Muftija Adilović for NAP: Naivety has cost us dearly many times, let us unite around our common interest – the state of BiH

Interviewed by: Delvin Kovač

We must not be naive and think that things will resolve themselves. Naivety has cost us dearly many times throughout history!

We must not be lazy and only look after our own interests, desires and whims! We need to be proactive and try to lead the processes.

I am sure that we have the potential and that we can improve our situation, we just need to get moving, act together and persevere on the path to achieving our common goals.

This was stated in a Bayram interview for the Patria News Agency by the Mufti of Travnik, Dr. Ahmed-ef. Adilović.

Respected Mufti Adilović, in what atmosphere are Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina welcoming this year's Kurban Bayram? What, in your opinion, needs to change so that we can have a better society and community in which we live?

Adilović: This year's Kurban Bayram, thank God, we are welcoming in peace and freedom, and that is a great thing. However, the joy of Bayram, as well as of life in general, is marred by the difficult political situation and constant attempts to weaken and undermine state institutions, as well as efforts to secede almost half of our country, with a tendency for the situation to worsen further.

Overcoming this crisis requires the engagement of all competent institutions, but also of every individual and patriot of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We must not silently watch as our situation deteriorates, but rather we should all do what we can, which is: improve ourselves – be more honest, upright and hardworking, improve the situation in our families, and then with friends, at work and in society as a whole. Our engagement in improving the situation, according to our capabilities, has no alternative!

To what extent do Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina today adhere to traditional Bayram customs such as the rich table, the indispensable baklava, visiting loved ones, relatives, friends, neighbours, going to cemeteries...?

Adilović: These beautiful customs bring us moments of joy and family and kinship gatherings, so we truly need them. Today they are not as present as they once were, but they still exist and we should strive to revive them and apply them to a greater extent. Today, unfortunately, we are experiencing a kind of crisis of family and kinship relations, so we need this beautiful practice to improve our communication and strengthen family, kinship and friendly relations, and bring more happiness and satisfaction into our lives.

In recent years, unfortunately, there has been a massive increase in the phenomenon of "Bayram celebrations" involving drinking and partying in cafes, discos... How can we put a stop to such unseemly behaviour during the happiest Muslim holiday?

Adilović: I know these phenomena exist, unfortunately, but I don't know how widespread they are. In any case, such a way of celebrating is not befitting of Bayram and is contrary to the principles of our beautiful faith. Therefore, I call on those who do this to reflect on the values of our faith and the seriousness of the Bayram moments, and to celebrate Bayram in a dignified and beautiful way. As for how to stop this, I think the most effective way is to develop awareness of the significance of Bayram and strengthen our beautiful faith, which always demands conscientious and beautiful behaviour from us.

How will Kurban Bayram be marked in the area of the Travnik Muftiship?

Adilović: Bayram is celebrated in a similar way throughout the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, so the area of the Travnik Muftiship does not differ much from the areas of other muftiships. As is customary, the mosques are full during the Bayram prayer, followed by Bayram greetings in the mosque itself, and then on the street and in the family environment, with a Bayram lunch and the indispensable baklava. A constant practice is also giving money to younger people, the so-called Bayram banknote, and the distribution of Bayram gift packages to children is becoming more frequent.

Since it is Kurban Bayram, those who can afford it approach the sacrifice of the kurban (sacrificial animal) in a dignified manner and distribute the kurban meat to neighbours, relatives and the poor. Even now, this is most often done by children, who receive sweets in return. Those who cannot personally sacrifice a kurban on their own usually pay for a kurban for the needs of the Elči Ibrahim Pasha Madrasa in Travnik or perhaps some other madrasa. The meat from these kurbans is used to feed the students of the Madrasa, but also for public kitchens, hospitals, institutions for the care of persons with special needs, kindergartens within the Islamic Community, etc.

After that, visits to relatives follow, which are practised throughout all the days of Bayram. Of course, there are increasingly frequent Bayram concerts, with ilahije, kaside and sometimes sevdalinke.

What are the spiritual values that Muslims should particularly cultivate?

Adilović: Of course, there are several of these values, but on this occasion I want to point out some. First of all, we need to get to know the essence of the faith and its regulations better, because Islam is perfect and its regulations are the most correct and applicable in all times. I emphasise this because I often see or hear that there are believers who know Islam poorly and therefore do not experience it in its fullness and do some things wrongly, thinking that it is in accordance with our faith.

Furthermore, it is of extremely great importance that our faith is not just a form and a custom, but a vital necessity and a life path, which leads us to happiness in both worlds. For example, those who pray out of habit and for form's sake do not experience the essence and beauty of prayer, so they cannot enjoy it and have no effect from it, which is why they rarely pray, unaware of what great blessings, satisfaction and happiness they are missing. The same applies to other Islamic regulations.

Also, we should strive for faith to influence our daily lives, i.e., to live Islamic virtues and beautiful behaviour, which will have a positive result for us, but also for the society we are in. For example, a true believer should not allow himself to be selfish, arrogant, or to cause harm to others, but rather he must be completely honest, upright, have a beautiful attitude towards other people and be always ready to help others.

We are witnesses that Bosnia and Herzegovina is daily exposed to ruthless attacks, both from the authorities of the BiH entity RS and from external enemies. On the other hand, on the BiH scene we have disunity among the pro-Bosnian/pro-Bosniak political factor, even on the most important issues for the state. Bearing this in mind, how can we overcome all the difficulties our homeland is facing?

Adilović: There are many culprits for the crisis situation our country is in, such as international organisations, Greater Serbian and Greater Croatian policies, but I see the main problem in us, Bosniaks, because we do not act in a timely and adequate manner. In the most difficult time for the state and our people, our politics is disunited and not only does it not work unitedly for the state and the people, but in many cases they work against each other, thereby causing additional damage in these decisive moments!

Unfortunately, there are those who look first at personal interest, then narrow party interest, and only then, to some extent, the interest of the state and the people! If we want to get out of this crisis, pro-Bosniak/pro-Bosnian politics must overcome disunity and personal interests and unite around common interests, i.e., the interests of the state and the people!

At the end of this conversation, what would you like to say to the readers of the Patria News Agency?

Adilović: We must not be naive and think that things will resolve themselves. Naivety has cost us dearly many times throughout history! We must not be lazy and only look after our own interests, desires and whims! We need to be proactive and try to lead the processes, not just react, especially not slowly and inadequately. We must all work on healing our society, improving relations between people, strengthening the family, improving the birth rate, properly raising children and youth, healing society and improving our situation!

In accordance with the principles of our sublime faith, we must constantly work on promoting what is good and suppressing what is bad! I am sure that we have the potential and that we can improve our situation, we just need to get moving, act together and persevere on the path to achieving our common goals!

In that sense, I pray to Allah, the Almighty, that, besides sincere faith, He grants us wisdom, conscience, seriousness, persistence and steadfastness on the Path of Good!

I pray to Him to grant us the beauty of experiencing the Bayram days and the beauty of living in accordance with our faith, and to ease the situation of all those who are in severe trials and problems, especially the inhabitants of Gaza and Palestine! Amen.

To all those for whom Bayram means something, I wish all the best and congratulate them with the usual greeting: BAYRAM SHERIF MUBAREK OLSUN!