The Believer

The Believer

Volume I Number I

Peace and blessings of God be with you who reads. The aim of publication is to raise the awareness
of people towards what is right and obliged to make society prosper, and encourage brotherhood,
peace and tranquility in the hearts of the believers. It captures real life problems facing Nigeria and
uses the guidance of God—the Koran, to combat and solve them. It should be published in 12 pages,
once a week. There is the need to support me if you are able first to expand its coverage, and also to
improve our conditions individually and collective as a nation.

Sadiq Salawudeen.
09065670641
Email: femiahmedsala@gmail.com

Contents
1. Why hearts become unmindful of Go d’s duty and how to revive them
2. Need for kindness and love amongst the people why it is important for social wellbeing and
progress
3. Abolishing false beliefs that takes away Allah’s Wrath from a people close to eminent disasters

1|Page
 4. The best practices that safeguards from corrupt behavior in business and government
5. Overcoming your personal challenges
6. Attaining World Peace and living happily

I. Why hearts become unmindful of God’s duty and how to revive them
Hearts become unmindful of what God enjoined, commanding the good and forbidding the
evil when it engages in affairs that does to profit its Hereafter and also worldly duties the
assister to the next. We live our terms on earth here temporarily, we all will die when our
appointed time from God reaches and everyone will be questioned on what s/he was
engaged. Sinful behavior such as committing fornication and adultery blinds the heart away
from remembering God. Also, gambling and tale bearing—the spread of news that does not
improve the condition of a man but makes him in despair and lose hope from ever attaining
victory in the world and the hereafter.

God said in the Koran: And come not near unto adultery. Lo! It is an abomination and an evil way.
(The Children of Israel 32)

Therefore abstaining from this abomination is good in the Sight of God. What are the practical ways
to abstain?
1. Avoid lustful speech from a woman you are not destined to marry
2. Marry early enough if Allah provides the means for you to satisfy your sexual appetite
3. Do not be in the company of those who encourage illegal sex
4. Establishing worship in sincerity from a local mosque
5. Remembering God much, for God said:

Recite that which is hath been inspired in thee of the Scripture, and establish worship. Lo! Worship
preserveth from lewdness and iniquity, but the remembrance of God is more important. And Allah
knoweth what ye do. (The Spider 45)

Gambling is also forbidden by God. Businesses in various parts of the country where one adds some
money, say N100 with the hope to gain N1000 by chance whether you win or lose causes bankruptcy
and even enmity amongst the people. Instead of gambling, investing your money in a profitable

2|Page
business such as agriculture save pork that feed people is a lawful earning. Besides, spending in
charity is beneficial for your soul if done to please God. Allah will increase that wealth.
Regarding gambling He said:
O ye who believe! Strong drink (alcohol) and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only
an infamy of Satan’s handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed. Satan seeketh only to
cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink (alcohol) and games of chance, and to
turn you from the remembrance of Allah and from His worship. Will ye then have done? 1
(The Table Spread 90-91).
Tale bearing, such as relating stories on the news of some ritual practice as in radio in Ibadan—where
someone is mentioned with some diabolical practice, yet providing no lawful means to end these evil
practices is futile and spreads disbelief in the minds of men. These causes one to be unmindful of
what Allah enjoined for a person to be successful as regards to his hereafter. Instead of spreading the
gross misconduct in society without a solution, setting up institutions that can correct the wrong is
best.

Solutions on reviving the heart, and giving it life.

1. Reading the Koran in a language you understand such as English or Yoruba to know what is
right from wrong. What yields profits in the hereafter and what warrants failure revives the
heart. Studying the Koran for a minimum of 16 hours per week is a good start towards a
changed life
2. Learning from the Prophets of God directly. They are the best among mankind to copy their
exemplary life and derive lessons on how they dealt with problems. The hadith of Prophet
Muhammad is useful to boost your religious understanding though I am not an avid reader.
And the books of some Prophets in the Bible; particularly the Torah, the Book given to Moses,
the Prophet—and books such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Job, Psalms and Proverbs are
sources of getting closer to God and shunning idol worship
3. Learning from sincere Islamic scholars past or contemporary that preached monotheism
taught by Prophet Muhammad leads to understanding when learning with sincerity
4. Doing good deeds sincerely for the sake of God, not to show off. And hastening in these
helps. The easiest good work for some may be taking a thorn or hindrance from a pathway,
saying a good word, smiling often when your face meets some other person not in pretense,
or giving some money to those in need of it

1 The enmity described here is instilled in the hearts of those who defy Allah’s command regarding this

3|Page
 II. Need for kindness and love amongst the people why it is important for
social well being and progress
The need for kindness is paramount in society. Nigeria at this time onwards need citizens who
advocate kindness and love. You do not have to judge whether you be kind to an individual if s/he
did not do you wrong. Be kind to those in need of it. The little children, single mothers, old men and
women who beg and cannot earn lawful provision because of their age—and men without money.
Also regarding love, show love to everyone by greeting and saying hello. Giving them gifts, and
assisting them in whatever favor they are in need if you are capable. God commanded kindness
among the believers2, and that they should pardon those who wrong them.3 If kindness and love
become the hallmark we are geared towards in Nigeria and the world—we will have peace and
progress. Favors will be granted without fear, and there will be no hidden agendas for helping and
assisting in the path of God. Learning the Islamic doctrine is important for the salvation on mankind,
their acceptance into Paradise, and their safety from Hell Fire. But if we practice religion and we are
not kind to our fellow man, we defeat the purpose in the quality character of a Moslem that sets one
apart from others. The role model of the Moslems, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a kind hearted
man. Allah Himself enjoined kindness upon him when He said:

Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness and turn away from the ignorant. (The
Heights 198)

A Moslem is to enjoin kindness upon himself and upon others. He should affect society in a way that
is contributory towards its growth—provided that is ordained by God. He should not be among those
who cause strife and disorder, since these in fact are hypocrites not believers.

…Seeking to cause sedition among you, and among you there are some who would have listened to
them. Allah is Aware of evil-doers. (Repentance 47)

2 …and forget not kindness among yourselves. Allah is Seer of what ye do. (The Cow 237)

3Tell those who believe to forgive those who hope not for the days of Allah; in order that He may requite folk
what they used to earn (Crouching 14)

4|Page
Getting back to kindness and love—it fosters good relations between brothers with understanding.
Encourages trust, and reduces suspicion. It is due to the presence kindness and love that God has
Mercy on men. If they are not kind, and do not love one another—there is strife, disorder and will
destroy the fabric of the society. Let the leader be kind to his followers, parents to their children, and
neighbors to neighbors. They can facilitate the process in the following ways:
1. Spread Salam Aleakum or peace be unto you to everyone they meet whether on the street or
in the market place, or house assembly of worship—such as the mosque
2. Promote policies governing the people that ease life rather than making it difficult. For
example, instead of withholding salaries of workers for the increase on interest which is a loss
in the Sight of Gods, issuing salaries with incentives for growth and substantial increment
should be enhanced
3. Uniting families and broken unions instead of separating from them and keeping away
4. Giving help whether material or non-material benefits to people without socially stratifying
them. For example, a Moslem can help a Christian in need, and a Yoruba man can help the
Igbo instead of saying: “He is not of my religion.” Or “She is not of my tribe.”
5. Having an understanding that doing good is better than doing evil since doing good leads to
Paradise, if you believe in God—and doing evil leads to Hell Fire, if you disbelieve in God

III. Abolishing false beliefs that takes away God’s Wrath from a people
close to eminent disasters cannot be neglected.
God said regarding some people among the Children of Israel…

And when a community among them said: “Why preach ye to a folk whom God is about to destroy
and punish with an awful doom?” They said: “In order to be free from guilt before your Lord, and that
haply they may ward off evil. (The Heights 164)

It is not enough for one to see evil and then desist from the evil without warning and advising people
to put an end to it. There is no one who is safe from the punishment of God except the ones He
specially chose to be saved. And when we read the stories from the Koran, an example is Chapter
Hud- the disbelieving people were advised by their Prophets to give up idolatry, false worship,
cheating in business and transaction, lewd behavior such as homosexuality and more. These stories
are there to teach the believers not to give up their call for truth, which is essentially is the belief in
Allah as One God, and to reject He has any partners—and that the reward of obedience is Paradise,

5|Page
and the persistence in evil is the torment. Therefore, several displays in the Yoruba lands, such as
Osun worship, Ifa, Orisha, Sango and all these their gods who are false—and cannot help them were
God Minded to destroy them, and cannot harm them—if God Intended to save the believers. The
believers must be in the forefront of Islamic preaching in the South West. We do not give preference
to traditions that are false, the ways of ignorant people above Allah—The God of mankind. These
practices must be stopped, destroyed and completely effaced for the true worship of the One God
Who is Allah.

Why it must be ended, their false tradition:

1. It does not show the way to salvation and Light from God, but leads to darkness and evil. This
is why magicians feel safe in this country where they should be killed.4
2. Radio and television broadcast, who creates the fear of the believed powers of this evil people
do not combat the problems of idol worship but embrace it. It is important for the National
Censor Board in this country stop the broadcast of diabolical practices in general whether as a
report to create fear or as in advertising or film. Their programs must be reversed to making
threatening warnings to those engaged in it, and a group of believers must be ready to
support them
3. Many family problems have erupted because of people seeking idols for lords instead of God.
If they continue on the path, then they will burn in Hell Fire.5
4. False traditions are lies. They do not hold a weight with Allah, and their gods cannot harm or
save should God Intend to destroy them.

In conclusion, the Ulama in the Yoruba lands will have to work harder. They are weak because they do
not have a sufficient support from God. It is their duty to ensure these traditions are stopped, because
it is the greatest problem facing the minds of the Yoruba people.

IV. The best practices that safeguards from corrupt behavior in business
and government

4 Prophet Muhammad commanded that a person who practices magic should be killed once discovered to be
true. In a narration you can look up, it is said they must killed once discovered without given the chance to
repent because sorcery harms the society. Similarly, it was revealed by God in the Torah that a person who
practices witchcraft must not be made to live. Then what are we doing?

5 Al-Mutaffifin or Those who deal in Fraud 16

6|Page
The best practices that can help businesses in Nigeria to grow and be prosperous is to be just when
they sell, and just when they buy. No one should sell something below the acceptable price or above
it. And no one should buy goods, above the acceptable price or below. Except in the case of charity,
then the seller may bestow liberally, or the buyer may add more money to compensate the seller for
diligent work. We need a balance. Therefore, economists from different institutions can come
together for price fixation or price fixing. They are to use an instrument that determines the best price
of that good from the international markets, and enforce it as a standard on all commodities sold
within the country. A tally tap should be imprinted on packaged goods that will be slid at the time of
purchase. The tally tap is regulated and changes the price of goods not by the seller himself, but by
the Nigeria’s trade and commerce industry. It is sophisticated and will change the pricing in goods for
a long time and reduce exploitation and cheating. Similarly, government officials must understand the
Koranic message so as to allow them rule Nigerians with the fear of God. The truth is, if someone
steals from the treasury of the public and makes it his personal gains, Allah promises him Hell. I am
not threatening you merely to say, but speaking the reality. Allah said from the Koran in this Chapter
below:

Lo! Those who devour the wealth of orphans wrongfully, they do but swallow fire into their bellies,
and they will be exposed to burning Flame. (Women 10)

This is regarding a child whose parents passed away. Then consider what His judgment will be to
those who devour the wealth of millions of people? So they should fear God, and be just and kind to
everyone. They must promote policies that foster development and growth—and societal changes
that will make a difference.

V. Overcoming your Personal Challenges

We as humans do face obstacles along our way in life. It is commonly said that life is not a bed of
roses, meaning not everything can run smoothly because of some problems we may be facing. The
key solution to overcoming a challenge is perseverance and hard work. If you have a bad habit of
eating too much, or saying unnecessary things to people, that is a challenge. The best way to save
you from these two problems is learning how to control them. Overeating leads to obesity and can
also expose one to various illnesses of digestion because of overworking the internal organs which
include the stomach and intestines. The perseverance in this case is that one should refrain from the
temptation of eating when not necessary, and a dietarian should be consulted for help. Similarly, a

7|Page
talkative can learn Scriptural truths to say words that make sense and ask God for guidance on when
to speak or be quiet.

Aside these two examples, people suffer from various challenges. An example is knowing and
identifying what skills one’s talent will be best fitted. If you have an intrinsic taste for clothes and
fashion which you day dream about usually, you can try and learn tailoring and fashion designing. If
someone who can excel in this, studies mechanical engineering in a higher institution though he has
no interest in the field, s/he would continue to underperform and not live a fulfilled life in the
occupation till s/he discovers his or her God given potential. We all have talents in various fields in life,
till you find what you are best doing—keep searching until you discover your potential. Right now in
Nigeria, the economic situation makes people complain of poor business results and rapid inflation as
the price of different products are getting higher in the period. This is a personal challenge on the
poor and middle class citizens. To overcome the challenge, the government and banks need to
support entrepreneurs with promising projects in which they will be truthful and fair in deals to
employ people, and they must love the job they do. Once this is realized, the market will boom again
when there is enough money in circulation, and buyers and sellers will be happy of a fair exchange.

Hard work means one should pray to God in honesty and should not sit at home hoping that the
situation will improve. S/he must strive to make ends meet or overcome the challenge. An example
can be a search on google: “How to acquire good wealth.” The website Wikihow is informative and
directive. You can gain from the contributor’s thoughts and opinions on how to make that possible.
Then writing down your progress and accomplishment of your goals at a set time will earn you
rewards. Put it to practice that every day you have a goal to accomplish, provided it is good—you are
recommended to perform it. Constancy in hard work does not necessarily mean engaging in rigorous
labor, but mental work can be advantageous. A man who needs water in his home and walks every
day to fetch 25 liters of water at a distance of 5 kilometers engages in hard labor. If he thought
critically, he can examine better ways to solve the problem. A well can be dug that has a
mechanization to draw water right in his home, and if his land has no water—getting water from the
state’s facility by pipes with a monthly token that is modest can solve the problem. The hard work
here involves the thought process that is required to accomplish the goal to overcome the challenge
that is do-able.

Finally, you may not be in good health to achieve excellence. That is why you need support groups
and a healthy environment of believers who are kind to support you. Use medicines that have little or
no side effects, and pray to God for recovery. A sound mind is important for any progress of anything

8|Page
you aim to fulfill in life. And for those who suffer from terminal diseases or do not have sufficient
support for their health, I pray God eases your condition. Once our country’s health facilities are
governed and maintained by professional health practitioners and engineers or scientists willing to
improve the institution, your condition will improve. Have faith and rest your case with God, He is the
One who sickens and heals.

VI. Attaining World Peace and living happily

Living truly happy requires, steadfastness and maintaining the ability to do good at all times you
can. Our world is getting too loveless, many people do not see the need to come together as one
people, doing the right things, and ending abhorrent or evil behaviors. I do not blame them that
often because I believe when there is still life, there is hope to become a better person and better
a society. Several people I come across love the idea of World Peace which essential requires us
as humans to live on earth as good people, supporting good causes and living happily. Though
not everyone does understand these principles, a great majority of people are willing to change
when they begin seeing their leaders, such as officials in government advance the cause of social
responsibility and good citizenship across the globe.
World Peace is not only confined to your family, nor your neighbors and the country you are from. It
is an ideology and belief that everything will be fine and run right as long as we have faith in God,
and are willing to help those in need, and also the advancement and change in all fields of life which
include; government, businesses, art, education, science and technology, religion and so on.

I will like to discuss each unit mentioned in brief;

1. Government—World governments need not to act corruptly, or tyrannically in any form or means.
World governments need to cooperate with one another and ensure their citizens gain the trust of
one another, and facilitate programs of integration that acknowledges humankind is one big family.
Therefore, the money spent on social programs should not be designated to a certain people only
while others remain uncared about. The governments also should not create fear in the hearts of the
citizens, but they are to work ways that are amicable to help the weak and poor, and engage in heavy
infrastructural developments. The programs of integration must not cause citizens to loss their
religion and embrace ideologies that does not call to the remembrance of God, the aim is to make
every person with good intelligence and wisdom acknowledge that God’s religion must be
triumphant, above all others. This can be done without terror attacks or fear. Let love govern the
affairs in government.

9|Page
2. Businesses—Modern day businesses have grown in strength and shape. However, wealth has not
been shared equally as some work for lengthy hours and are unpaid while others do not have jobs.
With the advancement in robotics, many jobs intended for people may soon be replaced by robots.
The factors of production which include labor (currently of humans) may not see the future of the
day. Therefore, it is most advisable for developed countries to review their economic models which
rewards a few, and enslaves the masses. Furthermore, advancements in science and technology that
does generate profits, shouldn’t cause a fear of unemployment. Human beings should work less and
have time for recreation and using their insights to make our world more inhabitable. Developing
countries should seek ways from the advanced world on how they can grow and develop, producing
first class quality products than items that are mediocre and are poorly built. Africa for example has
potential when its citizens start using their talents and end believing in superstitions and magic.
Businesses and government come in here to lay the advancement. America and some other
advanced countries can help Africa when they have sincere intentions.

3. Art—It is important that all forms of art, music, film, video gaming, painting, typography and so on
reflect peace, love, mutual companionship, kindness, global unity, one human family, and World
Peace in everything. If artists do this, there is a chance that it would influence the younger generation
and make them act well. We do not want to see crime, sexual scandal, abuse and many vices
displayed now on television to the watchword in the golden age. We need change in this to that.

4. Education—In education, students and teachers can think creatively which is thinking out of the box
and harness their hidden talents to change the world. We need educators and students to see
education as fun. Not something that must be boring and tiresome. There should be time to eat free
food at assigned times within the class room setting, or students can take time to eat anytime they
prefer. Even the way exams should be set would not be to fail students but teach them till they reach
the most suitable answers. Educational boards across the world need to learn and prepare students as
agents that will change the world and become kind people. So moral lessons that are taught should
not be hidden, but shown and expressed openly. And no person should be left out to study, so long
s/he is willing and wants knowledge.

5. Science and technology—This is the age of rapid technological advancement and also scientific
discoveries. Scientists and technologists should be paid well in advances of causes that makes
humanity learn the truth as taught in the Koran. I see God’s Signs in almost all technological and
scientific works that are true. Our science in this age must not be based on fallacies some people
desire to feed the people with because of their selfish interest. Technologists and scientists need to

10 | P a g e
portray their endeavors in useful fields that would change the world. Our limits is only within the
confines of our thinking. But God Knows everything.

6. Religion—The religion God recognizes are based on those of the Abrahamic faith. Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. It would be a good thing that the members of the Abrahamic faith come
together and embrace on another than fight. This is why we need scholars and advocates of peace to
allow people practice their religion provided one does not wrong the others. Once the true religions
sent to the Prophets is followed by their followers, peace would reign on earth. There would be no
strife, and everyone will worship One God. Therefore, though I am Moslem and invite to the faith of
Islam, I would not force you to become Moslem if you refuse though what I call to is true. The main
thing that matters is understanding and cooperation. Not having resentment towards people because
they share a different faith provided they never did nor intended evil to you.

Salam Aleakum

Sadiq Salawudeen

09065670641

If you find this publication useful, you may share with other people for view. For questions and
enquiries, kindly send an email to: femiahmedsala@gmail.com with a relevant subject. Also, you can
kindly send donations to: Name: Sadiq Oluwfemi Salawudeen, Account Number: 3113526687—First
Bank of Nigeria, for new and insightful messages.

Thank you.

11 | P a g e
12 | P a g e