Hajj & 'Eid Ul Adha'

 

Assalamoualaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakaatuhu. 

Eid Mubarak!

 

When we speak of Hajj, we commemorate the immense sacrifice of two prophets in human history who attained the highest level of love for Allah. These prophets are Ibrahim (as) and Isma’il (as).

 

The sacrifice of our forefather Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and his only son at the time – Hazrat Isma’il (as) – [before the birth of Ishaq (as)] is a central event in Islamic history. It is remembered every year during Eid-ul-Adha. Allah tested Ibrahim’s faith and devotion by commanding him in a dream to sacrifice his son Isma’il (as). This event is mentioned in the Holy Quran:

 

“Then when (the child) reached the age to walk with him, (Ibrahim) said, ‘O my son, I have seen in a dream that I am sacrificing you. See then what you think.’ He replied, ‘O my dear father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, among the steadfast.’” (As-Saffat, 37: 103)

The Israel- Palestine conflict

Hamas & the PLO- Fatah

 

The Israel-Palestine conflict remains one of the most pressing and deeply entrenched crises in modern history. Palestinians have a legitimate right to live in peace in the land they have inhabited for centuries. However, the colonialist Zionist enterprise has systematically deprived them of their basic human rights, confiscating land and expelling native inhabitants to make way for Jews born in America, Europe, and other parts of the world. Israel has established an apartheid system against the native Palestinian Arabs, with laws protecting Jewish citizens exclusively while offering no legal safeguards for non-Jewish populations - yet it still prides itself on being the only democracy in the region.

Islam: A Way of Life

Islam as a Deen, Not just a Religion

Islam is not merely a religion (Mazhab) centred on worship and rituals; rather, it is a complete way of life (Deen) that governs all aspects of human existence. Unlike Mazhab, which allows people to practice rituals freely alongside their occupations, Deen establishes moral, ethical, and legal principles that govern human behaviour in every domain – personal, social, economic, and political.

 

The Quran defines Islam as a Deen rather than a Mazhab: “Indeed, the religion (Deen) in the sight of Allah is Islam.” (Ali-Imran 3: 20)

 

This distinction is essential because Deen ensures that every action aligns with divine principles rather than personal whims or desires. For example, whereas some religions separate faith from governance, Islam integrates spirituality with justice, social responsibility, and legal systems, ensuring that no human activity contradicts divine laws.

Divine Union in Islam

Union with Allah 

The experience of union with Allah, as I have already mentioned in my previous sermon, is profoundly spiritual and transcends human understanding, to the extent that it cannot even be described in words. A person who experiences a connection with Allah will find that the words they (i.e. he or she) use (uses) to describe this experience do not truly capture the depth of what they have lived through spiritually. It is something that the person – the believer – feels and experiences personally, yet cannot fully explain. Only those who have personally gone through this deep connection can truly understand it, and even they struggle to convey the essence of this extraordinary experience to others.