The Ceremonial Khutba for Eid Al Fitr 2008
The ceremonial khutba of Mufti sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin in the Moscow Cathedral mosque at the day of Eid Al Fitr
1 Shawwal 1429
September 30, 2008
Assalamu Aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu! Peace be upon you, the Mercy and Blessings of Allah! Dear brother and sisters, dear co-believers! Dear countrymen!
The celebratory day has come – “Eid Al Fitr” – “Uraza Bayram”. The Holy month of Ramadan has ended, the month in which the Holy Quran was bestowed as the guidance for people and explanation of the right true way and distinction.
The believers – the Muslims from all around the world have performed one of the main acts of worship – one of the five pillars of Islam and the obligations of Muslims – the fasting in the month of Ramadan. This is the feast of happiness from realization of the fulfilled duty, of the happy time of appropriation of sincerity and harmony of soul, the true aspiration for spiritual purification and harmony.
We have fulfilled the fard – the obligation in front of Allah who told us in the Holy Quran:
In the name of Russia Mufties Council and Religious boards of Muslims of our country I congratulate all my co-believers Muslims of Russia and the Commonwealth countries with the celebrations of the end of the Great fast of the holy month of Ramadan – “Eid al Fitr” – “Uraza Bayram”!
I pray the Almighty to accept our Fast and all pietistic deeds, pray for the forgiveness of our sins and of the reward with Jannah promised and for the defense from the flame of the Hell.
Dear brothers and sisters!
In connection with the “Eid al-Fitr” celebrations
numerous congratulations come to our address. With great pleasure I pass you the
congratulation from
the President of the
To the Muslims of
I congratulate the Muslims of
It is comforting that in the XXI century and religious life of the Russian Muslims become more rich and diversified. And our contribution to the strengthening of social consent becomes more and more significant.
I am sure that you will continue to preserve the faith and contribute to the development of interconfessional dialogue.
We received congratulation to the name of the Muslims of
Russia from the Prime Minister of the
Dear Mufti!
From my heart I congratulate you with the Feast Uraza Bayram (Eid Al Fitr), celebration the end of the Holy month of Ramadan.
Examination with fats has passed and Muslims, strengthened in their faith, meet this holy celebration – the feast of moral improvement, the human strive for kindness and piety. It is comforting that Uraza Bayram is celebrated on the scene of positive changes in the Muslim community of
In the day of the Feast I wish you, your family and all the Russian Muslims well-being, good health, and success in your kind deeds.
Vladimir Putin
And also we received the Congratulation from the President of the
Dear mufti Ravil hazrat!
Heartedly I congratulate you and in you name all Muslims of the
The day of breakfasting, fulfilling the time of fasting which is demanding for every Muslim, brings in itself the happiness of the strengthening of faith, acquiring the new spiritual experience and the inner harmony. May everything we have done of the way of spiritual self-improvement bring its blessed fruit and the Uraza Bayram multiply our life forces and inspire for new wonderful deeds.
To the Russian Muslims who have been living peacefully neighbouring with the representatives of other religions, have always possessed such qualities as religious tolerance, the inspiration for peace and the care for the neighbour. I have no doubts that the unique moral and cultural potential of the Russian Islam will continue to contribute to the preservation of civil peace, interreligious and interconfessioanl agreement in the
In these festive days with all my heart I wish you and all the Russian Muslims health, happiness, well-being and success in all good undertakings.
M.Sh. Shaymiev – the President of the
Sincerely I thank for the congratulations and kind words to the address of Russian Muslims from the mayor of Moscow Yuriy Mikhaylovich Luzhkov, the heads of the Republics and regions, and everyone who sent the congratulations to the celebration of the High day.
Each of us, who performed fasting in the month of Ramadan realized the sense of the words said by the Prophet Muhammad Mustafa salallahu aleihi wa sallaym in the hadith kudsi:
“Each of the deeds of the
For a believer the fast is both obligation and challenge. It is also the thread between him and his Creator, the Merciful and Gracious Allah. The fast can be only between the believer and Allah, and only for Allah’s sake and for achievement of His Mercy and Blessings.
The Prophet Muhammad salallahu aleihi wa sallaym said: “There is no deed more precious and reward worthy than the fast!” (Hadith from Sunan Nasai)
In the long days and short nights of Ramadan fast performing from the morning darkness before the appearance of the dawn and till the evening darkness, till the sunset, it is not easy to refuse from a piece of food and a drop of water. This is the challenge of our faith, our devotion, our patience for the sake of the future reward.
The Prophet Muhammad Mustafa salallahu aleihi wa sallyam told the believers the happy news: “the one who gives up the food and water due to the fasting , Allah will feed him from the heaven garden and will dive to drink from the heaven springs” (Kanz Al Ummal’, 3/328).
By performing fast, fostering devotion is our solves, strengthening the faith and cleaning our flesh and nature, and – what is more important – by cleansing our souls in the Holy month of Ramadan we tries to devote more time to reading and learning the Holy Quran, making additional prayers, tries to show mercy and piety to the others, to be more generous and more kind to all people surrounding us, tries to do as much kind deeds as possible, beware of enmity and sins.
We know that Allah Merciful and Gracious will repay us for all this. Our good deeds will be accepted by Him, our dua and prayers will be heard by him and sins will be forgiven
It is the Prophet of All h who promised us:
“Quran and the Fasting in the Doomsday will be our defenders by the Mercy of Allah”
“And when the Doomsday comes, the man’s fasting will address the Allah with an appeal for defense and will say: “Ya rabbi! Till the late evening I didn’t allow him to eat and to drink neither to receive pleasure. So may you forgive him for my sake.” And then Allah the Almighty will accept these prayers and will allow to defend the man who observed fasting in his life on the Earth.” (At-Tergyib, 2/84)
And it is promised to the believer that he will see the fruits of his devotion, his good deeds and prayers for the sake of His Creator, the Master of the Worlds after his leave from the earth life and coming back to Allah the Almighty.
My dear co-believers!
Brothers and sisters!
Alahu Ta’alaa said in the Holy Quran:
“It is We who control life and death ” (15:23).
“We created the human being from aged mud, like the potter's clay” (15:26).
After creation the human being Allah embreathed spirit into the body. And the spirit gave him superiority over all other creatures.
It is true that the man consists of the flesh – the body and the spirit. The essence of human’s flesh is mainly his instincts and wishes. The other par of human being is the spirit (soul), that resembles him what he had been created for. The spirit calls him upon doing good deeds, be aware of evil and sins.
In all times scientists theologists considered that if through times the influence of the spirit on the man weakens or if the flesh attains power over the soul, the man can fall into the Abaddon of earth pleasures and lust.
He will not take into account neither common sense nor the frames put by the faith and religion and moral values. All his thoughts will be devoted to search of new entertainments and the means for satisfying his desires. And everything but food, drink and the scorn for entertainment will be forgotten by the man.
The Holy Quran says about such people: “As for those who disbelieve, they live and eat like the animals eat, then end up in the hellfire. ” (47:12).
It is the fast that is being observed devotedly that can help a man control his vile feelings. The desires of the flesh, the nafs move towards sins and destruction.
Dear brothers and sisters!
The Holy Quran teaches us: The sky and the Earth and all that is in them is given for the man’s disposal. Allah the almighty filled the Earth with thousands of welfares and appointed a man his halith on the Earth.
And Allah , having given all this to the man’s disposal, demanded:
“Don’t disseminate evil, don’ make destruction on the Earth after everything is set to order!”
“I did not create the jinns and the humans except to worship Me alone. ” (51:56)
My dear adherents!
By demanding from his creature – a man – obedience, devotion, Allah set the rituals of worshipping. Worshipping – is making strong connection between a man and his Creator. After pronouncing the word of faith and believing with all the heart and mind, the believer strengthens the pillars of his faith.
Salah is a pillar of Islam, Fasting is the of the spirit, and zakah- the payment of the obligatory donation – is the pillar of society. This means that it is difficult to preserve faith without prayer, to preserve clean soul in devotion without fasting and to create strong society without zakah.
Due to the fasting in Ramadan a man enriches his social life. Staring the fast together by gathering in the mosques, united met the beginning of the month of Ramadan, tried to perform collective prayers Taravikh, together participated in iftars – the fast breaking, celebrated the “Night of Power and Determination” - “Leylat – Al- Qadr”, strengthened between each other friendly brotherly relations, disseminated brotherly love, respect and friendship.
Prophet Muhammad Mustafa salallahu aleihi wa sallyam said:
“Believer for a believer is like a house, the walls of which are fastened by the wood and brick, they support and foster each other, serve as pillar for each other.”
Another hadith informs us of the words of the Prophet salallahu aleihi wa sallyam:
“the believers are similar to a unanimous body. In case one part of the body aches, all the body responds to this pain and shares it” .
Dear adherents, brothers and sisters!
Uraza Bayram has another important religious dictation. On the eve of the holiday Muslims make donations for the needs of the poor and needy people, the donations is called “zakyat al-Fitr” or “sadakat al-Fitr”.
Due to the means accumulated by the zakyat, many important problems are being solved in the Muslims countries, medical treatment is being made to the poor, the elderly and needy people receive assistance and help. The fast remind us of the existence of the poor and the needy and calls us for piety.
My dear brothers and sisters, dear adherents!
The present years – the year 2008 is announced the year of a family.
The family is the base of the society. It is well said: family is a social unit. It is in the family that the personality forming begins, the development of views on the surrounding world and the events in it starts.
The parents’ word accompany a man since babyhood, through childhood and youth. In most early years the human qualities are being formed , with the mother’s milk the love for the native home to the small motherland, to the Motherland and the Country is engrained.
Since childhood, the school and parents are to bring up respect to culture, traditions and religion not only towards own nation, but also towards the nations who leave nearby, the neighbours. In spite of the difference in the colour of the skin and hear, language and culture and religion – we all are the citizen of one united state. Our fathers and grandfathers together built and created our state, protected from the enemy, created the great history of the Motherland.
Nowadays many concepts are being rethought. Again and again attempts are being made to rewrite the history of our state. In some of the books on history whole centuries of our history are missed or distorted, sometimes tell stories are written and accents are being put that humiliate whole nations. Such distortions are ruinous from the point of view of the truth, and, what is not less important, are harmful for the process of upbringing the generations of Russian people.
We must bring up our children so that they do not dream of leaving their country and trying to find their fate abroad. “the one who breaks relations with his relatives will not enter the Heaven” , - said our Prophet aleihis-salyam.
We have no right to forget our history, we must not be ashamed of our history. There have been different pages in it. We shouldn’t cross out or conceal the events that are being given other evaluation nowadays. We also have glorious pages, examples of heroic deeds that we shouldn’t forget about,. That make us proud of our history and our country.
Today in the new democratic surroundings
Russian people today have all ground for being proud of their Motherland. It is important to save the unity of
Every call, every word addressed for a man, each testament are the instruction and upbringing. Not less important than the important words is the example set up by the parents. In the most early years , in a family, the child learns such ideas as fatherhood and motherhood, love and respect of children towards their parents and of the parents towards their children. All this will help a man to create his own family in the future, based on love and fidelity.
Father as the head of the family must realize the responsibility in front of the family. He is the support for all the relatives, is the headbringer and protector. Father must provide for his family financially, be shrewd and hardworking.
Mother – the wife – is the keeper of hearth and home. She is beside her husband, beside the strong shoulders of her husband. She is protected and financially seducer. She creates the warmness and comfort in the house, surrounds the family members with love and kindness. Mother brings up children, starts to form personality of a man.
Family takes care of the elderly people, surround them with attention and generosity of soul.
It is said in the Holy Quran:
“You shall never say to them, "Uff" (the slightest gesture of annoyance), nor shall you shout at them; you shall treat them amicably.” (17:23)
Our children watch our attitude towards our parents. And when we get older, we shall see the same attitude towards us from our children. It is important to create in our families the atmosphere of love, attentions, care and kindness.
All these are the instructions from Allah the almighty, of the Holy quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad salallahu aleihi wa sallaym.
For Muslims brought up ob the teachings of the Quran, the ideas of “native land” and “motherland of the antecedents” in all times have been sacred.
For us
in all times our motherland is
In tragic August events of this year, when the peacefully sleeping people faced the tragedy in the result of the Georgian – Oseti conflict, the war, in which blood was spilled of innocent children, old men and women. The first who came to defend Tskhinvali and the peacemakers were the military men, the protectors of the interests of the Motherland the Muslims of the battalion “Vostok”
Thanks
to their heroism hundreds and thousands of lives were saved, the peaceful
citizens, old people and women were able to leave the city and to find
protection in the
In his speech of September 19th at the meeting with the religious and public figures, our president special attention paid to understanding of the word “patriotism”. “Patriotism is now nationalism!”, he stressed.
The true patriotism implies taking into account the interests of all the people of the country, regardless of their nationality or religion.
Patriotism is today’s power
of the peaceful empire, it is the whole history of the country, that has been
made by hard work and won in difficult battles the peoples living on the
territory of the Russian Federation. We, the peoples of
We do not mix the ideas of patriotism and nationalism. Nationalism is a shameful feeling that serves to limitation of the human’s interests. In all times it leads to corruption in society, weakening and even collapse of a state.
Patriotism is something that helps to unite the nations in front of the danger from abroad as well as inside the country.
Dear countrymen, brothers and sisters!
The
last Friday of Ramadan we, Muslims spend as the day of solidarity with the
Palestinian people. Last week the UN General Assembly condemned the
We,
Muslims of Russia, express solidarity and call for quicker recognition of
sovereignty and state independence of
In the
blessed days of the Eid Al-Fitr we pray Allah the Almighty to settle peace and
calmness on the lands of
Dear countrymen, co-believers, brothers and sisters!
I pray Allah subhanahu wa Taala to grant us peace and happiness, health and success, mercy and well-being! I wish that you deserved His Blessings and Pardon.
I pray the Almighty for his Mercy to all the ones who are on the right way.
In this blessed day of Eid Al-Fitr I want to complete my celebration khutba woht the prayer of our Prophet Muhammad salyallahu aleihi was-salyam who addressed the Almighty in one of hi prayers with the following words: “I resort to your Mercy, my God, from the illness and laziness, from the cowardice and greediness, from anility and the martyrdom in the grave. Our Creator Allah, grant my flesh devotion and purify it. It is you who is the best Purifier. You are the true Master and Lord. My Lord, I resort to Your Mercy from the desires of nafs that can’t be sated, from the prayer that will now be heard.” (At-Tirmizi)
May our fast and all good deeds be accepted by Allah the Almighty. May all our kind prayers and wishes come true! May Allah send us well-being in this world and thereafter! May Allah grant us and our families peace and happiness! And may peace and well-being be in our beloved country –
