Friday Sermon

Date: 04.07.2025

We are in the month of Muharram, which our Prophet (pbuh) mentioned as “worthy of respect” ^[1] . Tomorrow is the 10th of Muharram , Ashura Day. Our Prophet (pbuh) said, “The most virtuous fast after Ramadan is the fast in the month of Muharram, the month of Allah.” ^[2] He advised us to fast for two days, the day before or the day after Ashura. ^[3]

With the beginning of the Islamic year, the month of Muharram, we remember once again to properly comply with the commands and prohibitions of our Lord, and to embrace the beautiful morals of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) is a messenger of mercy sent to all humanity. We learned from that Blessed Prophet to adopt virtues such as respect, love and kindness as our motto, and to purify ourselves from bad feelings and thoughts such as grudge, hostility and envy. He showed us how to respect people, not to attack what is sacred, not to cause discord and corruption in society, to make orphans and the oppressed smile, and to give women and children the value they deserve.

Our duty today is to hold fast to the Sunnah of our Prophet (pbuh), to love him more than anyone and anything else. To know that showing respect and reverence to him is a command of our Lord and a requirement of our faith.

I'm sorry.

It means to wholeheartedly abide by the verse, “Hold fast to the rope of Allah, and do not be divided.” [4] It means to stay away from any kind of words, attitudes and behaviors that will harm our unity and solidarity. It means to be alert against internal and external evil forces that attack our faith, values ​​and sacred values.

The day of Ashura also reminds us of the sad incident in Karbala where the beloved grandson of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), Hazrat Hussein, whom he called “My flower in the world, my basil” ^[5] , and more than seventy Muslims were martyred. Unfortunately, today, because Muslims have not learned the necessary lessons from this incident and have not acted with the consciousness of religious brotherhood and the Ummah, the oppressors who are enemies of Islam and humanity continue their oppression in many places, especially in Gaza.

In such an environment, our duty is to look at the past with a lesson and the future with insight. To hold fast to the life-giving principles of Islam. To unite against the ugly attacks on the Quran and our Prophet (pbuh). To further strengthen our brotherhood based on the hadith, “ Do not cut off your interest and attention from one another, do not turn your backs on one another, do not bear grudges against one another, and do not envy one another. O servants of Allah! Be brothers.” [6]

وَاَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ

It is to be strong in all areas, materially and spiritually, especially in science, knowledge and technology, by obeying the command , “Make preparations and prepare forces as much as you can against your enemies…” [7] .

On this occasion, I remember with mercy, gratitude and respect all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives on the path of truth and righteousness and for sacred values, especially our chief martyr Hazrat Husayn.

We have been fighting forest fires all together for a while now. Unfortunately, our lungs are burning. Let's stay away from behaviors that will cause fires in open areas, especially in our forests. Let's follow the warnings of the authorities. May our Almighty Lord protect our country and our nation from all disasters and calamities.

I conclude my sermon with the meaning of the 46th verse of the Surah Al-Anfal: “Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel with one another. Then you will weaken and your power will be lost. Be patient. Allah is with those who are patient.” [8]

[1] Muslim, Siyam, 203.

[2] Muslim, Siyam, 202.

[3] Ibn Hanbal, I, 240.

[4] Al-i Imran, 3/103.

[5] Tirmidhi, Birr, 11.

[6] Tirmidhi, Birr and Sila, 24.

[7] Al-Anfal, 8/60.

[8] Al-Anfal, 8/46.

Directorate General of Religious Services