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Eid Sermon
13th October 2007
At Baitoul Rahma Mosque
Les Guibies, Pailles
MAURITUS
After reading the Tashahhud, the Ta’uz and the
first chapter, Al-Fatiha, of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Amirul Mo’menine
Zafrullah Domun said:
EID MOBARACK
First of all I would like to express my sincere Eid greetings of “Eid
Mobarak” to you all. But I am not going to restrict this greeting
only to members of Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Mouslemine. I extend it to the
whole Muslim umma of approximately one and a half billion souls who
inhabit the world at this present time. It is my wish and prayer that
Allah opens the heart of all Muslims so that they may understand the
Holy Quran as it should be understood in order to solve all the problems
that the Muslim world has been facing since some time.
All praise is due to Allah who, out of His infinite
Mercy has brought us back this day of Eid. Today our heart is full of
joy when we think of this great favor of Our Lord. Whatever be the amount
of thanks that we render to Him will still not be enough when we compare
with His Favors. Whilst our heart is full of joy today, we cannot forget
Him because He has brought this day back in our life. If He had wished
otherwise we may not have been here to enjoy the blessings of this day
with our friends and relatives. Therefore with our heart full of humility
and thankfulness we bow on His threshold and we praise and thank Him
for His innumerable blessings that He sends on us day and night.
THE MEANING OF THE WORD ‘EID’
The word ‘Eid’ comes from the Arabic root A ya da which
means that which comes from time to time, at regular intervals. This
word is used in Islam for the two Muslim Festivals namely, Eid ul Fitr
and Eid ul zuha. And since these are occasions of joy, at times, this
word is also used to mean joy. To the best of my knowledge this word
is used in the Holy Quran only once in the words of a prayer of Hazrat
Isa as. You may check it out in chapter 5 verse 115, since that is not
the subject of our sermon today.
Therefore we understand that the word Eid means a day of joy that comes
regularly. In fact it comes once every year or we may say twice if we
take into consideration the two Muslim festivals. Furthermore for the
Muslims Friday also is an Eid day and this one comes back every week.
In Muslim countries every Friday is a public holiday and not Sunday
as is the custom in Mauritius. I am giving these details for our young
ones so that they may be aware of these cultural differences.
THE REAL JOY OF THE MUSLIM
It is true that on Eid day we prepare very delicious dishes to eat.
And for us Mauritians usually it is a Briani. And in the morning we
prepare vermicelli and we all partake of it with great delight. During
the day the children receive Eid gifts and they buy whatever pleases
them to eat or to amuse themselves with. Furthermore they also eat and
drink a lot more than usual. In addition all those who can afford it
buy themselves new clothes for the occasion and after the prayers people
go out to meet friends and relatives. Every one does all this with great
delight in the heart. And Islam views all this with great tolerance.
All these are quite legitimate pleasures. However the Holy Quran tells
us: “Eat and drink but do not go beyond the limits”. It
means that we should not just start eating because for thirty days we
were fasting. We should eat and drink but we should not overeat to such
an extent that some persons have difficulty in standing and moving.
May Allah help each one of us to enjoy ourselves in such a way that
we win His Pleasure.
THE HOLY PROPHET’S (saw) EID
According to the Hadiths we understand that when our beloved prophet
Mohammd saw went for Eid prayer he went to pray in an open space usually
known as Eid Gah. But these days those who have the means may do it.
In this locality our sunni brothers are celebrating Eid in the nearby
football ground. Therefore our prophet saw went to the Eid Gah walking
and when he came back he took another road back home. And while he was
walking he used to recite the Takbir i.e Allaho Akbar, Allahho Akbar,
Laa Ilaha Illallaho Allaho Akbar, Allaho Akbar Wa Lillahil Hamd . The
translation , as you may know is ‘Allah is Great ! Allah is Great!
There is no one worthy of worship except Him and to Him belongs all
praise.’ And the Holy Prophet saw told us‘zuyyenou eidakoum
bit takbir’’, which means ‘embellish your Eid with
the glorification of Allah’. Therefore while proceeding to the
Eid Gah and returning from it or from the mosque we should follow in
the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (saw) and do as he did. And moreover
during the day whenever we have any free moment we should not forget
the glorification of Allah.
THE FEAR OF ALLAH ‘TAQWA’ IS VERY
IMPORTANT
Yesterday, in the Friday sermon I spoke about how Ramadan puts us on
the path to develop the fear of Allah (taqwa) in our heart. In fact,
our Beloved prophet Mohammad (saw) used to advise his companions about
the fear of Allah in his Eid sermon. I have not read any Eid sermon
of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) because I have not yet come across any
hadith that gives a summary of any of his speeches on that occasion.
I am not saying that such a hadith does not exist but I have never come
across any such one. The narrators say that the Holy Prophet advised
us on the fear of Allah. I have not read anything more precise than
this. Therefore in order to put into practice the tradition of the Holy
Prophet Mohammad (saw) I will tell you a few verses of the Holy Quran which
talk about the fear of Allah (Taqwa)
THE MEANING OF ‘TAQWA’
Usually in English we translate the word ‘taqwa’ with ‘the
fear of Allah’. In fact it has a larger and deeper meaning than
this. The word is derived from the Arabic root ‘Wa qa ya’
which means preserved, guarded, protected. And when the Arab says “ittaqa”
he means “he protected himself against; he preserved himself;
he was on his guards; he kept aloof for fear of etc”. And when
we take all these meanings into consideration we understand the word
to mean ‘to protect oneself against sins because of the fear of
Allah and also to seek refuge in Allah against sins”. Hence whenever
in our life we are confronted with a choice we should decide whether
it will increase our fear of Allah or it decreases it. Moreover we should
always see whether our thoughts, words and actions manifest more of
fear of Allah and departure from sins or do they manifest irrelevance
of the fear of Allah and boldness in committing sins. A Muslim should
always examine his thoughts, words and action in that light so that
he thinks, speaks and does everything that will increase his fear of
Allah and he will stay away from anything that will draw him away from
the fear of Allah. If you understand this well you will learn the secret
of living a successful life incha Allah.
SOME VERSES OF THE HOLY QURAN ABOUT THE FEAR
OF ALLAH
In the Holy Quran there are many verses which speak about the fear of
Allah (Taqwa). I will give you some examples just to remind you. Allah
says: “And furnish yourself with provisions and surely the best
provision is righteousness.” CH 2: 198. Although in this particular
verse Allah is speaking about the Hajj but this part of the verse can
also be taken as a general commandment for life. In fact the best thing
that we can provide ourselves with for the journey of our life is righteousness.
In another verse Allah says: “And he, who fears Allah, He will
make for him a way out. And He will provide for him whence he expects
not….. And whoso fears Allah He will provide facilities for him
in his affairs…… And whoso fears Allah, He will remove the
evil effects of his deeds and will enlarge his reward.” Ch 65
v 3-6. The history of Islam and Ahmadiyyat is full of examples where
the people have witnessed the fulfillment of these verses. I can still
mention several other verses of the Holy Quran but for the time being
we will content ourselves with only these ones. Hazrat Masih Maood (as)
has spoken lengthily on these verses in order to impress upon his followers
the importance of the messages of these verses.
THE TRAINING OF THE MONTH OF RAMADAN
As I have explained before, Allah has prescribed fasting for us so that
we may take Him as our shield against sins and also that out of fear
for Him we guard ourselves from sinning. And yesterday, in the Friday
sermon I spoke about this subject. And I do not intend to repeat what
I said yesterday. But I have to stress that as a jamaat, there is something
that all of us should not neglect or ignore. We should do our best to
continue to practice the virtues that we have been practicing during
the month of Ramadan. Most of us during these past thirty days we have
been waking up for our third-part-of-the-night prayers (tahajjud). We
have been very regular in reading the Holy Quran. We have been reading
almost all our obligatory prayers in congregation. In addition we have
prayed the Tarawih prayers and other voluntary prayers. Furthermore
we have kept away from lies and we have striven to deal with all people
in a very humble way. We did also our best to help the poor and the
needy. We also strived to the utmost to practice the remembrance of
Allah and regularly we asked forgiveness for our sins with the hope
that Allah will forgive us. Moreover there are some amongst us who may
have practiced some other virtues. Now that Ramadan has ended, there
is only one of these virtues that is no longer obligatory, namely fasting.
All the other virtues should become part and parcel of our life without
of course making any exaggeration in any manner. If you do so incha
Allah, you will get that successful life that Allah has promised to
the true believers. You will live in peace, prosperity both here and
in the hereafter. It is my humble prayer that Allah opens your heart
so that you may understand the words of wisdom that I am telling you
incha Allah.
And once again “Eid Mobarak” to all of you.
Ameen
SECOND SERMON
After the sermon incha Allah we will pray. But before I tell you of
the list of people for whom we need to pray, I would like to share with
you some revelations that I received recently. I will not be able to
tell about all of them. I will mention only some or else the list will
be too long. I will read them in Arabic and then I will give you its
translation.
Ya ayyohal lazina amanou hal adoullokoum ala tejaratin tounjikoum min
azabin alim. Toumenouna billahé wa rasouléhi wa tojahedouna
fi sabilillahé bé amwalekoum wa anfosekoum. Zaalekoum
khayroul lakoum in kountoum ta’lamoune
Translation: O ye who believe! Shall I point out to you a commerce which
will deliver you from a painful punishment? That you believe in Allah
and His Messenger And strive in the cause of Allah with your wealth
and your persons. That is better for you if you did but know.
These are verses 11 and 12 of chapter 61 of the Holy Quran. I received
them as they are. I understand that this is a reminder to all of us
of what is most important in life. We should strive in the cause of
Allah not only with our wealth but in person also. Everyone should make
a contribution. The task of delivering the message of Allah is not confined
to one or two persons. May Allah enable each one of us to contribute
more to His Cause.
The next revelation is ‘‘Ya Mobassher salaam ho toum par
’’ which means “o you who brings good news !peace
be upon you”. This is a revelation that Hazrat Masih Maood (as) received.
If you reflect upon it you may understand its importance.
Another one is ‘‘ Nasroum minallahé wa fathoun
qarib. Wa bassheril mo’menine’’. It means
“Help from Allah and a Victory that is near; give glad tidings
to those who have believed.”
Another one of which I spoke to you about yesterday
is ‘ Inni ja’eloka shahedaw wa mobassheraw wa
nazira wa daiyan elallahé bé iznéhi wa sirajam
munira’. The translation is “ I have
made you a witness and a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner and a summoner
unto Allah by His command and as a light giving lamp”.
This time I received these words. But previously I received the words
as they are found in Chapter 33:46-47.
In another revelation I received “ Hai ajab mere khoda mujh pé
hai ehsaan tera” which I may translate as follows : “ How
astonishing are your favours upon me ! O my Lord ». This is a
verse from a poem of Hazrat Masih Maood (as).
Again in another revelation Allah said to me “Narfa’o darajaatim
mimman nashaao min ebaadena” which means “We raise in rank
whomsoever we want amongst our servants”.
By the Grace of Allah I can tell you some more, but for the time being
these should be sufficient to prove the words of Hazrat Masih Maood
(as) true when he said:
Wo khoda ab bhi banaata jissé cha hé kalim
Ab bhi oussé bolta hai jiss sé wo karta hai pyar
The translation of these verses is: "Even today that God
can make he whom He pleases someone to whom He speaks. Even today He
speaks with the one He loves.
It is quite unfortunate that in the presence of such
words of the Promised Messiah (as), the bulk of his Jamaat is of the
opinion that what we are saying is of no importance because they have
khilafat with them. My humble advice to all of them is that they start
reading the teachings of Hazrat Ahmad (as) from his original writings
so that they may be enlightened about what Allah is saying to me and
where do I fit within His system.
Anyhow to conclude I would say that words fail me to
express my gratitude to Allah for all the favours that He has been showering
upon me. Please pray for me that I do my best to do what I have been
asked to do. I will also incha Allah pray for you all that Allah may
open your heart so that you may progress in God-fearingness and the
knowledge of Allah.
In our prayers let us remember the following: The elders
within the Jamaat; May Allah give them health and make their end full
of blessings; those who have died; May Allah forgive them and elevate
their ranks. Let us also remember those who are sick amongst us; May
Allah cure them and grant them good health. In brief let us remember
all those who in one way or other have some difficulties and let us
pray to Allah that He helps them and grant them peace of mind. May Allah
open our enemies’ heart so that they may recognize what He has
sent for them. May Allah help each one of us to become His devoted servants
and that we strive our best to spread His word around incha Allah.
Ameen.
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