Bajram sermon by Reis Kavazović: Nationalism will not help people in this country

The central ceremony of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the occasion of Kurban Bajram was held in the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque. The Bajram prayer was led and the sermon was delivered by the reisu-l-ulema Husein ef. Kavazović.

We are transmitting the sermon of reisu-l-ulema Kavazović in its entirety:

- Praise be to Allah the Almighty. We thank Him and seek His help and forgiveness. To Him we turn for refuge from our vices and bad deeds.

We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger. He has indeed sent him as a mercy to the worlds to bring good news and to warn, before the Day of Judgment.

We Muslims are celebrating the first day of Kurban Bajram 1438 AH this morning. This is a great blessed day for us, for every Muslim man and woman. Especially joyful are those who have performed the rites of Hajj and those who will sacrifice a kurban. Also joyful are those whose hand is extended, whose happiness depends on the generosity of others. All worlds celebrate today, because the name of Allah is glorified and because this holiday is dedicated to Him.

The tradition of this Bajram connects us with Ibrahim, peace be upon him, the father of prophets, may Allah's peace and salvation be upon all of them. Although people have drifted apart over the long centuries, the need to meet, to encounter each other and to be reminded that we are children of the same parents, Adam and Eve, may God's blessings be upon them, has never faded.

“O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes, that you may know one another…” (49:13)

The need to meet a loved one can best be understood on Mount Arafat, which reminds us of the meeting of our first parents after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

The desire for connection is our need to overcome loneliness and fear of the unknown, and the need to survive the harshness of life by helping each other. In this human connection lies the meaning of life and faith. This path is followed by Iblis, may he be cursed. His seeds of fear, greed, and hatred poison our souls and sow discord between brothers and sisters. Satan thus brings suffering, pain, and despair among us.

Brothers and sisters!

Today, more than ever, man does not lack the means of livelihood, but he lacks vision and the search for meaning and common goals. We are deceived by transient life and the arrogance that we can control what is not solely ours but belongs to everyone. We have lost the ability to see the whole picture of the world. We behave like Cain, and the impulse to make others humiliated, defeated, and subjugated speaks through us.

 We fear the free person, the one who will be equal to us, yet different in belief, custom, culture, and tradition. We are deaf and blind, we do not hear God's call, God's magnificent intention to make man free: “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong.” (2:256) “So, would you compel the people until they become believers?” (10:99) “And say, 'The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve.'” (18:29) “And to each [people] We appointed a law and a way. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one community [all following] one religion, but [He intended] to test you in what He gave you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah [all] return, and He will inform you over what you used to differ.” (5:48)

Brothers and sisters!

The meaning of human existence is in serving God, as the Quran states, in competing in good deeds. This is the opportunity for our society and our homeland. It is time to adorn ourselves with virtues that fulfill each of us and give meaning to life, such as: love, care, benevolence, just treatment, doing good, opposing evil and injustice, and eliminating them. People should have only one primary goal, to live in peace, as the Quran has set it:

“O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and follow] all its commands and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” (2:208) We all want to raise a family, sons, daughters, grandchildren, as our greatest joy, just as Ibrahim, peace be upon him, did, protecting them from our own evil, because the Quranic truth is: “If you do good, you do good for your own souls; and if you do evil, it is [also] for them.” (17:7)

Brothers and sisters.

Everything that Allah has created, He has assigned a purpose to, and He created man to benefit from everything on earth and in the universe, in a way that respects order and arrangement, and does not disrupt the balance in nature. All people should live a life worthy of a human being. Those who are unable to care for themselves should be the concern of the community. In every ritual prescribed to us, Allah teaches us that solidarity, brotherly connection, mutual love, and equality are the foundation of progress in the community.

 “And let not the hatred of a people, because they hindered you from al-Masjid al-Haram, incite you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” (5:2)

From the rituals of Hajj, we could learn a lot about our life in the community and how to resolve important life issues. During Hajj, no one should be denied anything essential for life. Someone was assigned to take care of this from Ibrahim, peace be upon him. This service never failed. To serve God means to serve people. And vice versa. Service is care for the community, and a servant is a person worthy of the community's trust, into whose hands its trust has been placed. This is contained in what we believe.

As a society as a whole, we have not yet learned the difference between results and good intentions, niyyah. In general public affairs, the result is important and it is the most important measure. In religious rituals (prayer, fasting, zakat, and Hajj), niyyah, which only God knows, is their essence. Proper orientation in life is what is required of members of the community. Nothing will happen by itself. The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not rely on miracles in his prophetic mission. He achieved his goals through his work and perseverance, with Allah's help, as well as the engagement of his followers. The Prophet did not ask his companions about their intentions, but about the results of their public engagement in public affairs.

For these reasons, as free people and citizens of this country, we have an obligation to demand that the policies responsible for public affairs return to their primary goal, the only sensible purpose for which they exist, the organization and operation of public services in the community. Nationalist rhetoric and nonsensical political showdowns cannot satisfy the needs of ordinary people.

Public affairs, such as citizen security, healthcare, vaccination and education of children, study conditions, the state of public institutions, the equipment of the army and police, social protection, etc., are what life means to us. No nationalist or great-power policies will make people happy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We should all enjoy our individual and collective rights, feel like human beings, live in our human dignity, free and without fear.

Brothers and sisters!

I ask you, Muslims, to live with dignity in your faith and tradition, respecting all our brothers and sisters, followers of the Abrahamic faith, Jews and Christians, to protect their rights as well as your own. We reject and condemn with contempt and disgust the misdeeds committed by members of terrorist organizations who do so in the name of state projects, hiding behind Islam. We call on all responsible people in the Muslim world to unite in the only correct intention, in the fight against those who perpetrate terror in the world. This is the most important religious obligation for all of us, enjoining good and forbidding evil.

We are also concerned about the wave of hatred towards Muslims in Europe and America. Hatred has never brought anything good. Violence cannot be eliminated by hatred and violence, but by spreading understanding and decisive opposition. Hatred is like drinking poison; let no one expect to poison another by drinking it.

We are also disturbed by the physical and verbal attacks on Muslim women, both by individuals and institutions in our country, which violate their rights. We expect those whom we consider friends of Bosnian Muslims from European countries not to believe the Balkan propaganda from those who committed crimes and genocide against Bosnian Muslims.

If they still have doubts about how far their hatred and propaganda can go, let them visit Srebrenica and Kozarac, and I hope everything will become clear to them. We reject malicious statements directed at Muslim men and women in Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I also call on our people to jealously guard our Bosnian tradition, our ethics and morals based on the Quran, as well as our freedom from attacks from wherever they may come.

We have always been considered heretics, both from Constantinople, Rome, Vienna, and Belgrade. It seems they will continue to do so. However, being a heretic does not mean being an infidel, but having one's own choice, and preserving one's right to a different view of the world. Our Bosnian heresy, our Bosniak choice, has never been overcome. Let it remain so.

Brothers and sisters.

Believe in God, adhere to His word, and fulfill what He has made obligatory. Do so according to your abilities, for God does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.

Be open-hearted towards people, do good to them, and turn away from evil and do not participate in it. Strive, for there is no reward without effort and good deeds. Pray to Allah, for an accepted prayer can change human destiny.

Let us forgive each other, for this strengthens the bonds between people and nations.

I wish Muslims in the homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, and the diaspora happy and blessed Bajram days. Let us spend them with family, relatives, and friends.

I wish the poor an increase in sustenance, the sick a recovery, and everyone good health and family and all other happiness.

Bajram šerif mubarek olsun!