الله أكبر (9)  الله أكبر ، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله. الله أكبر، الله أكبر، ولله الحمد. الله أكبر كبيرا، والحمد لله كثيرا، وسبحان الله بكرة وأصيلا.

لا إله إلا الله وحده، صدق وعده، ونصر عبده، وأعز جنده، وهزم الأحزاب وحده. لا شيء قبله ولا شيء بعده. الله الأكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر. 

نحمد الله تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. قال الله تعالى في كتابه الكريم: لَنْ يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِنْ يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنْكُمْ كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

 

Allah says in His Noble Book, the translation of which is, “Their flesh and blood does not reach Allah but your taqwa does reach Him. In this way He has subjected them to you so that you might proclaim Allah's greatness for the way that He has guided you. Give good news to the good-doers.”

 

الله أكبر ، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله. الله أكبر، الله أكبر، ولله الحمد.

 

Muslims, today is the Eid al-Adha, the day of sacrifice, the greatest day in the entire year, for the Prophet said,

إن أعظم الأيام عند الله يوم النحر 

 

“The greatest of days with Allah is the Day of Sacrifice.” And it is a day that is uniquely ours, for it is one of two days given directly by Allah to this umma and this umma alone. Anas ibn Malik narrated that when the Messenger of Allah arrived in Medina, he found that the people there had two days in which they would play and celebrate and so he asked about them. They replied that those were the days upon which they used to play in the days of the jahiliyya before Islam, so he said, 

 

إن الله قد أبدلكم بهما خيرا منهما يوم الأضحى ويوم الفطر

 

“Allah has given you two days that are better than them in exchange for them, the Day of al-Adha and the Day of Fitr.” These two days are ‘Eids’, a word that derives from the verb aada meaning to return. Ibn al-A’raabi said,

 

سُمِّيَ العِيدُ عِيداً لأَنَّه يَعُودُ كلَّ سَنَةٍ بِفَرَحٍ مُجَدَّدٍ

 

“The eid is called eid because it comes back every year bringing with it renewed joy  and happiness.” And that is essentially what today is about - it is about partaking in the blessings of Allah and taking delight in them, in whatever shape or form they take. These blessings of Allah are without number and without limit - family, friends, sweet perfumes, fine clothing, good food and drink - but of all those blessings there is one that far surpasses all the others. There is one that is, on its own, enough for us. That is Islam - the deen of Allah. As we say every day in the wird:

الحمد لله على نعمة الإسلام وكفى بها نعمة

 

“Praise be to Allah for the blessing of Islam, it is enough of a blessing.”

  Of all the many creatures of Allah, of all the sons of Adam who have lived on this planet since the dawn of time, of all the billions of human beings scattered throughout the earth, Allah has chosen us, each one of us seated here today, for His favour.

 

الله أكبر ، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله. الله أكبر، الله أكبر، ولله الحمد

 

And it is on account of that more than anything else that we should rejoice.  Allah says:

 قُلْ بِفَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُواْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ

 

the translation of which is: “Say: ‘It is the favour of Allah and His mercy that should be the cause of their rejoicing. That is better than anything they accumulate.’” Allah’s favour, according to the Mufassirun is Islam, and His mercy is His Messenger or the Message that he brought, i.e. the Qur’an. They are what lead to the Abode of Permanence where everlasting bliss and delight awaits. All else in this world is transient and ephemeral. 

And it is for that very reason that Allah has connected the two days He gave to us for celebration - our two Eids - to two of the five great pillars upon which Islam is built - the first coming at the conclusion of the obligatory fast in the month of Ramadan and the second  - today - coming at the conclusion of the Hajj. So the Eids are put in place to enable us to show our joy and gratitude to our Lord at having been given the strength and opportunity to take part in and complete those great acts of worship that make us Muslim and separate us from the rest of creation who remain in ignorance and misguidance.

And today, we also celebrate the mercy that Allah showed us in making our deen comprehensive and complete, because it was during these days, during the farewell hajj of the Messenger of Allah, that Allah revealed the following ayat to the Prophet: 

 

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

 

the translation of which is: “Today I have perfected your deen for you and completed My blessing upon you and I am pleased with Islam as a deen for you.” Thus, there is no aspect of our lives for which Allah has not given us guidance. Unlike the kuffar, we do not have to wander in confusion and doubt, unsure of our place in existence and unsure of what we should do next. We have a complete and perfected blueprint for living our lives which our Lord finds pleasing, so how can we not be pleased?

 

الله أكبر ، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله. الله أكبر، الله أكبر، ولله الحمد.

 

And how can we not also rejoice today in the fact that Allah has blessed us by making us a part of the umma of Muhammad, the pinnacle of creation, the first of the Prophets to be created and the last to be sent and the accepted intercessor by means of whose intercession the gates of the Garden will be opened for the believers to enter. We are immensely privileged to be part of the best community the world has ever seen. Allah says in surat Ali Imran:

 

كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ

 

the translation of which is: “You are the best community ever to be produced before mankind. You enjoin the right, forbid the wrong and have iman in Allah.” Being part of the umma of Muhammad is such a great honour that Messengers of the past, including Adam and Musa, wished that they could have been brought back during his time so that they could have been part of it. That is the tremendous honour that has been granted to each and every one of us, so be thankful and rejoice and proclaim the greatness of your Lord. 

 

الله أكبر ، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله. الله أكبر، الله أكبر، ولله الحمد.

 

Rejoice and show your gratitude by partaking in the best of what Allah has given you.  Wear your best clothes and your finest perfume, eat the best food and drink you have. Visit those whom you love and forgive those with whom you have disagreement. Afshuu’s-salaam - Spread wide the salaam and fill these days with laughter and smiles, giving generously to your families and children, and giving generously to those Muslims who are less well-to-do than yourselves, for they are your family just as surely as your own flesh and blood are, and this is a day upon which no Muslim should have to beg.

 

أقول قولي هذا و أستغفر الله لي و لكم و لسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيمالله الأكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، الله الأكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر،

الله الأكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله. الله أكبر، الله أكبر، ولله الحمد.

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على خير المرسلين وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.

أما بعد: قال الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز: وَالْبُدْنَ جَعَلْنَاهَا لَكُمْ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرْنَاهَا لَكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

 

Allah says in His Mighty Book, the translation of which is, “We have appointed the sacrificial animals for you as one of the sacred rites of Allah. There is good in them for you, so invoke Allah's name over them, as they stand in rows. And then when they collapse on their sides, eat of them and feed both those who ask and those who are too shy to ask. In this way We have subjected them to you so that hopefully you will be thankful.”

 

الله الأكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله. الله أكبر، الله أكبر، ولله الحمد.

 

One of the principle acts prescribed on this day is that of sacrifice, an act that commemorates the absolute submission of Ibrahim to his Lord when commanded to sacrifice his son, and the mercy Allah showed him by substituting a ram in its place, an act that became an intrinsic part of the Sunna of the Messenger of Allah. And because it is such a significant part of this day, it is worth reminding ourselves of a few of its rulings.

Firstly, the sacrifice is an emphasised sunnah for every Muslim not on the Hajj and wealthy enough to afford it. Although it is not permitted in the madhhab of Imam Malik to buy a share of an animal, the one doing the sacrifice may include all those who live with him and whom he financially supports and intend the sacrifice on their behalf as well as his own.

Secondly, the sacrifice must be done after the Eid prayer and never before it and never during the night. Furthermore, it is recommended that it be done before dhuhr on the first day. Al-Bara ibn Azib narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

 

إن أول ما نبدأ به في يومنا هذا نصلي ثم نرجع فننحر فمن فعل ذلك فقد أصاب سنتنا ومن ذبح فإنما هو لحم قدمه لأهله ليس من النسك في شيء

 

“The first thing we do on this day of ours is pray and then we return and sacrifice. Whoever does that has achieved our Sunna. But if anyone sacrifices before the prayer, it is merely meat provided early for his family and is one of the rites at all.” 

Thirdly, you must sacrifice either a sheep, goat, cow or camel and mention the Name of Allah over it when you do so. The best animal to sacrifice according to Imam Malik is a ram since it has the best meat, and a camel according to Imam ash-Shafii since it has the most meat. And it is recommended that you do the sacrifice with your own hand and not entrust it to someone else. Anas narrated that the Prophet, 

 

ضحَّى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بكبشين أملحين أقرنين، فرأيته واضعاً قدمه على صِفَاحهما، يسمِّي ويكبِّر، فذبحهما بيده

 

Fourthly, the animals should be at least a year old in the case of sheep and goats, at least three years old in the case of cattle and at least five years old in the case of camels. And they must be healthy and free from defect. 

 

أربعة لا تجزئ في الأضاحي: العوراء البيّن عورها، والمريضة البيّن مرضها، والعرجاء البيّن ضلعها، والعجفاء التي لا تنقي

 

“Four are not permitted to be sacrificial animals: one which clearly has one working eye; one which is clearly ill; a lame whose lameness is apparent and one which is emaciated.”

Fifthly, you and the rest of your family should eat some of the animal, store some of it and give some of it away to the poor and needy among the Muslims. The Prophet said,

 

فكلوا وادّخروا وتصدّقوا 

 

“Eat of it, store it and give it away as sadaqa.” It is categorically forbidden to sell or exchange any part of the animal once it has been sacrificed. If all of these rulings are adhered to, and a person’s niyya is pure and sound, Allah promises that his sacrifice will find acceptance and he will be forgiven all his wrong actions.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet said,

 

“يا فاطمة، قومي إلى أضحيتك، فاشهديها، فإن لك بكل قطرة من دمها ما سلف من ذنوبك.” قالت: “يا رسول الله، ألنا خاصة أهل البيت، أو لنا وللمسلمين؟” قال: “بل لنا وللمسلمين”

 

“Fatima, go to your sacrifice and slaughter it, for with every drop of blood that spills from it, you will be forgiven past wrong actions.” “Messenger of Allah, is that something that only applies to us, the people of the House, or does it apply to all the Muslims?” “It applies to us and to all the rest of the Muslims,” he replied.

 

الله الأكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله. الله أكبر، الله أكبر، ولله الحمد.

 

  We ask Allah to make today a time of great rejoicing and togetherness. And we ask Him to accept our prayer and our sacrifice, and accept the hajj of all of those who have made the journey to His House this year. 

 

إنَّ اللهَ ومَلائِكَتَهُ يُصلُّونَ على النَّبِي يَا أَيُها الذينَ آمنوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وسَلِّمُوا تَسْليماً. اللهمَّ صَلِّ وسَلِّم وبارِك عَلَيْهِ وعلى آلِهِ وصَحْبِهِ أجمعين. 

وارضَ اللهم عن الخلفاء الراشدين أبي بكرٍ وعمرَ وعثمانَ وعلي ، وعن سائر الصحابة أجمعين، خصوصا الأنصارَ منهم والمهاجرين، وعن التابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

اللهم اهد أولات أمور المسلمين لما يرضيك ولاتباع سنة نبيك صلى الله عليه وسلم  وثبت أقدامهم على الصراط المستقيم وأصلحهم يا رب العالمين.

اللهم بارك على شيخنا، و على أميرنا، وعلى جميع أمراءِ وزعماء المسلمين.

اللهم اغفر لنا وارحمنا وارحم والدينا وارحم موتانا وارحم من علمنا وارحم أشياخنا وارحم من سبقنا بالإيمان وارحم بفضلك جميع المسلمين والمسلمات، والمؤمنين والمؤمنات، الأحياءِ منهم والأموات، يا أرحم الراحمين، يا رب العالمين. آمين آمين آمين.

 وعيدكم مبارك سعيد