In the morning of 29 July 2014 on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, the Naib Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Mohd. Jafar sb. led Eid prayers in Masjid Ishaat-e-Islam, New Delhi. Thereafter he delivered the Eid address as follows.

On this happy occasion of Eidul Fitr, please accept my greetings. We are gathered here to offer two rak’ats of Eid prayers; as mark of thanks giving to the Almighty Allah. May He accept our devotion and service. The occasion of Eid is the culmination of the month of Ramadan which was a month of prayers, supplication, and remembrance of God and cultivation of piety. The Quran inform us that fasting in this month has been prescribed for the believers. They should offer their gratitude to the Creator for the divine gift of the Qur’an received during this month and they should glorify Him, recognizing His Supreme greatness, wisdom and mercy. The month of Ramadan derives its importance from the revelation of the divine message Qur’an. The prophet has given good tidings of Allah’s forgiveness to all those who inspired by faith and a desire for divine pleasure; fasted during Ramadan and stood before God in prayer during its nights especially in the night of Qadr.

True to the comprehensive nature of the Islamic scheme of man’s spiritual growth; Ramadan is also a month meant for helping fellow human beings. One should in particular, take care of the needy and the poor. It is a good tradition among Muslims to pay the obligatory Zakat, in the month of Ramadan itself. In addition, a compulsory charity prescribed is Sadqa Fitr. It must be paid before Eid prayers to those in need. This compensates for the mistakes committed by us during Ramadan and it provides a modest help to the poor; so that they may also enjoy Eid. It signifies the solidarity of the believing community with its poor segment.

Indeed the whole economic system of Islam is aimed at empowerment of the destitute and helpless. Wealth should not remain confined to some segments of society; it should actually circulate among all sections of the people. Such circulation of resources will lead to harmony in society and will eliminate class conflict. Islam does not seek to transform the needy sections into beggars or rebels; it teaches them restraint, self respect and dignity. On the other hand, Islam inspires the well to do sections to voluntarily help all those who may require their help.

The Islamic baitulmal was a unique institution. Unfortunately we have not been able to preserve it. It is a collective effort aimed at economic well being of all; it preserves the dignity of the poor because they are not compelled to survive on private charity. In the golden period of Islam, we find that by the time of the third Caliph Usman, the Muslim society had achieved the desired equitable distribution of wealth. Then people found it difficult to distribute their obligatory Zakat; because no one was poor any longer. There is an urgent need today to revive the Islamic institution of baitulmaal.

Ramazan is the month in which Qur’an was revealed; which is guidance for the mankind. Unfortunately, the believers themselves are not aware of the Qur’anic guidance; though they were assigned the duty of conveying the guidance to the whole of humanity. We must wake up now and start conveying the Qur’anic message to the people of the world.
Fasting in Ramadan is a rigorous training to enable us to obey the Almighty God. Ordinarily, food and water are Allah’s bounties permitted for us; we may eat and drink of the pure things as we like. But in Ramadan, for a specified time interval, Allah forbids us limited eating and drinking ; to obey Him in this limited interval by observing fast, we inculcate in ourselves the spirit of obedience to Allah. As soon as time of the fasting is over (when the sunsets), one must immediately break the fast. Thus discipline is the real objective of fasting rather than mere hunger or deprivation.

In our country today communal strife is on the rise. The Qur’an advises us that in such hard times; the believers must act with wisdom, discretion and restraint; their acts should not be hasty, ill-advised or immature. They should not be cowardly and must stand firm on their true faith. The believers should be united inspired by their commitment to the Creator. All schools of thoughts among Muslims as well their organizations should come together on the basis of faith. They should work for true empowerment of the believing community.

The global situation is also grim; Muslims everywhere are facing hard ships and trials. In Palestine, the world is witnessing brutality of unparalleled magnitude. Unfortunately the Muslim states of the world are silent spectators of this barbarity and are not taking any action to stop it. We pray for Allah’s help for the victims in Gaza and express our solidarity with them. The message of today is that let the believing communities unite itself and be liberated from depression, despair and disillusionment. It should turn itself sincerely towards the Qur’an. Believers should realize that it is far better to welcome death remaining firm on the true faith; rather than to compromise on truth for the sake of go on living a life devoid of faith.

Let us pledge to be faithful to the Almighty Creator, surrender to Him only and not to obey those who have turned away from the truth. Let the experience of Ramadan guide us in the days to come, so that we follow the divine guidance to achieve ultimate success; in this life and in the life hereafter.