'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.

Financial Sacrifice

  

In his Friday Sermon of 08 September 2023~22 Safar 1445 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius gives a deep exposition on giving in the way of God.  

Sincerity of intention and action is the mark of true faith. A true believer remembers Allah (swt) with her heart; is in awe of God’s commandments and prescriptions all the time. One’s mind, body and wealth- all will testify to devotional religious practices in everyday life: recitation of the Holy Qur’an; regular performance of the prayer; spending one’s wealth and resources secretly and openly in service of God’s cause. A public act of giving can encourage others to do the same. A person should not to be boastful; Qur’an condemns hypocrisy and show off- ‘someone who spends his wealth only to be seen by people’ (2:265; 4:39). Indeed, the true spirit of giving in religion- whether publicly or privately, is seeking only the Face of God, the approval and pleasure of God in sheer gratefulness for all that He has entrusted one with in terms of wealth and resources in this world.  ‘Those who give, out of their own possessions, by night and by day, in private and in public, will have their reward with their Lord: no fear for them, nor will they grieve’ (2:274)

Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

'Those who recite the Book of Allah, keep up the prayer, give secretly and openly from what We have provided for them, may hope for a trade that will never decline.' (Surah Al-Fatir, 35: 30)

 

Here “from what We have provided” does not just mean wealth, but also includes abilities, skills and means. So Allah is talking about those who spend from what He has provided them. They spend in secret too and openly too. Allah says that those are people who have made a transaction which shall never perish; a business or trade that will never fail. And its advantages will continue all the time. We know that in the world there are many businesses that prosper and flourish and develop but after a while, if not in the lifetime of a person, but in the lifetime of his children, the business ends and is destroyed.

 

But here Allah mentions such a business which never ends, never fails, i.e. a never-ending prosperous business. In that subject too, like I explained before, I told you that [like in this verse] spending in the path of Allah has been linked to other subjects. Otherwise, the act to just spend in itself is without any importance. There are people who sometimes give importance to people who have money and who can spend and they don’t give any importance to a person who does not have any money and who cannot spend.

 

In the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, we do not make any difference between the rich and the poor. The difference is in Taqwa only. If a poor person who is Muttaqi gives a little something [to the Jamaat – in the way of Allah], then we honour him for this financial sacrifice, even if it be little. There should not also manifest the feeling and thought that if the rich are spending, then we should not give them any importance. Importance should be given to both the rich and the poor. They both are making efforts according to their means to give in the path of Allah.

A Mosque for Allah

 

The Houses of Allah: Part 5

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I continue today my sermon on Mosques. Today I will talk about the donation of mosques and some important mosque rules which we should all bear in mind.

 

Donation of a Mosque

 

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “When a man dies, his actions come to an end except for three things: ‘Continuous Charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him’.” (Muslim)

 

The greatest example of Sadaqah Jariyah is the construction of a Mosque in the name of the deceased, the reward of which he or she will get in the Hereafter.

 

Uthman ibn Affan (ra) reported: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Whoever builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build for him a house like it in Paradise.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Power and the Doing of Good

In his Friday Sermon of 09 December 2022 ~14 Jamadi’ul Awwal 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues his series of reflections on the state of international politics, and relations. In the previous sermons in the series, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) noted the war strategies and economic rivalry of major nations in their quest for global dominance- illustrating these earthly struggles for supremacy with reference to the policies of the United States and  China, in Africa and elsewhere. In the present Sermon, Hazrat Saheb (aba) continues to expand on the broader theme by referencing China's growing global footprint in the world through developing trade and transportation linkages, maritime connectivity projects and other transnational banking and commercial linkages collectively known as 'One Belt, One Road'.  

As against the crass materialism and cut-throat quest for profit over people that is at the heart of these transnational economic initiatives,  Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) advocates that true politics of imperium should promote just dealings and benefit common people and the society at large by encouraging charitable giving and developing shared facilities. In this context, Hazrat Saheb (aba) points to some outstanding episodes from global history: the critical role played by exemplary Muslim women such as Hazrat Khadtija (ra), and also a lady of the Ottoman household in leaving an enduring legacy of beneficial giving through Waqf endowments. Both affluence and power are opportunities for doing good, especially for the indigent and other less privileged of the society. May Allah (swt) enable everyone of us to live with a wider consciousness about the state of our world, and seek to improve its situation through doing good, individually and collectively at our own levels, Insha Allah, Aameen.    

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

On 'Zakat' & 'Sadaqah'

 

Qur'anic Commandments- 6

‘And in their wealth and belongings was a rightful share for those who asked for help and for those who could not.’ (51:20)

‘Take alms out of their wealth, so that you may thereby purify them (of their evils) and enhance them in their virtuous deeds.’ (9:103)

‘…and observe Prayer, and pay the Zakāt, and set apart a goodly portion of your possessions to give for the sake of Allah. And whatever good you send on before you for your souls, you will find it with Allah. It will be better and greater in reward …’ (73:21)

‘And whoso is rid of the covetousness of his own soul–it is these who will be successful.’ (59:10)

 

‘Zakat’ is a Qur’anic injunction: an obligation on rich believers to part with a share of their resources and wealth with the needy members of society, in pursuit of individual well-being and collective development. Among numerous teachings that Islam recommends to ‘flatten’ the glaring inequities of the social order- where different classes of people live together with diverse fortunes; altruism and philanthropy are promoted through faith practices such as ‘Zakat’ and ‘Sadaqah’. Whereas Zakat denotes compulsory giving binding on all the rich, Sadaqah is voluntary giving strongly recommended on all believers who seek spiritual merit in Divine pleasure. 

The Holy Qur’an speaks about Zakat, in over 80 places; almost always join the payment of Zakat along with the observance of Prayer (Al- Salat) - both together constituting among the primary obligations of Aqeedah Islamiah.    “And they were not commanded but to serve Allah, bearing true faith in Him, (and) being upright, and to observe Prayer, and to keep on presenting the Zakat. That is the true and firm conduct of faith”. (98:6)

The payment of Zakat and Sadaqah by the believer in service of fellow humans and the society at large has many beneficial consequences. As the Holy Book notes concerning Sadaqah, “the alms are only for the poor and the needy, and for those employed in connection therewith, and for those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and for the freeing of slaves, and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer—an ordinance from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, Wise.” (9:60) 

The believer stands to benefit from these good deeds in both visible and subtle, spiritual ways: “And whatever of wealth you spend, it is for yourselves, while you spend not but to seek the favour of Allah. And whatever of wealth you spend, it shall be paid back to you in full and you shall not be wronged” (2:274)

Altruistic individuals not just stand to derive inner happiness from their generous outreach, but they also contribute to betterment of the social conditions that attract Divine forgiveness, mercy, pleasure and blessings on them and their progeny in this world and the world to come; the Qur’an alludes in so many verses: “And those who persevere in seeking the favour of their Lord, and observe Prayer, and spend out of that with which We have provided them, secretly and openly, and repel evil with good. It is these who shall have the best reward of the final abode” (13:23). Likewise, the Book of God condemns in no uncertain terms those who remain indifferent to the social obligations on payment of Zakat.

Read the Qur'anic commandments Below:

'Eid-ul-Fitr' Sermon 2019

WHAT IS EID-UL-FITR ?

Here we are gathered again by the grace of Allah for a new Eid-ul-Fitr celebration.

The word ‘Fitr’ means breaking the fast. It is from the same source that the term ‘iftar’ is also derived. Eid-ul-Fitr means the festival celebrated at the end of the fast of Ramadan. After a month of fasting, Shariah calls for a day of joy. A day when it is imperative to eat and be joyous. Fasting on this day is forbidden. (Bukhari).

It’s a moment to share love in serenity with family and friends. This is the moment when the family gathers around a table to share the symbolic breakfast that distinguishes the day of Eid from the usual days. It is reported that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) ate some dates of an odd number before going out to offer the Eid Salat.

At the time of the Prophet (pbuh), Eid was synonymous with unparalleled enthusiasm and gaiety. In fact, Eid’s days are the only festivals that Muslims can celebrate. Note that Eid is celebrated with an extra Salat. So a Muslim celebrates with more prayer thanking his Lord for all the favours He has poured upon him. It’s time to fraternize, to show generosity and to forgive. With a pure heart [upon returning from Eid prayer], we come home to spend the rest of the day with our family.

Muharram: New Islamic Year Begins

Naya Saal Mubarak!

The Islamic calendar begins with Muharram, which is considered sacred a month. Muslims today do not take into account the value of our Islamic year. The majority of them do not even know when our Islamic year begins. 

Allah (swt) says in the Quran: 

Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve (lunar) months in the register of Allah (from) the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred (that is to say, Dhul-Qaddah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab): That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. (9: 36)

Allah (swt) has given us a sacred month and year based on the Islamic calendar but unfortunately a great number of Muslims - especially here in Mauritius - do not take this into consideration, whereas on the other hand they take into great consideration the Gregorian and Christian calendar, celebrated at the end of December. So in preparation for the Gregorian year, they go shopping, and moreover, those working as officers in the public sector (Government servants) and also the private sector - hotels, factories etc. - organize parties and also receive year-end bonuses (called also, “13^th or even 14^th months” – that is, a surplus in salary amounting more than the 12-month salary scale) to celebrate the new year.

It is during this time of year (end of year - December) that we see a lot of waste. People spend their money and their all their bonuses in firecrackers, fireworks, liquor, gifts and the celebration continues until New Year’s Eve whereby many families today prefer to spend these days in hotels or to meet in a place where food - especially the barbecue - and several alcoholic beverages are available in large quantities. As for alcoholic drinks, it is true that the vast majority of Muslims do not consume this poison, but this custom does exist for people of other religious communities. For them, they must have an alcoholic drink because without it their New Year’s Eve won’t be complete! So you can imagine how much money is wasted in the weeks preceding the end of the year and the beginning of the following year - especially on the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd days of the first month (January) of the New Year, even going until the 6^th of January.

People do not realize that they must make savings. They wrongly spend their money in vain things such as in parties and preparations of the New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, Muslims also have entered into the same circle as these people. They imitate them and their customs. There are many of them who do not even perform their Tahajjud prayers and even the Fajr prayer at the prescribed time. They are too busy partying with family and friends!