Reisul-ulema of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina dr. Husein-ef. This morning, on May 27, in the Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque in Sarajevo, Kavazović delivered an Eid sermon on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, in which he called on the faithful to strengthen unity, mutual trust and preserve the values of the neighborhood, stressing that faith and piety should be the basis of social relations and a life in peace.
This is the last Eid sermon that Effendi Kavazović will give in this position, because our country will soon get a new reisul-ulema.
“Let’s try to arrange our lives in the spirit of community, respect and mutual trust. Let’s leave divisions, pranks and fraud behind us, because that’s not a life worthy of a human being,” said reisul-ulema Kavazović.
Speaking about the importance of Eid al-Adha, he pointed out that the rituals of hajj and sacrifice remind believers of the importance of sacrifice, gratitude and submission to God, stressing that brotherhood, solidarity and the willingness to understand the pain of other people are born from piety. He also emphasized the importance of preserving the life, honor and property of every human being, recalling the universal messages of the Hajj of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, which call for equality among people, respect for the rights of others and rejection of violence and injustice.
Reisul-ulema said that this Bajram is the last time he addresses himself as Reisul-ulema.
“Today, on the day of Kurban Bayram, as I address you as a reisul-ulama for the last time from this honorable place, I will once again appeal to preserve and look after our Bosnian neighborhood. Let us lay and preserve in its foundations the most important thing: the honor of our neighbor, the need to repent for the mistake made and the need for forgiveness for the pain caused. The neighborhood has always been our most important social institution, which kept us together and on which we could rely even in in difficulties and in joy”, said the reisul-ulema.
This is the reisul-ulama’s sermon in its entirety:
“Praise be to Allah, the Most High, the Creator of the worlds, the Ruler of the Day of Judgment, the Merciful, the Compassionate. We trust in His mercy and seek His forgiveness. May salawat and salam be upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, upon his honorable family and companions and upon all his followers, until the Day of Judgment. This morning, in the atmosphere of Eid, we glorify Allah Almighty and thank Him for the blessings of life. In these days, perhaps more than on our other occasions, we show our loyalty and devotion to God’s word and the sunnah of His prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him. We ask Him to accept our rites – Hajj and sacrifice – and to grant us His mercy and forgiveness.
Brothers and sisters!
Faith in God and the rituals we perform make us a community of people submissive to God. Our brotherhood, life in peace and mutual trust spring from piety and love for Him. For centuries, as a community of Muslims, we have confirmed our path in the same way and with the same zeal. We believe in One God and try to follow His messengers and their way of faith. We draw our strength from the word of God and the advice and wills of the prophets who left them to us. And we learned that in every darkness, no matter how black it is, there is a light that the Most High gives us. We have convinced ourselves that no trial, no matter how great, is greater than God’s grace. And we learned that whoever works hard and trusts in Allah, that strength is enough for the whole life. Indeed, only Allah, our Sustainer and our Lord, is sufficient for each of us.
Today, thank God, here in our homeland, we live in peace with our neighbors and friends. We work and raise our children, take care of our parents, help the weak, the sick and the poor. We are grateful to God and the good people who helped us to make our pain and wound less and to heal. And now we ourselves try to understand the pain and sorrow of others who are suffering, and to help as much as we can. And in these days of our great joy, the days of Eid, we address our prayers to Allah, asking Him for peace in the world, among nations and among armies. We ask Him to make us and our children sons of light, and not of darkness, so that we may be of those who announce good news to people and who compete in good, with good and virtuous people.
Bosnia is a country of good, virtuous and noble people. Among us there were always those whom Allah addressed as His friends, the Awliyas. These are the people who live in our villages and alleys. These are men and women whose hearts are pure and spacious for each of us. They are there to help us when it is difficult, to encourage and advise us. Therefore, let’s stick to these good people and let their goodness and faith be signs for us on the path we will follow.
Brothers and sisters!
Let us rejoice in the life that has been given to us. It is a boon of limited duration, the value of which is high and the stake is high. Therefore, it is not unimportant what we do with it and what we spend it on. Let us act as the Most High advises us: “Let every soul look at what it has prepared for tomorrow”.
Being grateful to the Creator for the blessings of life is the foundation of our faith, and preserving life and protecting it is an obligation that we will be asked to fulfill. On the Atonement Hajj, Muhammad, peace be upon him, left his will to the world. Let his words be the foundation of our community: ‘O people, listen to what I will tell you, because I do not know if I will meet you again in this place. O people, your life, your wealth and your honor are inviolable until you meet your Lord, just as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this city of yours is inviolable. Return the things entrusted to you in due time to the one to whom they belong. Interests from the era of Jahiliyyah are waived, except for the principal to which you are entitled. Blood revenge and privileges from the Jahiliyyah era are finished. O people, you have your rights with your wives, and they have their rights with you. Fear Allah concerning your wives and be considerate of them. O people, the believers are indeed brothers, and a brother’s estate is inviolable, unless he himself allows it. Do not return to ungodliness after me, and kill one another. Oh, people, you have only one Lord and one ancestor. All of you are from Adam, and Adam is from the earth. The best with Allah is the one who is the most pious. An Arab has no advantage over a non-Arab, except in piety.’
Brothers and sisters!
Let’s put these words of the Prophet into action and let them completely dominate our being. Let’s make them our philosophy of life, so that we can act according to them. The Prophet calls us to equality and brotherhood, to guarding the sanctity of life, property and honor of every person and to respect and inviolability of other people’s rights. I am sure that every inhabitant of this beautiful country of ours can find these universal messages and can accept them as his own.
Let’s try to arrange our life in the spirit of community, respect and mutual trust. Let’s leave divisions, pranks and frauds behind us, because that is not a life worthy of a man. Let us be aware of the messages of this great day. In one of them, it is emphasized that we have to sacrifice something in order to get something else. It is a lesson that we have been learning for thousands of years from the example of father and son, Ibrahim and Ismail, as Let us sacrifice selfishness and arrogance in order to gain love, attention and trust. Kurban makes us closer to God, parents and children, relatives, friends and neighbors. The willingness to sacrifice for another brings security, peace and tranquility into our lives.
Today, on the day of Kurban Bayram, as I address you as a reisul-ulema for the last time from this honorable place, I will once again appeal to protect and watch over our Bosnian neighborhood. Let’s lay and keep the most important things in its foundations: the honor of our neighbor, the need to repent for the mistake made and the need for forgiveness for the pain caused. The neighborhood has always been our most important social institution, which held us together and on which we could rely both in difficulties and in joy.
Let’s be joy to each other. Let’s mend our relationships and take care of our obligations. The path of faith is the safest path. May her strength keep us under the protection of God’s mercy, family happiness and brotherly love.
May every sacrifice on God’s path make us better and more virtuous people, ready for repentance and forgiveness. Pass on the values of faith and neighborhood to your children, raise them to love and respect people.
To all Muslims in our homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Sandžak, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and the diaspora, I congratulate Kurban Bayram. I ask Almighty Allah to accept the hajj and prayers of our pilgrims, and the sacrifices from the rest of us. Spend Eid in peace with your loved ones, neighbors, brothers and sisters. May the Almighty grant you good health and grace to always be in His pleasure. We ask Him to reign in peace in the world, silence the weapons and stop the suffering and suffering of the innocent. Our Lord, help us, strengthen us and guide us on the right path! And let our last prayer be: Thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!” he reports Radio Sarajevo.
