Malkić: Ramazans and Eids are springs of faithful souls

(Patria) - Dr. hafiz Mensur-ef. Malkić, director of the Religious Affairs Directorate of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated in an Eid interview that Ramazans and Eids are springs of faithful souls.

Hafiz Malkić spoke about the lessons of Ramadan, the community (džemat), the homeland, and other significant issues.

As he said, believers should be better Muslims after Ramadan, better and more useful individuals for the community in which they live.

"In fact, one of the roles of every act of worship, if we approach it sincerely, which we should as believers, is to ennoble us and make us better human beings. Also, the developed awareness of the Lord of the worlds who watches over us at every moment and in every place, which, I hope, the blessed month of Ramadan has taught us through numerous sermons and messages that we had the opportunity to hear from eminent Bosnian-Herzegovinian scholars, should be maintained and nurtured after Ramadan and Eid," he stated.

The Ramadan motto of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina this year was "Our security is in the community (džemat)". Hafiz Malkić also spoke about how much we have become aware of the importance of the community during Ramadan.

He states that they emphasized and reminded that various hardships that our people have gone through were overcome more easily when the spirit of togetherness was their encouragement and guide.

"We tried to further strengthen the awareness of the importance of belonging to the community (džemat) and the Community among the members and adherents of the Islamic Community. We pointed out the fact that disunity has led to insecurity and conflicts around the world, which is particularly evident in the state and situation of the people in Gaza and Palestine, as well as in Ukraine, and in other countries affected by conflicts. We emphasized that our togetherness, stability, and security in the community (džemat) and the Community should be transferred and extended to all areas of our homeland and to all its inhabitants," Malkić said.

He also spoke about how to overcome mutual obstacles and strengthen the community (džemat). Each of us as an individual must constantly work on ourselves, on self-education, growth, and self-improvement, Malkić said, adding that we must intensely strive not to cause the slightest harm to others, but at the same time, we must not allow others to harm us.

"Problems arise in all communities, and Satan does not rest, and our elders used to say that 'Satan does not plow or dig, but all day long blows and fans the embers of discord and places obstacles between God's creatures'. Disagreements and misunderstandings are an integral part of life, but they originate from us and we must suppress, reduce, and prevent them... For every disagreement and problem, conversation, patience, and tolerance are the solution," Malkić emphasized.

Today, as we become more alienated from each other due to the new lifestyle, we need more direct, sincere, friendly, brotherly conversation, he said.

"Does not Allah, the Exalted, tell us that 'believers are brothers', and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that we are 'one body' as believers? Yet, we often wash our hands of these brotherly ties, behave like complete strangers, and destroy the common body! Therefore, both as humans and as believers, we must show goodwill and resolve disagreements through conversation, repair and strengthen mutual relations, and build a positive atmosphere in the community (džemat). All of us as individuals are on the move, and only together, only united, can we strengthen our community (džemat) and our Community," emphasized Director Malkić.

In an interview with the MINA Agency, Director Malkić also touched upon the need to think about the homeland, which is so necessary, even during special days.

"One of the definitions of a state is that it is a political institution whose goal should be the protection of citizens and the realization of political rights, and Aristotle said long ago that the state arises by nature and that it is more important than the individual. Recently, I have repeatedly pointed out three factors important for the preservation of a nation, namely: the state and state institutions, the nation and national institutions, and religion and religious institutions," he stated.

Among Bosniaks, in the past period, religion and religious institutions played a special role in the preservation of Bosniaks as a nation, Malkić continued.

"Our beautiful religion of Islam, the Islamic Community, and its institutions were a factor for which we should be grateful that we have survived as we are. The Islamic Community has continuity, primarily due to its foundations or sources upon which it rests, namely the Quran and the Sunnah - the practice of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and then due to the content it has and due to the righteous members and employees who take care of religion and religious affairs and thus contribute to the preservation of our nation and its culture and tradition. Praise be to the Lord that we have and live in our homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has a thousand-year-old tradition, which cares for us, and which we are obliged to care for and protect – aware that it also protects all its citizens and us Bosniaks, indigenous European Muslims," Malkić stated.

We did not come to this Bosnian land from somewhere; we were born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we grew up there, we were educated there, the graves of our grandfathers and grandmothers, our closer and distant ancestors are there, and therefore it is necessary to constantly emphasize these important facts, he believes.

"It is especially important to reflect on and point out these facts during Ramadan and during Eid because love for the homeland is not an external topic; it is a topic of vital importance for us, a topic that falls within the realm of faith, and our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) teaches us that 'love for the homeland is part of faith' (iman). Just as we strive to instill religious truths in the hearts of our youngest, our children, we should also strive to instill love for the homeland in their hearts, to pass on to them the trust of protecting the religion of Islam and the homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Malkić conveyed.

He also referred to the fact that Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina share their Eid joy not only with their families but also with their neighbors, regardless of their faith. "Eid al-Fitr is a day of returning to food, to regular habits, but it is primarily a return to the Lord, to oneself, to one's family, and we should spend it mostly within our family circle. Our need is to share the joy of Eid with our closest and dearest, with neighbors and friends, and our obligation is not to participate in inappropriate celebrations with which the Lord of the worlds is not pleased, which can lead to harmful consequences, which send a bad image, and which, unfortunately, have become a practice in recent years due to our poor reaction. For centuries, we have lived in harmony with our Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, and other neighbors in our homeland, and there is much beauty and positivity in that," said the director.

He stated that "Dear God reminds us in the Quran that He created us from one man and one woman and divided us into nations and tribes so that we may get to know one another," with the message that holidays are an opportunity to get to know each other better.
"It is our beautiful tradition to share Eid joy with our neighbors of other faiths. In this way, we nurture and improve good neighborly relations and confirm the rule that sadness diminishes when shared with others, and when joy is shared with others, it neither decreases nor remains the same, but increases," concluded hafiz dr. Mensur-ef. Malkić.