Dear brothers and sisters!

We are entering the blessed season - the period of three consecutive months of the Muslim calendar - rajab, shaban and ramadan, the essence of which is the continuous and progressive improvement of our morals, spiritual purification and approach to Allah Almighty. The month of Rajab, which comes on 31 December 2024 at sunset, is also among the four forbidden months mentioned by the Creator in His scripture, the Holy Quran. During this month, we should shun everything sinful, self-serving, any cruelty and injustice with special diligence.

Our task during these blessed months is self-education, which is achieved by purifying our thoughts, feelings, intentions and our deeds from all that is foul, unworthy, from lies, insincerity, cowardice and cowardice. Only purification of our hearts from all impurities, not real, momentary with trust in Allah, drawing near to Him and seeking His contentment gives us inner stability and strength to withstand various trials of earthly life, and also gives us hope for a good fate in the life to come. A person with a strong belief in Allah gives strength to serve the public good and goodness in the mortal world, to resist unjust attacks, and to set an example of a righteous and wholesome person.

The beginning of the three graceful months is perceived in Islamic tradition as the beginning of a new cycle in the Muslim religious liturgical calendar. The goal of a believer is to elevate his spiritual aspirations, to ennoble his inner world so that in the future he can only go upwards in the spiritual sense.

By the grace of God, in 2025 the beginning of Rajab coincides with the beginning of the year according to the Gregorian secular calendar. And every new year of the secular calendar we begin with good intentions to live it meaningfully, to fill this year with righteous, useful for ourselves and for all those around us deeds, to correspond to those high notions of honour and valour, which were left to us by previous generations.

Today we appeal to the Almighty with prayers that the coming year 2025 will become for us, our families, our society and state a year of unity, cohesion, peace and creation. Following our holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we ask our Lord: ‘O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Shaaban favourable for us and bring us to the month of Ramadan!’

Chief Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin,
Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation