The President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş established Salat al-Eid ul-Fitr and then delivered khutbah.

The Salat al-Eid for which the precautions were taken according to the circular about the "Worship by the Congregation in Mosques and Masjids" published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs within the scope of Covid-19 measures was attended by the officers of police, the military police and the National Medical Rescue Squad (UMKE), healthcare personnel, sanitation workers and security guards who were on duty for curfew. 

Following the Salat al-Eid which was established in Ankara Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque, the President of Religious Affairs Erbaş delivered a khutbah titled “The Eid al-Fitr: Climate of Joy and Peace.”

President Erbaş expressed the following statements in his khutbah;

Honorable Muslims!

We are experiencing the sadness of bidding farewell to another Ramadan which is the means of mercy, forgiveness and fertility. At the same time, we revive the happiness of reaching to the Eid al-Fitr which is a climate of joy and peace. Let us praise endlessly for our Almighty Allah (swt) who brought us this morning of Eid. Let us salat and salam to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) who taught us how to revive the Eids.

Dear Believers!

There are two great Eids that Islam gifted to the believers. One of them is the Eid al-Fitr which we are in now, and the other is the Eid al-Adha which we will soon revive, Insha Allah. We have prepared for the Eid al-Fitr all along the month of Ramadan. We obeyed our Lord and fasted only for His approval. We have tried to enlighten our nights with tarawih beside our prayers five times a day. We have purified our souls with the Qur'an that we recited and contemplated. We have got rid of the burden of our sins with tawbah and istighfar. We have performed the gratitude for our goods through our zakat and fitrs and have been with our brothers in need. And in the last days of Ramadan, we have revived the Lailat al-Qadr which the Almighty Allah (swt) deemed as better than a thousand months, and we have reached to the Eid, Al-Hamd ul-Allah!

Dear Muslims!

Eids are blessed days when Muslims with the common faith, worship and duas have the same feeling even though their language, race, color, geography and culture are different. They are rare times when goodness and happiness and love and well-being spread in waves, the spirit of solidarity strengthens, and the bonds of brotherhood grows stronger. They are exceptional times that remind us to account for our past life, and to return to our essence and our nature.

Dear Brothers!

On one hand, while reviving the Eid al-Fitr which encompasses the world with its countless beauty and wisdoms, on the other hand, the great crises experienced by the humanity make us all think deeply. Because today, waste in a global scale, selfishness and social problems have surrounded life in every aspects. Unfortunately for the last century, air, water, soil and the environment have been polluted with an irresponsible approach, and a global sedition has emerged. Half of the world has been left to live in difficult conditions and despair with war, exploitation and invasions by disregarding the law and mercy. Helping and solidarity have been neglected and millions of people have been sentenced to hunger, poverty and misery. Wars, terrorist organizations and invasions have dragged millions of people into the vortex of blood, tears and despair. In fact, humanity have been paying the price of neglecting the responsibility, law and good ethics in its relation to the individual, society, economy, technology and nature.

Therefore, our greatest duty today is to work with all our strength to present the understanding of rights and justice of Islam, the supra-ages example and superior moral qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) with the help of a beautiful example and a wise discourse to every individual of the family of humanity.

Brothers!

We are aware of the fact that the primary goal of our supreme religion, Islam, is to spread goodness on earth with mercy and justice and to challenge to eliminate all evil, malice and hostility that it names as sin. One of the main purposes and wisdom of all worships is to make people moral, sensitive and responsible individuals and to make the beauty gained by worshipping the center of social life.

Dear Believers!

Our supreme religion, Islam, invites us for the goodness, to embrace the ethics of benevolence,  to help, to share, for the generosity, justice, compassion, not to violate others’ rights, and to avoid all kinds of practices that cause unfair earnings, especially interest, for our peace of mind in the world and the hereafter. Because the life is a journey of goodness for the believers. The man is also a passenger who comes to this world to "believe" the Almighty Allah (swt) and "do good deeds.”

Goodness works have two dimensions; the first is to spread the good and the beautiful, and the second is to challenge for the elimination of the evil.

In this sense, we need to strive for the spread of these values ​​by choosing peace, love, justice, mercy, sharing and solidarity in the name of goodness.

On the other hand, we are also obliged to make efforts to prevent evil, discretion, oppression, sedition, discrimination, alienation, injustice and violence. It is to make efforts to do our duty together, of which the most clear and comprehensive description in the Qur'an is “al-amr bi'l-ma'ruf we'n-nehy ani'l-Munkar”. For this reason, it is the requirement of our iman to work with our hands, tongue and heart to spread the goodness and also to stand against evil in the same way.

Honorable Believers!

The Almighty Allah (swt) deemed us brothers to each other with a divine edict. And the Last Messenger of Him, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) compared Muslims to the organs of a body and stated that all believers would feel the pain and sorrow of a believer.

He stated that a Muslim who does not want what he wants for himself for his brother cannot be a perfect believer. He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while the neighbor to his side goes hungry, he stated.

All these principles impose on us as an indispensable responsibility to know each other better and strengthen our brotherhood. That is, the Eids are the most beautiful occasions that increase the love and compassion between us and strengthen the feelings of togetherness and brotherhood.

Dear Believers!

Unfortunately this year, we have woken up to a sorrowful Eid morning due to the epidemic. We, as a nation, could not run to the mosques with enthusiasm and stand side by side to each other as we always did in previous years. We will not be able to make Eid visits in order to protect the social distance, not to infect the virus and not to spread the virus and violate others’ rights. We will not be able to shake hands and embrace each other. We will not be able to gather around the same table with all of our relatives and close friends, all elder, young and children. However, we are confident that the distance does not matter as long as our hearts beat with the same excitement. As long as we experience the same feelings and share the same thoughts, being parted and away is not an obstacle to our faithfulness. As long as we welcome our loved ones in our hearts. Let us offer them our love, mercy and compassion. Let us lead a decent life according to the following advice of the Almighty Allah (swt). Our Lord states; “The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practise regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.”

Honorable Muslims!

Our family is our most precious treasure. Our spouse is our greatest support. Our children are the light in our eyes. All believers are our brothers. The presence of our parents, relatives and siblings gives us confidence and peace even if they are far away. When we hear a greeting from them, the world almost become ours. Our joy and happiness will certainly increase.

So let us revive the peace and happiness of being a family to feel the spiritual pleasure of the Eid days in our whole self. Let us call our parents, relatives, brothers, and ask for their wellbeing. Let us make duas for them and take their blessings. Let us not forget that our prayers that we make from deep of our hearts will make us closer with our believing brothers and will also be a means of acceptance of our requests. As a matter of fact, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) states in one of his hadiths: “The dua that a person makes for his brother in religion is acceptable. There is an angel who says amin to his dua at the bedside of that person. As long as he makes dua for his brother, the Angel says: ‘Amin! May the blessing you ask for your brother be for yourself in double.’”

Honorable Believers!

Eids are days that are worthy of honor. So let us put an end to resentment in the honor of these days. Let us avoid the behaviors and moral weaknesses that will damage our brotherhood. One of the most important richness of a nation and society is that people of different beliefs, ethnic backgrounds, sect and nature have the understanding of living together in peace and tranquility. It is to stay away from all kinds of behaviors that will harm unity and togetherness by accepting their differences as richness. It is to respect the difference of the other and to respect the values of faith ​​in particular without any tiny fail. On this occasion, let us recall the following warning of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) on the day of the Eid: “Do not try to find each other's deficiencies, do not investigate the private life of each other. Do not envy each other, do not turn your back to each other, and do not bear grudge and hatred for each other. O servants of Allah (swt)! Be brothers!”

Dear Believers!

We have left behind another Ramadan when we purified our world of mind and heart with our worship and obedience. However, we all know that our responsibility towards our Lord continues until death comes to us. The important thing is to be able to spread the consciousness of servanthood that we gained in Ramadan all along our life.

As you know, for some time, we have given a break to worship in our mosques within the scope of measures which have been taken to challenge against the epidemic. On May 29, with the Friday prayer, our mosques will be opened to worship with the congregation gradually, Insha Allah.

Of course, we could not accomplish to these days easily. We have shown an example of a great challenge against the epidemic that surrounds all over the world. We were hand in hand as the nation without falling into despair. We worked and performed efforts day and night, and complied with the measures taken. We supported the actual duas with our verbal duas in our hearts. With our requests, we took asylum with the Almighty Allah (swt), we took refuge in Him, and trusted him. We deeply and sincerely requested him to bless us to establish prayers in our mosques with the congregation. Our precautions have yielded results, our trust and duas have been accepted before our Lord, Insha Allah. The days when we are going to establish prayers in our mosques and with the congregation are coming. Let us praise endlessly our Lord who brought us to these days.

Dear Brothers!

It is our primary duty to comply with the measures taken to challenge against the epidemic with the same determination and diligence after our mosques are opened for worship with the congregation. In this process, we will establish our prayers with the congregation in our mosques only at Dhuhr and Asr times. We will establish Friday prayers in the courtyards of our mosques and open areas until the risk decreases. However, chronic patients, elders over 65 years old, and brothers under 20 years of age and those who has signs of the illness will be more patient and will continue to establish their prayers at home. Since the mosque fountains will be closed, let us come to the mosque by taking our ablution beforehand. Let us bring our personal prayer rugs with us. Let us spread our prayer rugs to the places marked in the mosque and establish our prayers there. Let us wear our face masks while coming to the mosque and not take it off until we return to our homes. Let us comply with the social distance rule in every way. Let us perform the greeting of shaking hands from away within our hearts. Let us follow the warnings and directions of our mosque officers with patience and sensitivity. Until we reach to the days that we have been longing for as soon as possible, Insha Allah.

While giving an end to my khutbah, I celebrate the Eid al-Fitr of all of the Islamic World, especially our nation. Let us request the Almighty Allah (swt) to bring us salvation from this epidemic we have been experiencing as soon as possible. May he grant mercy to our ancestors and healing to our patients. Eid Mubarak to all.