The religious leader of Russian Muslims, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, congratulated Muslims on Eid al-Adha and wished peace and prosperity to everyone, asking the Almighty to grant His mercy to those who do good deeds.

My dear brothers and sisters,

On behalf of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, the Russian Muftis Council, all our employees and myself, I cordially congratulate all of you on the great holiday of Eid al-Adha!

Eid Mubarak! I wish happy Eid to Russian Muslims, to our brothers and sisters in the CIS countries and to all people who believe in One God and the prophecy of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)!

We celebrate this holiday in a state of spiritual uplift, striving with all our hearts towards the contentment of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, for the word "Qurban" means closeness to God.

The holiday of Eid al-Adha and the historical events behind it represent the greatest edification to all people until the end of times. The courage and humility of Ibrahim (Abraham), the forefather of Jews, Christians and Muslims, are a lesson to all mankind. Through the story of Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them both), Allah clearly showed that He does not like human sacrifice in the name of religion. The Almighty replaced these sacrifices with the slaughter of animals.

As the Holy Qur'an says: “Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you.”(Holy Quran, 22:37). The meat of the slaughtered animal is to be shared with your family, loved ones, neighbours and those in need around us.

The best way to come closer to Allah and show your obedience to Him is to do good deeds, to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and friendship. This is what a true Muslims should be like: he should bring peace, security, mercy and support.

Today in order to be safe we have to limit our face-to-face communication and avoid gathering together. I am sure that my fellow believers around the world have correctly understood the restrictions imposed on the celebration of Eid al-Adha and the performance of the Hajj, since they meet the criterion outlined by the Prophet (peace be upon him): "A Muslim is the one who avoids harming Muslims with his tongue and hands" ( Bukhari).

In this day we are full of gratitude and humility, we put on or best clothes and spend this holiday with our loves ones with smiles on our faces and joy in our souls.

I sincerely congratulate you on Eid al-Adha! May Allah accept the sacrifice of all our brothers and sisters, and may He forgive us all our sins and accept our sincere prayers, may He grant peace and prosperity to every home!

May the Almighty protect us from the coronavirus, heal the sick, grant health and strength to medical workers, wisdom to our rulers, and may He give peace and harmony to Russia and the whole world!

Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin,
Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation and the Russian Muftis Council