By Haroon Balogun

A coalition of three religious organisations in Nasarawa state, has called on the state government to increase budgetary allocation to the health sector.

The three organisations are: Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and Voice of Islam.

The leader of the coalition, Hajia Rakiya Jibril-Ali, made the call recently in Lafia when  she led a delegation of some members of the coalition on advocacy visit to the state Assembly Committee on Health.

Jibril-Ali, who is also the Amirah of FOMWAN, was represented by Yahaya Ibrahim-Usman the Amirah of Voice of Islam. She said that one of the objectives of the coalition was to influence the state government to increase budgetary allocation to the health sector.

“We want to partner Nasarawa state government to persuade it to increase budgetary allocation to the health sector and to enact laws that will help in improving child and family health. “We are focusing mainly in four areas – nutrition, routine immunisation, family planning and child killer diseases,” she said.

She said that the coalition would complement government’s effort to improve health care delivery in the state.

In his response, Mohammed Okpede, the chairman, House Committee on Health, expressed gratitude to the group for the visit. He promised that the assembly would do everything possible to increase budgetary allocation to the health sector in the 2017 Appropriation Bill.

He added that the legislature was ready to partner any group to enact laws that would improve health service delivery in the state.

Halal and Haram: Concealing a product’s fault at the point of sale is haram

The Prophet (s.a.w) once passed by a pile of food that was for sale. He put his hand in it and felt dampness, so he asked, “What is this, O seller of the food?” He said, “It was rained on, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet (s.a.w) said: “Why don’t you put it on top, so that people can see it? Whoever deceives (the people) is not one of us.” (Reported by Muslim, 1/99).

There are many traders and businessmen nowadays who do not fear Allah, and try to conceal faults of their products at the point of sale, sometimes mixing faulty products with good ones for sale, using chemicals and the like to make a product look good, or concealing faults in engines so that the purchasers will be deceived into buying it.

Some traders change expiry dates, or prevent the buyer from examining or trying out a product. Many of those who sell cars or other types of equipment do not point out the product’s faults. These are haram.

The Prophet (s.a.w) said: “The two parties involved in a sale have the choice (to end it – i.e. the sale is not final) until they part. If both have been truthful and honest about the sale, it will be blessed, but if they lied and concealed any faults, the blessing of the sale will be lost.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath, 4/328).

Ask Your Imam

Polygamy: Fair treament of wives

ONE of the things that Allah has enjoined in His Book is fair treatment of wives. Allah says:

“You will never be able to do perfect justice between wives even if it is your ardent desire, so do not incline too much to one of them (by giving her more of your time and provision) so as to leave the other hanging (i.e., neither divorced nor married). And if you do justice, and do all that is right and fear Allaah by keeping away from all that is wrong, then Allaah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:129]

The justice that is required here is a fair division of nights, and the giving of each wife her rights as regards spending and clothing. This does not refer to emotions or love, because man has no control over his feelings. But some people, when they marry more than one wife, favour one and neglect the other, spending more time with one wife and spending more on her, and ignoring the other.

This is haraam, and the person who does this will come on the Day of Resurrection in the condition described by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah: “Whoever has two wives and gives one of them preferential treatment, he will come on the Day of Resurrection with half of his body leaning.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 2/601; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6491).