The eminent scholar, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid pointed out to the Qur’anic emphases on meditation in divine favors, and called it one of the reasons for the divine recognition.
Talking to the Sunni worshipers of Zahedan, southeastern Iran, Mawlana Abdol-Hamid began his sermon of Friday, 4th March, 2016 by the Qur’anic verse: «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ هَلْ مِنْ خَالِقٍ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاء وَالْأَرْضِ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَأَنَّى تُؤْفَكُونَ», (O people, remember Allah’s favor upon you. Is there any creator, apart from Allah, who provides you your sustenance out of the heavens and earth? There is no god but He. Whither are you, then, being misdirected?); [35:3]
He said, “All favors and blessings we see around us belong to Allah the Almighty; He has given us our body parts, the earth, sky, rain, snow and numerous kinds of blessings we cannot count them.”
“Remembering the favors of Allah places His recognition and His love in our hearts. On this love and recognition, we would obey His all commands and orders.”
Khateeb and Friday imam of Sunnis in Zahedan further said, “We should put the love of the Almighty in the depths of our hearts and strive to get His pleasure. We have to avoid sins and misdeeds which make Him angry.”
The rector of Darululoom Zahedan concluded his points in this part of his weekly speech by calling on the audience to ‘avoid negligence’ and ‘return to Allah’ by the repentance and seeking forgiveness from the Almighty.
In the last part of his sermon, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid alluded to the general elections in Iran and said, “Now the time of competition has been over; it is the time for friendship and cooperation. All should do their best for the development of the country.”
He called on the authorities to take the complaints of some candidates about election fraud seriously and recount the poll boxes if it was needed.
He said, “I do not say the election was free of problems and anxiety, but it was one of the clearest elections in the recent years. The Iranian people proved by their vote that they wanted only sobriety and temperance; they do not want extremists.”