In the name of Allah the Most Merciful
All praise is due to Allaah the Eternal without a beginning and the Everlasting without an end. I praise Him as a slave would praise, exalt the Oneness of the Creator, thank and prostrate, all for the sake of reaping the rewards from their Lord. May Allaah raise the rank of the Prophet of guidance, the lantern in the darkness and the ocean of abundant passion, Muhammad, the son of ^Abdullaah, the Chosen and trustworthy, and the ranks of his Al and chaste and pure Companions; and may Allaah protect his nation from what he fears for it.
Allaah the Exalted said:
“وتعاونوا على البرّ والتقوى ولا تعاونوا على الإثم والعدوان”.
This means: [Collaborate in acts of righteousness and benevolence and do not assist in acts of sin and transgression].
This is the methodology that Allaah commands his slaves to adopt, which encases their happiness, their safety, their pride, their victory, and their success. Herein, the time of Ramadan has folded and there had been a time for cooperation among believers, for exchange of visits and gifts for the sake of reward from Allaah. Whoever was able to reap from this goodness and piety has certainly achieved a happy heart and praiseworthy days.
For, the Messenger ﷺ of Allaah said:
“من صام رمضان إيمانًا واحتسابًا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه“
This means: “Whoever fasts Ramadan in faith and in sincerity, will have his past (minor) sins forgiven.”
Whoever filled his heart with faith and determination sincerely to Allaah, this will transfer to the actions of his organs, his manners, his charity, his prostrations, his attendance to the circles of knowledge. Hence, he would have extended compassion and mercy, and learnt and taught and as such acquired acts of benevolence and reward.
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said:
“بُعدًا لمن أدرك رمضان ولم يغفر له“
This means: “How far from goodness is the one who during Ramadan does not earn forgiveness from Allah”
The nation is witnessing the holy feast of ^Id al-Fitr under the weight of tragedies, loads of sedition and congested hardships on its homeland. Usurped land, lost rights and conspiracies continue to be hatched day and night, injustice has exposed its tusk and the spike of its claw, and nations afront nations have enclosed on us, snatching, as vultures on their prey.
But, our nation is the nation of Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him); the nation of patience, of resilience and of steadfastness; the nation of bidding the good and forbidding the evil.
A nation whose back is not broken by hardships nor has its might been compromised. A nation whose imam is the best Prophet ﷺ and its doctrine is the Oneness of Allaah, the Creator of the earth and heaven; and its book is the Holy Qur’an, the miracle that has continued over the years.
Our nation will rejoice in its feast even from under the rubble. Our nation will be cherished by its fasting the month of guidance and the month of the Holy Qur’an, Ramadan the blessed, in the face of hurricanes and whims.
^Eid is the day of joy for the slave in having observed an obedience to Allaah. Our feast is one of the rites of Allaah. Glorifying it is an obligation of the heart. We rejoice that we are Muslims who have fulfilled Allaah’s command and responded to what Allaah has ordained. We rejoice that we are believers, and attest that our prayers, our life, our living, and our death are all owned by Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.
On ^Eid al-Fitr, we recall Allaah’s order to cooperate in goodness and to congregate in obedience and unite in truth. Yes! unity must be in what is righteous, good and loyal to reap the acceptance of Allaah; not any unity per se. A gathering that is not for goodness and righteousness, has no benefit.
The power that is built on injustice, is not valid, and the alliance that is built on prejudice and abhorrent bias, has no foundation. For, Allaah has ordered us to collaborate on righteousness and obedience, and He ordered us to avoid cooperating in sin and aggression. Hence, what is ordained is not merely a cooperation of any type, nor is it a unity of any kind.
Let us stand on the side of truth, and victory will come to us, Allaah willing.
Let us support the right thing, and glory will come to us, Allaah willing.
Let us, O slaves of Allaah, be brothers to one another, and our brigades will rise, Allaah willing.
Let us do what we do seeking only the acceptance of Allaah, and we will receive from the blessings of this, the bounties of the world and the delights of the hereafter.
The feast of a Muslim in his home and surrounded by his family is the feast of happiness; a word of congratulations and a greeting of Islam and faith, and for our society, the happiness is to meet and council in bliss under the slogan of obedience to Allaah and His acceptance.
O ^Eid al-Fitr, come back to our nation, for we are anticipating your return; trusting that our New Year will make the past a memory and enable us to look forward to tomorrow and heed the lessons to do more acts of obedience, to meet more, to tolerate more, to obey, to humble ourselves, to lower our wing to other believers, to follow the path of reform, insisting on the pathway of truth without hesitation and holding on to the land without compromise. Indeed, justice lives in the hearts of its believers and continues to be the determination of its seekers.
Congratulations to our nation for its ^Eid and we are with Allaah’s help on the resolution of work and the promise of cooperation and openness, and Allaah is the One who facilitates success and on Him we rely.
