23- The Sermon of Blessed Eid Al Adha

23- The Sermon of Blessed Eid Al Adha

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
(Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest)
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

(Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest)

Allah is Greatest as long as people are humbled before His Majesty. Allah is Greatest as long as people yield to His Glory. Allah is Greatest as long as hearts fear His sublimity. 

Allah is Greatest as long as a Muhrim makes the talbiya from Arafat and his sins and mistakes are forgiven. Allah is Greatest as long as Muslims draw closer to Allah through their sacrifices. Allah is Greatest as long as the pilgrims gather on the plain of Arafat and raise the slogan of unity and harmony.

Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is truly Greatest, and Allah is exalted in the morning and the afternoon. There is no god but Allah alone. He fulfilled His promise, supported His servant, strengthened His army, and defeated the Parties by Himself. There is no god but Allah and we worship none but He, sincerely devoted to Him even if the polytheists loathe it.

All praise is to Allah who alone coerces and compels, and who alone possesses life and perpetuity, who made joy the slogan of the merciful, and threatened to take revenge from the enemies. All praise to Allah who has perfected His religion, completed His blessing and accepted Islam for us as our religion. We praise Him Most High as befits His majesty and perfection.

We bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone without associate and we bear witness that our Prophet Mohammed is His servant and His Messenger. Allah revealed to him a clear book and guided him to a straight path, and removed with the light of the Book the confusion of the confused and guided them to the path of salvation from clear torment.

Allah bless, praise, and give peace to our Master Mohammed, his family and companions in the morning and the evening.

Muslims: We live now in the first hours of the blessed day of sacrifice, the day of the Greater Eid in which Muslims meet on the plains of love and brotherhood, exchanging words of affection and purity. Their ties strengthen and their brotherhood is reconfirmed.

They praise Allah Almighty for the blessing of Islamic Law whose bond has joined them, mended between their hearts, and drawn them each to the other in belief and faith. Their analogy in their affection and mercy to each other is one of a single body or building.

Noble brothers, during the Eid the connection between a Muslim and his brother Muslim deepens. Eid is an opportunity to strengthen this bond with the parents, relatives, neighbors, friends, and even enemies to make amends and shake hands. In the hadith narrated by Al-Tabarani with a sound chain from the Prophet may Allah''s peace and blessings be upon him he said, ''If a Muslim meets his brother and takes him by the hand, their sins fall off of them, like leaves fall from a desiccated tree on a windy day.'' The sins they have committed go away.

This day is a memorable day, and this Eid a blessed Eid, the day of pilgrimage and sacrifice. It came to you in the wake of the pilgrims'' performance of the rites of Hajj and Umra. Allah Most High ordained the day of the Greater Eid for sublime wisdoms. Allah perfected the religion of Islam on the day of Arafat and cut off the hopes of the polytheists. Allah Most High says, ''Today the polytheists have despaired of your religion so don''t fear them and fear me. Today I have perfected my religion for you and completed my blessing upon you and accepted Islam as a religion for you.''

This Eid comes as thanks to Allah for this blessing. It is the greatest and most venerated Eid among the Muslims. In it, Allah has ordained takbeer (Allahu Akbar) from the dawn of the day of Eid to the last day of the days of tashreeq. For four days in succession, the pilgrims make takbeer in those lands, the echo rings in the horizon, and the Islamic world responds to that takbeer. For this reason, it is Sunnah to make takbeer during the Eid as they do and to sacrifice as they do.

So adorn your Eid with takbeer my beloved brothers and respond to your brothers the pilgrims of the Sacrosanct House of Allah whose emotions have met at the place of Revelation and the house of Prophecy.

They recall the memory of the day of the Farewell Pilgrimage upon the ground of Arafat, when the Prophet left his commandments of equality and respect for human rights fourteen hundred years before modern international treaties confirmed them.

All of you are from Adam and Adam is from dust. An Arab has no virtue over a non-Arab and a non-Arab has no virtue over an Arab except through piety. The Most High says, ''The most honored among you with Allah is the most pious among you.'' Allah is All-knowing, Well-acquainted.'' Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest).

Beloved Brothers: We should know that slaughtering the sacrifices for Allah is among the greatest acts of worship and the biggest rites that the Wise Legislator has asked us to perform on this great day. It renews the Sunnah of the best of creation and reminds us of the sacrifice with which Allah favored the Intimate of the Rahman our Master Ibrahim and his son our Master Ismail may peace and blessings be upon them and upon our Prophet.

The sacrifices have been a rite of Islamic worship and a slogan for the pristine nation since the mercy of Allah saved Ismail and ransomed him for a tremendous sacrifice. The sacrifice was an eloquent, practical lesson, a test of faith and an examination of willpower.

Our Master Ibrahim the Intimate and his son our Master Ismail peace be upon them left this exam victorious. Ibrahim was sincere in faith and loyal to the Rahman. He was going to sacrifice his son in the cause of his Lord, his religion and his Creator. We ask Allah to grant him the greatest reward.

Ismail followed the order of his Lord, submitted to the will of Allah Most High, and obeyed his father. What a great lesson it is, bearing profound meanings and tremendous secrets. It teaches us complete submission to the order of Allah Most High without hesitation or delay, and that contentment, tranquility and serenity accompany this submission. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest).

Beloved brothers: The sacrifices are a sunnah muakkada (confirmed sunnah) in the opinion of the majority of scholars in accordance with the many hadiths. Imam Tirmidhi has narrated with a sound chain from Aisha may Allah be well pleased with her that the Prophet may Allah''s peace and blessings be upon him said, ''No person does anything on the day of sacrifice more beloved to Allah than the spilling of blood. It will come on the Day of Resurrection with its horns, hair and cloven feet, and the blood lands from Allah in a place of high standing before it falls on the ground, so be pleased with it.''

Al Bazzar narrated in his Musnad from Abu Saeed Al-Khudri may Allah be well pleased with him that he said, ''The Messenger of Allah may Allah''s peace and blessings be upon him said, ''Fatima go to your sacrifice and witness it for with the first drop of blood that falls all your previous sins will be forgiven.''

Imam Al-Tabarani narrated from Al-Hasan Ibn Ali may Allah be well pleased with him that he said, ''The Messenger of Allah may Allah''s peace and blessings be upon him said, ''Whoever sacrifices willfully desiring the reward for his sacrifice, it will be a veil for him from the Fire.''

A Muslim should choose the best sacrifice and it should be free of faults and damage. For this reason, a one eyed sacrifice that is clearly one-eyed, a sick animal that is clearly sick, a limping animal with a clear limp and a skinny animal that is emaciated with no meat on it are not acceptable. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest).

Servants of Allah; We should take advantage of the days of Eid to do good works, acts of worship, visit relatives, honor our neighbors and lend a helping hand to our brothers in need. We should pay attention to our children to shelter them from faltering and bad company. I ask Allah to accept from you and me our good works and make us firm in complete faith.

I say this word and ask Allah the Almighty for forgiveness for you and me.