syawal. a victory.

Assalamualaikum, Hello and Good Day,
Dearest friends,

Once again, the wonderful Ramadan has come to an end, and it is now time to celebrate the end of this important practice with Eid Al-Fitr. As part of Eid tradition, children will once again wake up with excitement and put on their best clothes and shoes as families begin their preparations to pay visits to relatives and friends.

Poor and needy will be shown great care and kindness, and charitable Muslims will meet all their needs. The elderly will be shown love and respect, and children will dance for joy after they collect allowances from the adults.

However, as we enjoy the beautiful spirit and the festivities for the lovely Eid Al-Fitr, we should remember the ordeals of our brothers and sisters in the Islamic world. Once again, the majority of the Muslim world is suffering deeply. It is clear that the problems in the Muslim world arise from one big issue: the division of Muslims. Yet this division and separation amongst Muslims who believe in the same God, same Prophet, and same Book continues even though it is unacceptable and prohibited by our Lord.

God orders us to stand united and love each other. He warns us that if we don’t do this, there will be upheaval and trouble in the world. For this reason, it is imperative that each and every Muslim takes it upon him/herself to work towards achieving unity amongst Muslims.

Our world is deeply suffering from hate campaigns, angry rhetoric, brutal policies, and ruthless discrimination. Lack of love and compassion towards one another is sickening our world like a fast-spreading pandemic.

However, we can stop this. Once we understand the importance of love, which is the only reason God created this world, our world will begin to change. When we love God with all our hearts, we will start to love His servants as a natural outcome. After that, it will be easy to rein in our resentments, vengeful thoughts, and anger.

We have short lives. This world has seen trillions of people who went through similar issues of anger, vengeful feelings, and resentment. But they are all gone now. And all they have now is what they had done in this world during their lifetime. If they choose to forgive instead of fighting, they are hopefully forgiven for their sins and are rejoicing in eternal Heaven.

We are living lives just as they did, and this is our turn; this is our opportunity. We should comprehend and understand that every minute of our lives is given for a special purpose, as a new opportunity for us to choose the right option. And once an opportunity is gone, it’s gone forever.

So let’s not miss these opportunities and see that loving our fellow Muslims for God’s pleasure and working to build love and solidarity amongst them is the right choice to use our time.

To help our ailing world that is deeply wounded by lovelessness, it is important that we explain to people what real love is. We must ensure they understand that real love can build only on deep faith, a profound fear of and love for God. When people begin to love each other for their love of God, a peaceful atmosphere will emerge naturally.

God wants us to love, to be loved, to be compassionate, forgiving, and peaceful. In addition, a Muslim is banned from grieving and being upset. This is another reason we should always side with peace, reconciliation, and compassion.

Once this knowledge is entrenched in the hearts and minds of the Muslims of the world, we will see the beautiful reward of God being manifested in a rising atmosphere of love and peace. Our Eids will be more jubilant, more exuberant, and more lively. People will smile more and will begin to love and trust each other. Just like the time of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), people will once again see each other as true brothers and sisters solely for the reason of their love for God.

We thank our Lord, Almighty Allah that we have completed another beautiful Ramadan and are able to celebrate and rejoice at the wonderful Eid Al-Fitr. As we embrace our families and friends with warmth and love, let’s also pray with all our hearts that God ends the pain and suffering in the world. Let’s pray that our fellow Muslims find salvation and peace very soon as love spreads and takes over.

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

Ikhlas dari Emir Sabarudin.