Assalamu alaikum dear brothers and sisters,

Worshiping Allah is the need of God’s servants, not the need of their Creator.

خَلَقَ الْخَلْقَ حِیْنَ خَلَقَهُمْ غَنِیًّا عَنْ طَاعَتِهِمْ
He created them without any need for their obedience.

God’s servitude is necessary for man to replace his imperfection with perfection.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ
O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah,

وَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ
and Allah is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable.

The obstacle to servitude is man’s animal desires. Piety gives man the strength to stop sinning against God. Every act of worship should be performed with the purpose of the act in mind, not as a habit. The goal of worship is to attain piety.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O mankind! Worship your Lord, who created you and those who were before you, so that you may be Godwary  

Fasting is an opportunity from Allah for man’s journey towards perfection.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
 O you who have faith! Prescribed for you is fasting as it was prescribed for those who were before you, so that you may be Godwary.

The goal of fasting is to attain piety, and piety is the guarantee of human success.

وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
and be wary of Allah, so that you may be felicitous.

The greatest danger to man is caused by his carnal desires. If these desires are not controlled, man becomes a captive of them. Fasting is a lesson for human society. By performing this religious duty, wealthy people will be able to realize the conditions of the hungry and deprived people of society. People living a comfortable life cannot imagine the suffering of others.

As Imam Askari (as) mentions, this is one reason why fasting is required.

لِيَجِدَ الغَنِيُّ مَسَّ الجُوعِ؛ فَيَمُنَّ على الفَقيرِ
That the rich may experience the pain of hunger and bestow his generosity thereby upon the poor.

Dear brothers and sisters, this Ramadan, do not complain about the lack of anything on your table. Rather, remember the Palestinian children and women who will starve to death even if they can escape Israeli bullets.

This Ramadan, starving Gazans will break their fast with scraps found in the garbage. Starvation is being used as a weapon of war in Gaza. They have nothing to eat and drink and they live among the corpses of their dead.

How will we face God?

In the presence of two billion Muslims, their massacre continues in broad daylight. Remember the last Friday of the Holy month of Ramadan as the Global Day of al-Quds. This is the day to raise your voice for the oppressed people of the world.

Al-Quds is especially for the people of Palestine; those who try to free their occupied land from the Zionist state are called terrorists, while the oppressive Zionist state is given the right to defend itself. This is the “justice” of today’s powerful forces.

2.3 million Palestinians are dying in Gaza. Since October, more than 30,000 have lost their lives and more than 13,000 children have been killed. Be a part of the protest for the oppressed people of Palestine. Invite every section of society, regardless of religion, color, or caste. 

Silence always helps the oppressor, never the oppressed. Any person who is against oppression is with the Palestinians today. It is mainly the corrupt rulers, who aid the oppressors, either directly or through their silence.

Allah will not accept the actions of those who remain silent on oppression in His blessed month. May Allah accept your fasting, supplications, and all your righteous deeds during this blessed month.

WaSalam,

Syed Sartaj Zaidi

Chairman, Board of Trustees

Muslim Congress