Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Today, we are experiencing two Eid at once, one is Eid al-Adha and the other is our weekly Eid, Jumah. This morning, we performed the Eid prayer together, listened to the Eid khutba afterward and made dua to Allah (swt). Now, we are delivering the Friday khutba and shortly we will establish the Jumah prayer. Our sacrifices are being made and will continue to be made, may Allah (swt) accept them. Endless thanks and praise be to Allah (swt) who has allowed us to reach both of these Eid on the same day and granted us the peace and joy of this blessed reunion. Peace and blessings be upon Rasulullah (saw), who taught us the wisdom and importance of these Eid and how they should be honoured.

Dear Brother and Sisters!

In the verse I recited at the beginning of my khutba, Allah (swt) says: “Say: Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are for Allah, the Lord of all worlds.”[1] In the hadith I read, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “On the Day of Eid al-Adha, no deed done by the son of Adam is more beloved to Allah than the shedding of blood (sacrificing an animal). Indeed, the sacrificed animal will come on the Day of Judgment with its horns, hair, and hooves. Verily, the blood reaches Allah before it even falls to the ground. So, offer your sacrifices with a content heart.”[2]  Therefore, today is a day to make our sacrifices a means of drawing nearer to Allah and attaining His pleasure. It is a day to embody the sincerity of our mother Hajar, the loyalty of Prophet Ibrahim (as) and the submission of Prophet Ismail (as). It is also the day when Muslims from all around the world gather in Makkah and meet at the Kaaba to fulfill their Hajj.

Today is a day to offer sacrificial meat to our brothers and sisters and build bridges of hearts. It is a day of joy and of bringing joy to others, a day of remembering and being remembered. It is a day to remember our deceased with prayers, to visit our parents, siblings, relatives and neighbours, and to bring happiness to their hearts. It is a day to bring the joy of Eid to orphans and the fatherless, to the elderly and the sick. It is a day of forgiveness and embrace, a day to heal broken hearts and souls with the blessings and beauty of Eid. It is a day to put an end to all conflicts, resentments and disagreements that cast shadows on our brotherhood and to renew ourselves in an atmosphere of peace.

Dear Jama’ah!

Let us not see Eid as just a holiday. Let us consider it an opportunity to visit relatives, neighbours and friends; to ask about their well-being; and to help those in need to the best of our ability. Eid, in a way, are the embodiment of Islamic brotherhood. Because we remember that we stand by our brothers and sisters, who belong to the same ummah, in their joys and sorrows. Being an ummah means a solidarity that transcends language, race and identity, crossing borders.

Let us not forget in our prayers our brothers and sisters who suffer oppression and displacement in Palestine, Syria, East Turkestan and many other lands. Let us teach this consciousness of brotherhood to our children by living it and passing it on.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to recite the Takbir al-Tashreeq starting from the Fajr of the Day of Arafah until the Asr prayer on the fourth day of Eid, including the Asr prayer. Accordingly, according to the preferred opinion, after the Fard prayers of a total of 23 prayer times, let us not forget to say the Takbir al-Tashreeq:

“Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah, Wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahil-hamd.”

Let us deliver our Qurban through our Hasene Humanitarian Aid organisation to those in need, the oppressed and deprived children of the ummah. We sincerely thank all our brothers and sisters who show sensitivity to this, and we pray that these meaningful solidarities be a means of attaining Allah’s pleasure.

Similarly, we pray that all our believing brothers and sisters who personally perform the worship of giving Qurban have their beautiful act accepted and rewarded by Allah (swt).

May Allah (swt) make us among those who compete in charity, sharing and mercy. May our Jumah and our Eid be blessed. May Allah’s mercy, blessings, grace and favour be upon all believers. Ameen.

[1] Surah Al-An’am, 6:162

[2] Tirmizî, Edâhî IV, 83

Khutba – Two Eid and Nearness to Allah