A Nigerian Muslim pilgrim who travelled the the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the purpose of Hajj under the Anambra State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Abubakar Siddique Yusuf from Awka South local government area of the Anambra State and who travelled with passport no. A03776533 was not tempted by the little money he had on him. He was very conscious of the fact that he was in the holy site of Mina and had just returned from Arafat where he believed assuredly that his sins had been forgiven by Allah and his prayers answered.
On Saturday 27th October, 2012 corresponding 11th Dhul-Hijjah 1433 H, Alhaji Yusuf went to the public convenience and alas, there he saw a package in one of the bathrooms. Not knowing what it contained and yet feeling reluctant to pick it, it could be a divine intervention for the owner that convinced him to take it and quickly to the Executive Secretary of Anambra State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board (MPWB), Alhaji Sani Ejor.
Alhaji Ejor was very happy with this development and he quickly called on some of his aides to view the content of the package. SR23,430, N20,750 and 10 Rupees were found inside the bag. Furthermore, he contacted the Zonal Coordinator of Port Harcourt and explained to him how the huge sum of money was found by one of his pilgrims, and received pieces of advice accordingly.
The next step taken by the Executive Secretary was to constitute a 4-man committee from his pilgrims headed by an ACG in the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Alhaji Nasiru M. Umar, to take custody of the amount until the owner is discovered. Then, the neighbouring State Board and Agency, Yobe and Armed Forces were contacted respectively and they were asked to make the announcement to their pilgrims.
Shortly after, the owner of the lost and found money, Alhaji Isa A. Musa, passport no. A03815978 of the Nigerian Armed Forces contingent came with the Secretary of the Armed Forces, Lt. Col. Abubakar Sadique with three other senior officers of the Armed Forces and gave enough evidence beyond doubt that the money belonged to him. And in the presence of all of the committee members, the leadership of the Armed Forces Hajj Agency, the same amounts were handed over to the owner.
This is a very good example of a Muslim in the Holy Land of Makkah. A pilgrim should never be overcome by the lust for worldly things while in the purest portion of the earth where he has gone to seek Allah’s mercy, favour and forgiveness. Apart from displaying the spirit of Islam especially on the rules guiding lost and found things by bringing it to the notice of the leadership for onward return to the owner if possible, Alhaji Yusuf has exhibited the spirit of patriotism and has proved to be worthy ambassador of Nigeria in the anti-corruption campaign.
The money on him when he found this huge amount was less than five percent of the SR23, 000, but he was contented with his own and did not wish the owner to feel the anguish of loss in the Islamic Holy Land. The Satan of lust, greed and pride was ignored and the angel of sympathy, faith and humility prevailed on Alhaji Yusuf. He did not even consider the tiff that ensued earlier between their neighbours who occupied and later reluctantly vacated the tents supposedly allocated to Anambra State contingent at Mina. The spirit of Islamic brotherhood was stark in him.
Commenting on the matter, the Executive Secretary of Anambra State MPWB, Alhaji Sani Ejor, expressed happiness that his enlightenment programmes for the state’s 2012 Hajj contingent yielded fruits. He described the act as honesty and uprightness on the part of the pilgrim who saw the money and brought it to their notice without being tempted by the heavy content of the bag.
Said he, “This act is commendable. I am happy with the pilgrim because it is the result of the enlightenment and orientation programmes that I gave to them at home. I repeatedly advised them to give Anambra State and Nigeria a good image while in Saudi and to be good example to others. I thank Allah for this my pilgrim and pray Allah reward him for his goodness”.
May Allah grant him the best of all that his heart desires and bless all those who facilitated the return of the money to its owner, as well as those who made his journey to Saudi Arabia a reality.
