End of year 2007: Season's Greetings!

2007 Eid-ul-Adha Sermon

Eids in Islam are not man-made; Allah is the One Who created them. He also laid down special rules and etiquette to be followed during these two `Eids. Muslims should not transgress Allah's laws..
Dear Muslims, we meet here this morning to pray and to listen to this sermon. We have gathered together in one place to worship Allah the Almighty — even though we have different traditions, speak different languages, and are of different colors.

This blessed meeting is practical proof that all Muslims form one body and one Ummah, as Allah says: [Truly! This, your Ummah is one Ummah, and I am your Lord, therefore Submit to Me (Alone)] (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:92). This is how Allah wants us to be — a united Ummah...

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, in this `Eid, let us remember the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he described the believers: "The believers having love among themselves, being merciful among themselves, and being kind to each other are like one single body; If any part of the body is not well, the whole body shares the sleeplessness and the high fever with it" (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)...

To deepen this brotherhood among us, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to be merciful, to help people in overcoming their hardships, and to help people in satisfying their needs. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "He who is not being merciful with the people, Allah will not be merciful with him." And he also said, "A Muslim is a brother to another Muslim. He does not oppress him, He does not abandon him when he needs help; Whoever helps his brother when he is needed, and Allah will help him at the time of his need. And whoever clears a distress for a Muslim, Allah will clear for him one of the distresses of the Day of Judgment" (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)...
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, we today celebrate along with the whole Muslim Ummah, `Eid Al-Adha, which means celebration of sacrifice. To sacrifice on this day is the best thing a Muslim can do...
However, sacrifice for the sake of Allah is to be found in so many things in our lives. The sacrifice that Muslims are obligated to perform is the sacrifice of their time and relaxation to meet the duties and responsibilities required by their Lord and Creator, toward themselves and their families, toward their community and the whole world.

Culled from IslamOnline.net on the Eid-Ul Adha, 9th Dhul-Hijah, 1428 equivalent to 19th December 2007.

Wishing you, your family and loved ones a happy eid and a prosperous New Year, 2008.