Sultan urges beggars to desist from polygamy

By Abdallah el-Kurebe, Sokoto
Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar has asked beggars in the society not to compound their problems by marrying many wives.

Abubakar said that it was wrong for people who had problems they cannot solve to add more burden on themselves by marrying many wives.

He spoke in Sokoto Friday during the inauguration of district-level committees of the State Zakkat and Endowment.

The Sultan spoke as the state Governor,  Aliyu Wamakko said that begging was anti-Islamic and should be discouraged.

”The act of begging is not allowed in Islam and this is tarnishing the image of the religion,” Wamakko said.

However, Sultan Abubakar challenged Islamic preachers in the country to continue to preach to people on the prohibition of begging by Islam. Wondering why begging was still prevalent in the state in spite of the N6,500 monthly allowance paid to 6,739 physically challenged persons by the state government, the Sultan advised them not to over burden themselves as it was difficult to sustain them.

”We should always live our lives according to the dictates of the Islamic religion. No Muslim is supposed to go to bed with an empty stomach with Zakkat and endowment institution.

“We should assist all Nigerians irrespective of religion or ethnicity. We should always be our brother’s keeper,” the Sultan said, adding however, that other indigent Nigerians, irrespective of their religion, must also be assisted.