A Hari Raya built upon taqwa

Harakahdaily

August 29, 2011

Eid al-Fitr messages from PAS Murshidul Am, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, and President, Abdul Hadi Awang.

MESSAGE FROM TUAN GURU NIK ABDUL AZIZ NIK MAT All praise is due to Allah, for giving us the opportunity to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, 1432 Hijrah.

Having undergone the month-long training in Ramadan, with all its acts of worship such as fasting, qiyam al-layl (night prayer), recitation of the Qur'an, i'tikaf (retreat in mosque) and so on, we are commanded to observe the Eid to celebrate our victory over our desires, in the hope that the just-concluded Ramadan has transformed us into people who fear God, in line with the objective of fasting.

Taqwa (the fear of Allah) act as a shield from Hell-fire. When Ramadan succeeds to bring about a society fearful of God, insha Allah, there will not be corruption, bribery, breach of trust and other such crimes, because it is due to the absence of the fear of God which drives a person to commit such crimes. It also means having inhibitions from the people around them to commit crimes.

Similarly the crime of faith, such as apostasy, which we have been hearing quite often nowadays, is because one is not inculcated with the fear of God. I urge everyone to make taqwa as a basic part in every sphere of our lives.

This year, Hari Raya is celebrated almost simultaneously with Merdeka Day. As such, let us hope that the Merdeka celebration is observed by understanding its true meaning, by being free from our vain desires, and by acting upon our fear of Allah in all our actions.

Eid Mubarak to Malaysians of all walks of life. Let the month of Shawwal become a turning point in our resolve to make the Qur'an and Sunnah as the genuinely truthful guide.

Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat
Murshidul Am

MESSAGE FROM TUAN GURU ABDUL HADI AWANG On behalf of PAS, I extend Hari Raya greetings to all Muslims and pray that we have accomplished the fast of Ramadan, the month which acts as a training ground for mankind to have taqwa (fear of God). It is not enough for us to have completed the obligatory act of fasting as well as other rites of worship during Ramadan, but more importantly, we have prepared ourselves to carry out our human responsibilities on earth.

Fasting brings us closer to Allah, so that we obey Him as do the ever-obedient angels, and ultimately makes us human beings who have the strength of soul and spirit which is what differentiates us from animals.

When we successfully reap the fruits of Ramadan, it follows that we will hold on to the religion that makes a distinction between truth and falsehood, the centrepoint of conflicts from time immemorial.

Fasting makes us stronger in fighting our desires, not only our base desires. It also trains us to defeat the enemies of Islam, and to achieve victory for Islam by upholding justice to all mankind in this world.

In celebrating the Eid which has been bestowed upon us, let us glorify Allah, not indulge in mindless entertainment forgetful of the Hereafter. If we can realise this in our lives, especially on this Eid, we will meet Allah in a state of joy. Selamat Hari Raya.

Abdul Hadi Awang
President

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