!Dear Muslims

May endless praise and thanks be to the Almighty Allah (swt) Who creates us, makes us live, makes us brothers and lets us meet in this city. May salat and salam be upon primarily our Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw) and upon all blessed messengers of Allah who invited us to unite and be together and upon their ahl al-bait.

The Almighty Allah states in the verse I have just recited, “The Believers are but a single brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive mercy.”

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said in the hadith I have recited, “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue the Muslims are safe. A Believer is a person about whom people feel safe that he will not harm their lives and property.”

My Honorable Brothers Whose Hearts are stuck to Each Other with the Bond of Iman!

Undoubtedly, brotherhood is one of the most important values presented to us by Prophet Muhammad (saw) who was sent as a mercy to worlds. This brotherhood is the brotherhood of iman which makes the people, whose belief, happiness, sadness, ideal and hope are the same although their languages, colors, races and geographies are different, stick to each other. This brotherhood is not a brotherhood which allows competition of superiority, alienation, oppression and neglect. This brotherhood is a brotherhood which bases on supreme values such as justice, mercy, conversation and share that turn “I” into “we” and “one” into “thousands”. This brotherhood is a brotherhood which has become the hope of the oppressed people, the innocent people and the victims for centuries. This brotherhood is a brotherhood which eliminates nervousness, ignorance, fitnah and separation and duality about which the Messenger of Allah Muhammad Mustafa (saw) said in the Last Sermon that, “These are under my feet”. Because there is no place for ignorance and nervousness, which damage unity and solidarity and honor and dignity, in this brotherhood. Any intention to harm life and property of others and human’s honor and dignity is absolutely prohibited and unacceptable.

Dear Believers!

As all Muslims, we have a historical and rooted brotherhood with Azerbaijan whose sadness is our sadness and happiness is our happiness. We, as the members of the same belief, history, language, geography and culture, are members of a civilization which brings science, wisdom, conversation and love to the entire world. We are a community of brothers who believe in the same Allah, the same prophet, the same divine book and turn to the same qibla. We are one nation and two states which come together for the same ideals and live on the same culture. Thanks to Allah, our friendship and brotherhood are strengthening day by day by means of mutual cooperation and solidarity. Insha’Allah our joint works will continue in the future in many fields, especially in education by developing and strengthening. Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) advised us on this matter, “Commitment of Muslims to each other is like walls of a building that are constructed by being attached to each other.”

My Brothers!

We have been stuck to each other with the brother country Azerbaijan just like bricks of a building in happiness and sadness, wealth and poverty, every hard condition as brothers. As all the countries in this geography, we have never let those who wanted to eliminate our unity and togetherness and power by means of fitnah and hostility.

Let us remember that primarily our iman and then language, culture, geography and history are the essential values which create a nation and sustain and take it to the future. We know by our experiences that those who lose their belief also lose their existence. Those who lose their language also lose their ideals, those who lose their culture also lose their identity and those who lose their history also lose their memory and geography.

We are all responsible in these days to stick to each other once again tightly. We should not let the plans against our religion, beautiful homeland, nation and brotherhood be implemented. Because the Almighty Allah states in the Holy Qur’an, “And obey Allah and His Messenger and fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart; and be patient and persevering: For Allah is with those who patiently persevere. Be patient! Because Allah is with those who are patient.”

Honorable Brothers!

Then, let us value our unity and peace. Let us make all kinds of tricks, games and plans fail with our brotherhood. Let us put out the flame of duality, which is the product of the nervosity and racism of negligence and is fanned in order to set brothers against each other, with our foresight, wisdom, knowledge and insight altogether! Let us know that conversation will beat all kinds of hostility. Let us stand today on the side of Allah, law, justice, morals and virtue just like we do all the time.

Let us remember that when we, as Islamic communities, strengthen the unity and solidarity between us and develop joint works by combining our opportunities, many problems in our region will be solved easily. A strong and prosperous Islamic world will also ensure peace and security of the entire humanity.