إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا ، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلا مُضِلَّ لَهُ ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلا هَادِيَ لَهُ ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَن لا إِلَهَ إِلا اللَّهَ وَحْدَه لا شَريْكَ لَهْ – وَأشْهَدُ أنَّ مْحَمّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُـه – فَصَلَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيهِ وَعَلَى آلهِ وأَصْحَابِهِ وَ مَنْ تَبِعَهُم بِإحْسَانٍ إلَى يَوْمِ الدِّين
All praises are due to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His help and we ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our souls and from our sinful deeds. Whoever Allah guides, no one can misguide. And whoever Allah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is His servant and messenger. Peace and blessings of Allah upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.
Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illallah. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar; wa lillahil hamd.
My dear brothers and sisters! Alhamdulillah, we have gathered here this morning on this blessed day of Eid to glorify, praise, and thank Allah (SWT) for His infinite blessings, bounties, favors and mercy upon us. Eid is a day of peace and thanksgiving, a day of forgiveness and moral victory, a day of good harvest and remarkable achievements, and a day of festive remembrance of Allah (SWT). We thank Allah (SWT) for giving us the will, the strength and the endurance to observe fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
Brothers and sisters! Allah (SWT) has guided us to Islam, and without His guidance we would be lost. We are among the most blessed people for the simple reason that we have been guided to Islam.
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ
“The deen (the way of life) in the sight of Allah is Islam.” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:19)
Allah (SWT) has brought us together as a Muslim ummah, and we have gathered here today only for His sake. Our differences in color, race, nationalities or cultural backgrounds do not divide us from being an ummah; a community of believers. As members of the ummah of Muhammad (SAW), we bear the responsibility to live Islam as our way of life.
Islam is essentially about one’s willful submission to Allah (SWT). Both men and women are appointed by Allah as His trustees on earth. We have been given this trust from Allah, and it is our responsibility to care for it. We must not forget that we will all be asked on the Day of Judgment what we did with our time. What did we do for the sake of Allah while we were alive? How did we spend our time, wealth, health, knowledge and other resources that Allah (SWT) has entrusted us as a gift. How have we tried to make our ummah stronger?
The spirit of Islam is to nurture and strengthen our conscience and to prepare us as better human beings so that we can live at peace with ourselves and spread peace amongst others. Our world desperately needs harmony and peace through justice. Harmony, peace and justice are essential ingredients for our stewardship of the world.
More often than not, we tend to forget the spirit of religion and, over time, change them into mechanical rituals, perhaps because human beings are very prone to ritualizing religion. Take the case of the month-long fasting in Ramadan, a unique practice that Allah (SWT) has prescribed for the believers. During Ramadan, we fasted for Allah. We fasted to show our love and obedience to Allah. We fasted not just with our stomachs, but also with our ears, eyes, tongue and heart. We tried to avoid everything that would displease Allah. We fasted so that Allah would count us amongst His obedient, beloved servants.
Now that Ramadan is over we should have cultivated a heightened sense of taqwa—a cautious, awe-inspired awareness of Allah. In this spiritual state, it’s crucially important that we do not slip back into undesirable habits that we might have had before Ramadan. We have to try hard to prolong this state of nearness to Allah. Alhamdulillah, for one whole month we managed to control our ego that inclines us towards evil (an-nafs al ammara bis su’). We tried to restrain our anger and tried to get rid of arrogance, showing-off, stinginess, and other diseases of the spiritual heart. Numerous times, the Qur’an alludes to the spiritual heart. Describing the Day of Judgment, it says,
يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ () إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
“It is the Day when neither wealth nor children can benefit anyone except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart” (ash-Shu’ara’ 26:88-89). And in Surat Qaf, we have
مَنْ خَشِيَ الرَّحْمَنَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَجَاءَ بِقَلْبٍ مُنِيبٍ () ادْخُلُوهَا بِسَلَامٍ ذَلِكَ يَوْمُ الْخُلُودِ
“The one who feared the All-Merciful in the Unseen and came with a heart turned to devotion. So enter it in peace. This is the Day of everlasting Life”(Qaf 50:33-34).
Let’s continue to cultivate taqwa, by trying to be God-conscious in everything we do. Let’s keep the spirit of Ramadan alive. Let’s fast the six days of Shawwal. Indeed, blessed are those who follow the Prophet’s Sunnah of fasting on Mondays and Thursdays every week. In one hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said,
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ أَحَبَّ الْعَمَلِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَدْوَمُهُ وَإِنْ قَلَّ
“And bear this in mind that the deed loved most by Allah is one which is done constantly even though it is small.” Let us not belittle even the smallest good action. Small good actions repeated often, grow into good habits, and good habits cultivate good character. A good character produces the sound heart that will benefit on the Day of Judgment.
If our external change in behavior and daily routine in Ramadan does not bring inner change, we must ask whether our fasting has really been accepted by Allah (SWT). It is crucial that we employ the powerful tool of muhasaba, or self-monitoring to assess our deeds, inside and outside Ramadan. This is achieved by being honest with ourselves. Honest self-criticism is an important way to purify our souls. Purification of the soul leads to success.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا
“Truly he has succeeded who purifies it (i.e. the soul). And truly, he has failed who corrupts it.” (al-Shams, 91:9-10)
It is important that we discover our worth as human beings and use the gift of time to stay away from loss. Let us re-dedicate our lives to the cause of humanity, which is the best way to demonstrate our love of Allah (SWT). Let us resolve that our energies are directed towards strengthening a society based on mutual respect, brotherly love, and universal understanding.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
My dear brothers and sisters! It is true that there is a lot of anti-Islamic propaganda today, but we should be thankful to Allah (SWT) that there are still a very large number of people who have goodwill towards us and who want to know more about our faith. Let us build on this trust. Let us use whatever freedom we have and whatever opportunities we find to help others to know us, to know about the universal values of Islam. On his arrival at Madinah from Makkah during hijrah, the Prophet Muhammad’s first speech summed up a Muslim’s life. He set out a full mission statement for us, in these simple words:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ وَصِلُوا الأَرْحَامَ وَصَلُّوا بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ بِسَلاَمٍ
“O people, spread peace, feed the poor, keep your family ties, pray during the night when people are sleeping and you will enter paradise with peace.”
Allah will always care for us as long as we care for His creation. We can and must help our brothers and sisters in Islam, as well as our brothers and sisters in humanity. Let us support charities. Let us also help local groups who are feeding the hungry and homeless, as well as those who work to demystify Islam; who build bridges of understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.
We must also pay special attention to the next generation of Muslims growing up here. They need good upbringing and extensive Islamic education. We must protect them from the wrong influences of drugs, violence, immoral behavior, and the evils that are negatively affecting our youth globally. We must give them knowledge, give them hope, give them love and care, and do our best to keep them on the path of Allah (SWT).
My dear brothers and sisters! Let us keep the spirit of Ramadan and the spirit of Eid alive among us. Let us strengthen our bond with our Creator and with each other. Let us be more united. Let us become more and more committed to righteousness in our own lives, in the lives of our families, and in the society in which we live. While we celebrate Eid, let us not forget our Muslim brothers and sisters who are deprived of the joy of the festival on account of their sufferings due to senseless wars, oppressions, and injustices, and those who have become victims of extremism and sectarianism. May Allah make for them a way out of their distress and grief.
May Allah protect us, our families, our communities, and our society. May Allah keep us on the right path, and guide us to live in peace, and to spread the message of peace and justice in the world. O Allah! Bless this land and its people, and the entire humanity. Ameen Ya Rabb al-‘Aalameen.
I will conclude with a Hadith Qudsi. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “Once people come out of Eid prayer, Allah (SWT) says, “O my servants, you fasted and held prayer for me. Return back to your homes while you have been forgiven.” Congratulations to you and your families. Barak Allahu Feekum. May the blessings of Allah (SWT) keep your hearts happy and your homes happy.
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
