In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful:
Eid ul Fitr Message (1440 Hijrah, May 2019)
Those to whom We have given the Book follow it as it ought to be followed. These believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it, these it is that are the losers. (Al Quran 2:121)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Assalam-o-Alaikum Wa Rakhmatullahi Wa Barakaato Hoo.
A very Happy Eid Mubarak to you all!
Muslims all over the world are celebrating Eid ul Fitr which marks the completion of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. They have a very good reason to be happy as they have passed through a wonderful experience of spiritual devotion through fasting and prayers. Recitation of the Quran and listening to it in taravee prayers has brought them closer to Allah.
I want to convey a very important message through the verse that I have quoted. On the day of Eid everyone must reflect on it and follow it. Allah says:
Those to whom We have given the Book follow it as it ought to be followed. These believe in it
Thus for those of us for whom Arabic is neither a mother tongue nor a language that we understand, it would be difficult to follow it as it ought to be followed if we did not know what the Book says. So today is a day we must resolve to know what the Quran says and follow it to be guided aright. We are lucky that we have wonderful translations and commentaries of the Holy Quran by Maulana Muhammad Ali in both Urdu and English. We are rightly proud that the founder of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama‘at and our first Ameer was the first Muslim to achieve the distinction of translating the Holy Quran into English. We should also be proud of the fact that we have rendered the original English translation into many major languages of the world. But the question is: have we benefited from these translations? Have we read them? Have we acted on the guidance in them? Have we changed our lives through following the injunctions in them? If the answer to these questions is not in the affirmative, then the day of Eid is for us is a day for self-analysis. Let us review our lives and find out where we fall short and overcome our short comings. Let us reflect on the words of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Reformer of the present era. While stressing on the importance of following the guidance of the Quran he stated
Do not take a single step in opposition to anything contained in the Holy Book. Indeed, I tell you truly that whoever circumvents even a single of the 700 hundred commandments embodied in the Holy Quran, closes the door of salvation upon himself. (Kashti-e-Nooh)
Let us all resolve to adhere to the commandments of the Quran. Let us resolve to study a portion of it daily in the language we understand so that by next Ramadan, Allah willing, we will have finished the reading of the whole Book. While doing this we should mark our shortcomings and try to overcome them as much as is humanly possible, or else we would be closing the door of Allah’s salvation upon on us.
I pray that we will be able to progress till we achieve our goal
Aameen summa aameen.