Tuesday, May 10, 2022
We experience the joy of reaching to the Eid al-Fitr following a month of Ramadan in which we approach to the Almighty Allah (swt) with our worships, face with ourselves with our dedication, become a hope for humanity with our good deeds. May endless praise and thanks be to the Almighty Allah (swt) who let us revive the month of Ramadan and let us experience the joy of the Eid al-Fitr.
The lifestyle of modern era, which puts forward an egocentric understanding, exhausts the inner world of human being to the utmost and undermines the established fundamental values day after day. Values such as meeting with relatives, solidarity, cooperation and sharing are often sacrificed to the turmoil of everyday life. As an inevitable consequence of this, human is increasingly condemned to loneliness in the vortex of individualization, moving away from the social values that make his existence meaningful. Of course, every person who constitutes the essence of society must first realize that he is an individual. However, when the difference between being an individual and individualization is ignored, it will be inevitable that social peace, tranquillity, unity and solidarity will be injured.
Islam, our exalted religion, is a religion that sets off the individuality and prioritizes social life with its principles and values. The distinguishing quality of the followers of this religion is that they first acquire the ideal of understanding existence as an individual, self-awareness and peace with the environment as a life principle. Our exalted religion attaches importance and even orders us to be together, to act together and to be aware of each other in everything from our world of thought to our worship. It purifies us from the negative feelings such as selfishness, arrogance, ambition, completeness that lead to individualization and directs us towards social virtues such as selflessness, humbleness, sincerity and modesty. As a matter of fact, our prayers, fasting, zakah, sadaqah al-fitr and every worship has a function that will protect us from emotional and intellectual loneliness by building a strong sense of existence and unity in us.
Our Eids which are days of joy and happiness when common faith, history and civilization are revived in social memory, are times of peace and joy when hearts separated for various reasons meet again. They are the days of tranquillity when our consciousness of fraternity and affection to each other come to a head. These days, when we realize that we need each other, contribute to the convergence of our hearts with the steps taken on the axis of loving, caring and sharing. The Eid al-Fitr, which we reached after a month that we spent by comprehending the value of time, is a gift of the Almighty Allah (swt) to believers following the days experienced to the fullest with its spiritual dimension.
For this reason, we should consider our Eids as not as ordinary holidays, but as an opportunity to strengthen our unity and build bridges from heart to heart. We must visit our friends and relatives, particularly our fathers, mothers and elders with the grace and kindness that the month of Ramadan brought to our hearts. We must remember our past with goodness. We must use the excitement of Eid to eliminate the resentments and discontents between our brothers and sisters. We must leave beautiful memories in the world of our children's minds and hearts by putting a smile on our face every time. We must make effort to make happy the hearts of the elders isolated by modern life, the poor who cannot find a place in everyday life, unhappy orphans, fatherless children who have tears in their eyes. We must offer the joy of Eid to those who have been forced to leave their homeland, who are struggling to survive in poverty and hardship, who have been suffered from injustice, merciless and persecution.
With these feelings and thoughts, I would like to congratulate the Eid al-Adha of our dear nation and all Islamic world. May endless praise and thanks be to the Almighty Allah (swt) who let us freely experience the joy of Eid under the flag of this beautiful country, and I commemorate all of our martyrs who make these lands home for us with thankfulness and mercy.
Prof. Dr. Ali ERBAŞ
President of Religious Affairs