SARAJEVO, MARCH 15 (ONASA – MINA) – Reisul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina Husein-ef. Kavazović delivered a sermon today at the Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque in Sarajevo, stressing that Ramadan is a great school for believers.
“We live in the days of Allah’s mercy, forgiveness and salvation from the sufferings of the other world, as Ramadan is divided into three decades in the famous Prophet’s hadith. In our lives there are faces, times, events and places that draw us to them with their special blessing and in an unusual way. We feel this force of attraction with our whole being, so we surrender to them, without resistance or opposition, convinced that this is how it should be. “Ramadan strongly attracts us with the richness of its blessings,” said the reisul-ulema.
He reminded that, in this blessed time, as recorded by Muslim tradition, the Torah, Zebur, Injil and Qur’an were revealed.
“We read about this in the second Qur’anic sura: In the month of Ramadan, the publication of the Qur’an began, which is a guide for people and a clear proof of the Right Path and the distinction between good and evil (truth from lies, justice from injustice…). The Prophet, peace be upon him, showed us the ways of harmonizing our lives with the instructions from the Qur’an. He drew his behavior and moral behavior from the Book, as it was passed down to us by the mother of the orthodox Hazrat Aisha, r.a. That’s why he is our role model,” said the reisul-ulema.
He pointed out that “our attitude towards this Book shows our current mood, because it is our mirror”.
“From today’s perspective, we can more clearly understand the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him, when he said: Qur’an, Qur’an, O Muslims! Be careful not to let this treasure slip out of your hands. Know that Allah will not punish you as long as the Qur’an is with you (as long as you adhere to its teachings). That’s why right now, in this time, which is ours and for which we ourselves are responsible, let’s embrace the Qur’an, its regulations and instructions, let’s strengthen ourselves with it, bring into our daily actions the strength and dignity that radiate from it”, emphasized Reisul-ulema addressing believers.
He added that “our individual strength and a clear and strong determination to always be torchbearers of good, justice and fairness, morality, good interpersonal relations, strength and pride before the strong, and compassion and mercy before the weak, will also ennoble our environment, make it beautiful and a pleasant home for the life of people and all creatures, and to wipe away the disturbance that destroys us”.
Also, the reisul-ulema said that fasting is prescribed in the month of the announcement, in order to increase our fear of God.
“Fearing God, not men, is the pinnacle of faith and earthly freedom. It is only Satan who scared you with his followers, and do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are believers, says Allah. “Let’s not spend an hour not crowning our fast with this supreme goal, this great virtue: to stop fearing people, their evil tempers, from intense worries about small and deceptive earthly goods, and let the fear of God guide us in our strength and dignity,” he emphasized.
Ramadan is the month of cleansing the body and soul – we refrain from eating, drinking and bodily pleasures during the day, and we cleanse our possessions and fasting with zakat and sadekatul-fitr.
“The prophet called it the month of endurance. Everything in Ramadan is connected with the cleansing of the soul. The believer is immensely grateful to his Creator. Every act of ours, every act of worship is ennobled by that sincere expression of submission and gratitude to the Almighty. Fasting is a means by which he subdues his nafs; therefore, one of its pillars is niyat, without which fasting is invalid. A Muslim who approaches religion sincerely, fighting in God’s way, has the goal of making himself and the environment in which he lives better,” said the reisul-ulema.
Although fasting is an individual act, he added, Ramadan is the month of the ummah, the community of Muslims.
“The solidarity expressed in it is of crucial importance for the survival of that community. This solidarity is especially manifested in the acts of zakat and sadekatul-fitr. Zakat is an obligation of Muslims, a fard, one of the pillars of our faith. Whoever does not perform it, and is able to do so, is a great sinner, and whoever denies it, is an infidel. By fasting, a Muslim strengthens his faith, and by giving alms, he strengthens his community. That’s why Vjerovjesnik called fasting a shield, and zakat a bridge of Islam”, stressed, among other things, reisul-ulema Kavazović.
He said that perseverance in worship and doing our jobs leads to success and happiness.
“Ramadan is a great school for a believer, where he acquires skills that help him in life. Fasting teaches us patience and perseverance. May our perseverance (istikamet) be daily. No achievements, neither in this world nor in the hereafter, are possible without investment of effort and patient endurance of life’s obstacles and challenges. Let us be seen to be fasting. Let us show mercy to the weak, the poor and the powerless. The Prophet said that Allah will have mercy on those who are merciful,” concluded the reisul-ulema Husein-ef in his sermon. Kavazović.
Khutba reisul-ulama Husein-ef. Kavazović was also read in other mosques.