'Eid-ul-Fitr' Sermon 2024

 

Eid-ul-Fitr, its Traditions & The Steps forward to Allah

EID-UL-FITR, a day of rejoicing, celebration, visits to relatives and neighbours is among us again. On this blessed day, not only adults are happy but children are also enthusiastic in their beautiful ornaments specially made or purchased for Eid. They are excited to meet their friends and close relatives and receive their gift today: Eiddi - a tradition that is still maintained among Muslim families. Beforehand, there is the major cleaning of the house, the changing of the curtains, and the purchase of various ingredients to prepare the traditional Eid lunch, especially in the Mauritian context, the Briani. As it is mentioned in the collection of Hadiths by Imam Bukhari: “And on this day one must be joyful, share his meal and his time with the family.”

 

This is legitimate because after having fasted during the month of Ramadan for the Pleasure of Allah, our Creator, He offers us – to us, Muslims – this gift. It is a gift He gave us with the advent of His beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and the command to fast the month of Ramadan.

Celebrating ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’ 2024

 

With the sighting of the crescent moon on the skies of the Kerala coast on the evening of 09 April 2024, Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam members in India celebrated ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’ with special prayers and feasting and festivities on Wednesday, 10 April 2024, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.

Brothers and sisters and children of the Jamaat mainly congregated at the mosques of the community for Eid special prayers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

With many members of the Jamaat observing I’tikaaf in the last ten days of the fasting month of Ramadan at the Sirajum Munir Masjid in Tamil Nadu, and also at the Noor’ul Islam Masjid at Mathra in Kerala; the mosques became the natural venues for the members celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr. Eid prayers were also conducted in other places in both the States, and also outside of these two States where members live, bringing alive the Qur’anic command to turn ‘places of living’ into virtual mosques for the pure devotion and worship of Allah (swt). 

‘Laila-tul-Qadr’: An Interview

 

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).” (2:185)

'Truly, We revealed this on a Night full of blessings...’ (44:4)

We revealed it on the ‘Laila-tul-Qadr’ [the Night of Destiny, the Blessed Night & filled with virtues] (97:2)

Ramadan 2024: Public Message

 

Ramadan, Layla-tul-Qadr & Eid-ul-Fitr: 

The Blessings of A Lifetime

Muslims all round the world are commanded by God Almighty to fast the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is such a blessed month wherein the very first verses of the Holy Quran – the Holy words of Allah – were revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) through the Chief of all angels, Jibreel (Gabriel). Those first revelations have the power even today to make the true believer tremble with awe and love. Its very evocation brings about solace and happiness for the believer at the divine boon received in that blessed moment in time.

Twenty-nine or thirty days of blessings: yet, those days hold therein a concealed night, wrapped in the mystery of divine knowledge, to deliver to those who successfully attain and receive it, the blessings of a lifetime. The Night of Decree (Layla-tul-Qadr) as this night is called is like the most precious of pearls, more precious than any treasure in this world. It is the gateway to such divine blessings which can erase a sincere person’s sins and make him pure like a newborn babe.

Poem: 'The Call of Humanity'

The world would have been,

A golden gate to paradisiacal serenity,

Were it not for the feigns and false promises,

Of secular and religious authorities who,

In the name of politics, patriotism and union,

Leave behind their conscience,

To delve into the sea of fraud and corruption;

 

Oh how beautiful would it have been,

If with a true heart,

Each political representative,

Of the multitudinous countries,

Stand up in honour of the world,

And all its inhabitants,

And chant the call of togetherness,

As one global people,

As one united nation,

In the best interest of,

Humankind as a whole,

Poem: 'The Origin of Peace'

  

Every part of the Universe is ever locked in the concept of Peace,

From the moment of creation,

The word to have found light in the Heavens was Peace

A piece of the heart is engrossed in the meditation of Peace,

 The every second which passes in concentration of the Unique God,

Alights from the meaning of Peace,

Spouse Relations and Duties

 

Divine commandments are a light. Illuminating the darkened horizons of human nature; impulses, desires, emotions and biases; the divine commands in the Holy Qur'an offer profound teachings of great subtlety and much wisdom for our own benefit in the varied settings of life.  Hence, the Holy Qur’an promotes prudential course of conduct in family and social relations, recognizing the identity, capacity, authority, role and functions of individuals: between husbands and wives, parents and children, relatives in the home. It is God’s extraordinary mercy and grace that we have these sublime teachings and guidelines of proper conduct.  

For instance, the Qur’an provides a well-balanced framework of rules on spouse relations and duties, to be observed in marital space by the partners, but also when the going gets tough, with disputes leading to separation and divorce, impacting the lives of not just the spouses, but also their children and the wider family. By following the Divine teachings on love and mercy, good morals, and on just and fair dealings; spouses can enjoy the ‘bliss of heaven’ on earth. On the other hand, by evading and ignoring divine prescriptions; rebelling against divine prohibitions, couples turn their matrimonial home into a virtual hell on earth.