The first thing I would like to highlight is that all the
efforts which we, Muslims have made in the right way during the month of
Ramadan had only one objective: Taqwa
(fear of Allah, piety). If this fear is now part of us, it means that the month
of fasting was a total success and that we can now reap all year round the
fruits of this valuable win.
Ramadan is not an end in itself; it is the
beginning for some and a continuation for others, of the consolidation of this
state of fear of the Lord (Rab) so
that the harvest is perpetual. To live or to die depends solely on the decree
of Allah, but He advises us to ensure that at the time of the departure of our
soul that we are in a position of total submission to Him. It means, therefore,
that we need to be in this position permanently. The believer must also honour
the sacred bond that unites him to the Almighty and should not create
circumstances that could cause any dissension within the community of Allah.
Let us now see some sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on
the subject by raising some subtle points.
(1) Hazrat Sa’d ibn Abi
Waqqas (ra) narrated that he heard the Holy Prophet (pbuh)
say that Allah (swt) loves those who
control their passions, those who have no vile desire, those who do not seek
the glory of this world and those who lead a secluded life. (Sahih
Muslim).
(2) Hadhrat Aisha (ra)
said that nothing and no one has more value in the eyes of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)
that he who has the fear of Allah. (Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal).
This Hadith complements the
first, that is to say, one who is loved by Allah is also loved by the Holy
Prophet (pbuh).
So, to attract upon us the
love of Allah and that of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), we just
need to have the fear of Allah. The Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh)
used to show lots of love, and he also prayed a lot for the pious. The love of
Allah and that of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) are sufficient and the search
for worldly glory is only superfluous. When one analyses the two Hadiths which
I have just mentioned, they indicate to us clearly that Allah cast a look
filled with love upon those who express a fear of Him; and the Holy Prophet
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) also has the same look of love for those
kinds of believers until the Day of Judgment as he had for the first believers.
This is made possible by the will of Allah, Who informs him of the affairs of
his community.
The Promised Messiah Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, said that all the
spiritual beauty of man is found in the smallest ways of Taqwa. He said: “Allah told me that Taqwa (fear of Allah) is a plant that
needs to take root in the human heart.”
Then to what avail are good
words if we do not position ourselves on the path of truth? We need to practice
what we say. Whoever formulates the good intention to do a good deed, he must
promptly act upon it while taking Allah as Witness and Support, for one who
seeks Allah with sincerity, every step which he takes shall make him move
forward towards his quest. Each new day will be for him better than the past
one. Surely any action devoid of Taqwa
is vain. This is equivalent to saying that Taqwa
is the essence of the existence of man.
So, regarding the Eid-ul-Fitr, it is a joyful celebration
and that of forgiveness. The Eid-ul-Fitr
is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, at the onset of the sighting of the new
moon, and it marks the completion of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
Eid-ul-Fitr is
not only a festive occasion but also a sharing day for the Muslim community.
The Eid festival is particularly marked by demonstrations of joy, exchange of congratulation
and forgiveness, thus strengthening the bonds of brotherhood, of solidarity vis-à-vis
the others. On Eid day, men, women and children, dressed in new clothes, and if
not new clothes, but clean ones (washed and ironed), go to the mosque early in
the morning to perform a special prayer: The Salaat-ul-Fitr.
Prior to this, Muslims must give
away the Zakaat (obligatory donations
to the poor and needy) which is one of the pillars of Islam.
A rejoicing moment, the Eid
festival is the perfect opportunity to visit relatives and friends. Cakes, very
often composed of samosas or other,
such as barfis etc., are shared with
guests. But vermicelli remains the preferred sweetness of many Muslims. The
famous brianni dish remains the main
meal on this festive day, especially in the Mauritian (Muslim) culture.
So the month of Ramadan is
an intense training period. The hearing, vision, language, mind, all are
subject to strict control. This discipline practiced for a month is used as a
model for the eleven months to come. After we have passed this test, Allah (swt)
gives us the reward of an Eid. The joy we feel is deeper than what we feel when
we wear new clothes. Of course, clothes have a certain relationship with the
Eid, but the Eid which awaits us does not depend on clothes. Think of the poor
who cannot afford good clothes.
The most beautiful clothe after Ramadan, during
the celebration of the Eid-ul-Fitr
and after is Taqwa. Taqwa is that which embellishes man with
the most beautiful clothes, both spiritually and materially. We must contribute
to consolidating the state of (our) Taqwa
so as to reap the rewards continually.
On this occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, I wish an EID MUBARAK to all brothers and sisters of the
entire Muslim community and also to my dear followers in India - Kerala, Delhi,
Tamil Nadu - Comoros, Seychelles, Reunion, Madagascar, Mayotte, Maldives, Sri
Lanka, Rodrigues, Congo, Trinidad and Tobago and the other countries and I pray
that this Eid be a blessing for every Muslim, for each member of the Jamaat Ul
Sahih Al Islam and the whole world. Ameen!
Summa Ameen! Ya Rabbul Aalameen.
---Eid-ul-Fitr Sermon delivered by Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius on 06
July 2016--01 Shawwal
1437 AH.