We are delighted to have the Month of Ramadan which is the season of mercy, blessings, forgiveness, purification and peace, which adds countless beauties to our lives. After the tarawih prayer we will establish tonight, we will be entering the Month of Ramadan with the first fasting we will observe tomorrow.

The Month of Ramadan is a spiritual atmosphere in which the winds of peace, brotherhood and well-being spread wave by wave, and it is a great blessing which is granted by the Almighty Allah (swt). Because this celebrated time is a unique opportunity to soothe our tired souls, to give insight to our overwhelming hearts, and to account for our lives in the axis of faith, servitude and good morality by turning to our essence and nature.

The fasting climate that integrates our worship with good morality, and our relationships with sincerity and affection is an important occasion to make a new beginning for a life that will bring us to the worldly and afterlife happiness.

On the other hand, as Muslims, we are in a great sorrow and sadness today when we meet the sultan of the eleven months that we have been expecting to meet with great excitement. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we will host this celebrated guest only in our homes this year. This year, we will feel and experience the abundance of Sahur, the joy of iftar, the enthusiasm of tarawih, the peace of the reciting the Qur’an and the many unique beauties that make the Month of Ramadan meaningful and unforgettable in our homes as the places of worship and duas this year. At this point, I should express that we sincerely believe by heart in the divine gospel that the convenience will come after every difficulty as it is promised by the Almighty Allah (swt) with the Surah of Inshirah. With the consciousness, dignity and nobility that suit to the believers, we know that these difficulties we are experiencing are a test of the temporary world life.

For this reason, we will duly fulfill our responsibilities regarding this sensitive process we are experiencing and we will take all necessary precautions. In such difficult times, after taking the necessary measures with patience, will and determination, we will embrace the value of trust and surrender to the divine will. We take refuge in our Lord with the duas, which is the strongest foundation, the greatest shelter and the most effective cure of the believer. Without falling into pessimism, fear and anxiety, and without losing our hope and resistance, we will leave these challenging days behind by being guided by the Qur'an which is the center of hope and horizon and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) who has always given hope to the humanity, Inshallah.

In this respect, nowadays when we are faced with a misfortune which affects whole of the world, let us pray to the Almighty Allah (swt) in order to save humanity from this calamity as soon as possible with our sincere duas on this occasion of Ramadan al-Sharif. In this month of accounting in which we turn to our essence and nature and have the opportunity to review our entire life with the Qur'an, let us review our purpose of creation, and our responsibilities towards ourselves, our Lord, our environment and all our creatures.

As we read our Supreme Book, let us create a Muslim consciousness by contemplating on its deep meaning. Let us integrate our fasts with words, actions and attitudes that are in accordance with the approval of the Almighty Allah (swt). Especially in these days when the blessing of health gains importance and significance, let us protect this trust that the Almighty Allah (swt) offers to us by abandoning all harmful habits, especially smoking, which poses a threat to our health, in line with the scientific fact that the fasting worship protects and strengthens our immune system.

By including especially our children, with an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm for all the beauties about the Month of Ramadan, let us leave beautiful memories in their memories.

By bringing the benevolent nature in the essence of our children together with the spiritual climate of the Month of Ramadan, let us make them feel closer to the Creator, the world, and other worships which are specific to the fasting.

Let us turn the helping to each other and solidarity, which is one of the most important conditions that our religion demands from us and one of the examples of the beautiful morals that our nation has survived to date, into an actual mobilization in this fertile month when many goodness and beauty are manifested.

Acting with those feelings and thoughts, I am praying and supplicating that the Almighty Allah (swt) help this Month of Ramadan which is the climate of mercy and abundance that illuminates our hearts with its coming again to contribute to the world peace and the goodness and tranquility of all humanity by bringing peace to our hearts, abundance to our homes, and blessings to our families, county and all Islamic world.

Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş

The President of Religious Affairs