric said that if one desires to become rich, “one can pray to Allah with some Qur’anic verses and Allah will answer the prayer of that person by sending divine helpers and not through ritual killings.
“The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) has explained that Allah will not put healings of his Ummah (people) on things that are haram (forbidden).
“There is nothing that can make a man kill another human for any reason in Islam.
“If you kill one person, it’s as if you have killed the entire human race, except those with just cause. And this means the government must had investigated the crime,” he said.
According to him, governments are the ones saddled with the responsibility of investigating suspects or culprits and meeting the necessary justice of killing them where it is deemed.
He emphasised that any Muslim who is involved in such diabolical act of using any human part for money-making rituals is destined for hellfire no matter how wealthy or influencial he is on earth.
“The issues of ritual killings does not even arise at all in Islam. It is out of our teachings, it’s strange, alien and ungodly,” Adeyemi fumed.
He pointed out that the Holy Qur’an has stated in Suratul Luqman that “Whatever Allah has destined for you, no matter how small, if it is in the sky, water or rock; Allah will bring it to you”.
Besides, the cleric stressed that youths must work hard and stop this desperate act of get-rich-quick syndrome, saying “money will come at the right time not through rituals”.
The Imam asked why is it that priests who perpetrate ritual killings don’t enrich themselves, questioning the statistics of those that are rich through ritual killings.
“Why is it that those priest who are doing the rituals don’t enrich themselves first.
“Since they can’t enrich themselves, it means there is something negative to it, so why are they not doing it for themselves?” he asked.
He warned of dire consequences and punishment awaiting those who engage in ritual killings.
Adeyemi advised the youths to always explore the boundless opportunities available around them to make halal (legitimate) money, rather that engaging in rituals.
The cleric, who expressed concern over the rising cases of ritual killings in the country, also blamed the get-rich-quick syndrome and moral decadence among youths on poor parental upbringing.
He enjoined parents to inculcate moral and cultural values in their children to stem the tide of ritual killings for money and craze for wealth among their wards.
Adeyemi urged the three tiers of government to empower the teeming unemployed youths, explaining that providing means of livelihood to the teeming youths will make them self-sufficient and take their minds off crimes.
He also cautioned the government at all levels not to politicise their policies, so that people could benefit from them.