Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Endless praise and thanks be to Allah, who has guided us through the spiritual training of Ramadan, allowing us to experience the awareness of servitude and the peace of worship, and who has granted us the blessing of reaching the morning of Eid. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, Muhammad (saw), who declared Eid as days of remembrance of Allah, unity, togetherness, joy and happiness, as well as upon all the prophets.

With the fasting, the prayers we performed, the Qur’an recitations we completed and the zakat and fitrah we gave, we have once again tasted the beauty of servitude to Allah. We feel the sorrow saying goodbye to another Ramadan, yet at the same time, we rejoice in the arrival of Eid, a time of peace, joy, unity and solidarity.

However, while we celebrate with happiness, we also feel deep grief for our brothers and sisters suffering under oppression. In many parts of the world, especially in Gaza, our Muslim brothers and sisters are not only deprived of the joy of Eid but are also struggling to survive under the shadow of brutal massacres carried out with the world watching in silence. They endure hunger, thirst and extreme hardship, fighting for their very existence. Parents cry out in agony over their innocent children who have lost their lives under relentless bombings.

It is our duty to work together to ease the suffering of the oppressed and to keep their hopes alive. We must stand against tyrants, support the oppressed and strive to combat all forms of injustice and evil. Let us not forget that this is a responsibility upon all of us.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Today is the Eid of those who build and develop the earth, not those who corrupt it. It is the Eid of those who have attained righteousness and success and those who have purified their souls. It is the Eid of those who bring peace, who strive to preserve life, not of those who take lives, shed blood or spread fear.

Today is the Eid of feeling responsibility for the poor, the orphans, the widows, the lonely, the helpless, the weak, the strangers, the needy, the deprived and the migrants. It is the Eid of those who call for truth, justice and virtue in the face of those who deny others the right to life and attempt to exist by destroying others.

Dear Jama’ah!

Eid is a time when love and affection overflow among believers, regardless of their backgrounds, languages or colours, as they share the same faith and ideals. It is a time when the unity and solidarity of Muslims, who face the same qibla under the roof of Islam, reach their peak. Eid is when we win people’s hearts with our good deeds, bring smiles to the faces of those in need with our material and spiritual support.

Let us all come together and set aside grievances, grudges, hatred and anger. Let us choose the path of forgiveness. Let us open our hearts to one another, embrace each other with love, and celebrate Eid together. Let us share the joy of Eid with our parents, who are the reason for our existence, with our spouses, with whom we shoulder the burdens of life and with our children, the lively hearts of our homes.

Let us remember the elderly, relatives, friends and neighbours whom we sometimes neglect in the hustle and bustle of life. Let us embrace the orphans, knock on the doors of the lonely, bring joy to the faces of the needy, and visit the sick, the elderly and the graves.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Let us unite in the prayer of Eid, enlighten ourselves with the khutba of Eid and renew ourselves with the Takbir of Eid. May no member of the Ummah be deprived of this. By following the command of Allah (swt), “Worship your Lord until death comes to you.”[1] Let us continue the spiritual gains we obtained during Ramadan throughout our lives. Let us adhere to the halal and haram boundaries set by Allah.

Let us conclude with the verse and hadith we recited at the beginning of our khutba. Allah (swt) says: “I swear by the soul and the One who perfected it, and inspired it with both its wickedness and its piety, that he who purifies his soul has indeed succeeded, and he who corrupts it has failed.”[2] Our Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan and adds six days of fasting in Shawwal will have the reward of fasting for the entire year.”[3] We congratulate you on your Eid and we pray that it brings blessings to the Islamic world and all of humanity. Ameen.

[1] Surah Al-Hijr, 15:99

[2] Surah Ash-Shams, 91:7-10

[3] Müslim, Sıyâm, 204

Khutba – The Responsibility Ramadan Has Given Us