Eid-ul- Adha Sermon 2025

Serious Advice for the Ummah

All of us today in our Eid Gah or in our Masjids are performing Salat-ul-Eid (Eid-ul-Adha) and listening to the Eid Khutba, while waiting for those among us who have the means to perform Qurbani today, just as Allah has commanded the believers who have the means and are not in debt to perform sacrifice in order to acquire His pleasure. Yes, of course, today is the greatest Eid for the Muslim Community; but in this moment of joy, in the Eid celebration, there is also sadness because of the division of the Muslim Ummah [Ummat-e-Muhammadiyya (pbuh)], a division which did not exist when our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was alive. Of course, he too went through troubling trials with his own disciples, especially with the hypocrites, but also with the adversaries of Islam who were constantly trying to overthrow Islam for their own benefit. Yet the Prophet (pbuh) taught an undeniable truth for the victory of Islam: the unity of his followers upon the path of Allah and strict obedience to his instructions.

 

In commemorating the sacrifice of our ancestors Hazrat Ibrahim (as), Isma’il (as) and Muhammad (pbuh), today more than ever, we must not forget those instructions.

The Hidden Meaning of Ramadan

  

Fasting in general is filled with many benefits. It does not only bring physical benefits, but also spiritual benefits, hidden benefits. Ramadan is a month in which the hidden truth within the soul is given an opportunity to manifest. It is an opportunity that Allah grants to each of His believing servants to change, to reform, to reflect upon their past mistakes and sins, and to approach Allah with repentance in the hope of acquiring His forgiveness. Whoever Allah forgives during the sacred month of Ramadan is given by Allah a new beginning, a new chance to prove themselves in the world.

 

The benefits of fasting are great, but the fast of Ramadan is greater still, because here lies the question of obedience and recognition that this month, as Allah has revealed, is a month filled with blessings. Thus, whoever observes the fast of Ramadan obtains an inner unveiling of their soul: all their sins or mistakes that they once thought small and without consequence take on a great magnitude in their own eyes, and they truly realise how wrong they were and they ask Allah for forgiveness. And Allah loves the one who becomes conscious of themselves, of their mistakes and sins, and turns towards Him. This is why Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) taught his wife Hazrat Aisha (ra) to recite often: Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun, tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa‘fu ‘anni – O Allah, You are Forgiving, You love to forgive, so forgive me.

The Benefits of Ramadan Fasting

  

Ramadan does not only mean abstaining from eating and drinking, but it is also a complete transformation that touches faith, society, health and spirituality. Whoever practises it with sincerity gets inner discipline, succeeds in drawing closer to Allah, develops a solid brotherhood with the Ummah – his Muslim brothers and sisters – and attains a sure means to purify his body and his soul. The Holy Qur’an and Sunnah have shown us several categories of benefits of Ramadan, and I will cite some of them before you:

 

(1) Taqwa (Fear of Allah) 

 

Allah says in the Qur’an: “O you who have believed, fasting (Roza) has been prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa.” (Al-Baqara 2: 184)

The Shahada- 2

  

Shahada, that is, the testimony: Laa Ilaaha illallaahu Muhammadur-Rasullullah, is not merely a formula of faith; it is a complete commitment that Allah demands from a believer, so that he establishes only Allah alone in his heart as his Lord, his God, and that he does not worship any other things, or people, or animals, or claim that these are gods alongside Allah. This person must be conscious that when he pronounces these words, that Allah alone is worthy of worship, not others, and NOT EVEN THE PROPHETS whom Allah sent upon the earth.

 

That is why Shahada is in two phases: first, to believe in Allah and worship Him alone, and second, to believe in Muhammad (pbuh), His Prophet, His Messenger. Here, what is important to retain is that Allah makes it clear: Beware! I alone am worthy of worship – you must pray to Me alone. My Messenger Muhammad (pbuh), just like all the prophets and messengers before him and even those who will come after him, are only human beings who come from Me to show you the path that will lead you to Me.