Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governors Dikko Radda of Katsina State and Babagana Zulum of Borno State, led other mourners to Daura for the Fidau prayer for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura on Wednesday.
Other top dignitaries at the prayer are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, governor of Anambra State and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, and former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
Others include former governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, the Director General of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, Emir of Daura, HRH Faruk Umar Faruk, former Army Chief of Staff, Yusuf Tukur Buratai, former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Aliyu Isah Pantami, Senator Abdul Aziz Yar’adua, Community.
Also in attendance are former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, former NIA Director General, Ahmad Rufa’i, and Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Faruk Jobe.
Religious and traditional Leaders among others are already seated and ready to lead in the prayer.
The event featured recitation of the Holy Qur’an, prayers, and charitable acts to be performed on behalf of the deceased.
The prayers, which started at about 12:34pm, was led by Imam Yazid.
The gathering offered prayers to God Almighty, asking Him to grant the late former president eternal rest and admit him into Aljanna Firdausi. They also prayed for the restoration of peace and for a reduction in food prices to levels affordable for ordinary citizens.
They further offered prayers for God to guide Nigerian leaders in the right direction.
Buhari, who died in a London hospital on Sunday, was buried in Daura on Tuesday, with President Bola Tinubu in attendance.
In Islam, Fidda’u prayer, otherwise called “Fidyah”, is a prayer and charitable act performed by Muslims on behalf of the deceased, typically on the 3rd, 8th, 40th, 100th day or any other chosen days or even annually after a person’s passing.
It’s a way for relatives and friends to seek forgiveness for the deceased’s sins and ask for Allah’s mercy and blessings.
The Fidda’u prayer is a way to remember and honor the deceased, and to continue to benefit them through prayers and charitable deeds.
The primary goal is to ask Allah to forgive the deceased’s sins and grant them a place in paradise (Jannah).
However, Muslims can choose any day they deem suitable for these prayers and acts of charity.
In his remarks after the prayers, Vice President Shettima advised people to consider themselves as travellers who would all return to their various homes.
The death of the Buhari, according to him, is not only a loss to Daura or Katsina State, but also a general loss to the nation and entire African continent.
He said the late president is not an ordinary person, hinting at coming for the prayer again tomorrow.
“We will come tomorrow at the same time for yet another prayer of this type. The Governor of Katsina will also be here in the next one week so also the family of the late President,” he noted.
