06/11/1992
IWDM Study Library
Eid Al-Adha

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
As-Salaam-Alaikum. (Arabic) Praise be to Allah the Lord, Cherisher of all the worlds. We ask the prayers and the peace upon Muhammad the last of the prophets. Upon his companions, his family, and all of what follows of the excellent salutes to Muhammad, the last prophet. We offer in hopes that we are following the best tradition. We praise Him, we ask forgiveness of Him, we devote our whole self to Him, that is to Allah, Most High, subhanahu wa ta'ala. We accept to worship nothing beside Him, we associate nothing in worship with Him. He is one Lord, one G-d, one creator alone, needing no help from any, having no partners in the rule of the heavens and the earth. We ask His blessings on this most blessed day, the day of Eid Al-Adha. We glorify Him, Most High, with the most enthusiastic, most fervent glorification, saying Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah. For Him is the praise.
This Eid is the greater of the great celebrations. This Eid commemorates Ibrahim's sacrifice. On him be peace. The Muslim life is a life of continuous sacrifice, a life to be regarded as sacred. The meaning of sacrifice, according to the dictionary, it's giving up one thing for another regarding as sacred, and the giving up of one thing for another.
Prophet Ibrahim, on him be peace. He is recorded in the scripture for having given himself all to G-d, that is his whole self to G-d. We know that we have to give up one mindset for another mindset. We have to give up the mindset of the world for the mindset that G-d intended for us. Al-Islam or Islam, as it is popularly called, Al-Islam requires that Muslims be committed wholly to a life of peace, in obedience to G-d. [Arabic language]. Surely my prayers, my sacrifice, my life, and my death, are all for Allah, Lord of the worlds, no associate has He, in the rule of the heavens and the earth, and this am I commanded, this am I ordered, and I am of the Muslims. The last words, I am of the Muslims, says that what went before that statement, qualifies me to say, I am of the Muslims. To be of the Muslims, I have to give my whole self, my whole life, entirely to almighty G-d, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. My prayers, my worship that is my devotion, my sacrifice, my life, and my death, all I have to offer to G-d, the One and only, whose complete name is Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. The praise and the thanks is for Allah [Arabic language]. Highly glorified is He above what we imagine Him to be.
The religion is nature-oriented, and community-structured, and entirely for G-d. The most high says in his book, the Quran, "[Arabic language]." and fight them until there's no more persecution and religion is wholly for Allah. This is the most consistent religion. It requires us, as individuals, to give our whole self to G-d, not to be secular and religious, secular and spiritual, but to give our whole self to G-d. This is a religion consistent, and pure, and perfect, it is Al Haq, it is the truth, the reality. We are not to cheat G-d in our personal life, we are not to cheat G-d in our community life, we are not to cheat G-d in our religious life. It must be wholly for G-d. The focus is on obedience, obedience to realness, obedience to reality, true reality in this religion, wholeness in religion, and consistency in religion. Consistency means not violating the wholeness of a thing. If you're talking about the truth of a thing, then when you have anything contradicting that truth, then you are not consistent with that. It is not consistent. It has to be whole and consistent. Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
(Arabic) You are the best people brought out for humanity, brought out for all people. Brought out of what? Brought out of one mindset, the mindset of the world, and brought into the mindset that G-d intended us for, that G-d intended for us, that He created us for. That is the mindset that we get when we obey the Quran and obey the prophet, sallallahu alaihi wasallam. When we obey Allah and obey His prophet. When we obey the Quran and obey the sunnah, obey the life pattern of our prophets, the life traditions of our prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wasallam. The prophet said, sallallahu alaihi wasallam (Arabic) these are parallel to each other. One from G-d, the other one from the prophet. They parallel each other. G-d says, "[Arabic language]," the best of you. It's the one [Arabic language]. You are the best community brought out or evolved for mankind or for humanity. The prophet says, "[foreign language]," the best of you who's the best to mankind, who's most useful to mankind, who benefits the whole humanity the most.
We know we have to look, firstly, at ourselves, the Muslim, the ummah of the Muslim, when we think of being a benefit to society. We must think, firstly, of being of benefit to the Muslim society. That begins right at home in my family and then in the masjid and in the Clara Muhammad School or the Muslim school, and in the Muslim business, and in the Muslim social gatherings, in the Muslim fund raising activity, in the Muslim community, in all aspects of it. That obligation begins there. We know if we are truly to be the excellent community, evolved or brought out of the world mindset for G-d, then we must also extend that goodness, extend that contribution, extend that charity, extend the sacrifice to benefit the whole of humanity at large. The best of us is the one who best obeys G-d. [Arabic language]. The one who is best in his obedience to G-d and the prophet has said peace and blessings [Arabic language] the best of you is the one whose treatment of his wife is best. We are to know also as the prophet told us, the blood and possessions of our Muslim brothers is sacred. The prophet has also guided us and we know that our women, our wives, our women are to be protectors of our interests in our absence. Muslim women protect their husband's interests in his absence. We also know that we have been established as men to be protectors of our women with our wealth, with our strength, and with our good virtues and devotion to G-d. G-d created us for obedience and G-d does not want our blood. G-d wants our taqwa. G-d wants our obedience and He, Allah Sub??nahu wa ta'al? He accepts not our blood, He accepts our Taqwa, He accepts our obedience. 
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah (Arabic)
Dear beloved Muslims, on this greater of the Eids, greater of the celebrations. We don't see great crowds here because in the crowds we see after this celebration of the Eid al fitra the Ramadhan celebrations. The celebration of our victory upon fasting the 30 days of the days of the month of Ramadhan but in the holy precincts, on this great Eid day, if you were there to celebrate the eid ul adha with those who were making the Hajj because the eid of Adha is the celebration connected with the hajj. You see the great multitudes there, and it will registers on you that this is the greater of the Eids. Let us make first priority obedience to G-d our taqwa. From that foundation, we can be obedient families and obedient Muslim families under G-d. We can be obedient children. I'm speaking for the child now, for the children. Those earlier than the teens and those in their teens, I'm speaking for you. We can be obedient children. Fathers, I'm speaking for you, we can be obedient husbands and be obedient fathers. Mothers I'm speaking for you, we can be obedient mothers and obedient wives. Citizens, I'm speaking to you Muslim citizens of New York, of New Jersey, and of the United States and of the Islamic world, and of the International world. Muslims are citizens of the International world also. I'm speaking to you. We can be obedient citizens if we have as our foundation, taqwa as our light and the Quran and the prophets life and if we have our commitment, a commitment to have obedience to G-d above everything else. Whatever else we obey, it is only given because it is accepted as obedience to Allah Sub??nahu wa ta'al?. [Arabic language]
[00:15:43] [END OF AUDIO]

