After reciting Surah Al-Qadr, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid emphasized on the necessity of reciting the Holy Qur’an, dhikr, repentance, seeking forgiveness of Allah, supplication, charity and other acts of worship in the last decade of Ramadan and thanked Allah for His blessings and the blessing of the Holy month of Ramadan.
The Friday Imam of Sunnis talked in the gathering of Sunni worshipers of Zahedan city on May 15, 2020: “The ones who take advantage of the opportunity of Ramadan, youth, life, wealth, health and all the opportunities of life are prosperous; also those who die with faith, piety, good moral and great achievements.”
“The saints, righteous persons, the prophets and the companions were lucky. They took advantage of their lives,” The most influential scholar of Sunnis in Iran said.
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid continued: “Ramadan is the month of the revelation of the Holy Qur’an and the Night of Destiny.”
“The last decade of Ramadan is an exceptional opportunity. During these ten days, the Holy Prophet peace and blessings of Allah be upon him was seriously engaged in worship and awakened his family”, the president of Darululoom Zahedan said.
“Blessed are those who succeed in reciting the Holy Qur’an several times, do many dhikr, repent and ask Allah for forgiveness, give alms and charity, pay zakat of their property, and do not commit sins” Shaikh Abdol-Hamid said.
Failure to pay zakat will impact the faith
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid continued his speech by pointing to the position and importance of zakat in Islam, saying: “Zakat is the clear command of Allah. In seventy verses of the Holy Qur’an, zakat and prayer are mentioned together, which shows the importance and connection of these two important acts of worship. Prayer is the highest physical worship and zakat is the highest financial worship”.
He added: “If we do not pay zakat, our Iman is incomplete. A person who commits adultery, stealing, and drinking wine, his Iman will be expelled at the moment of committing sin”.
“Zakat increases your wealth and cleanses you from sins. Fasting, prayer and zakat improve your health and strengthen humility. Each worship has its own effect”, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid added.
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid emphasized: “Help schools, seminaries and mosques and pray for all those who serve the society”.
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid alluded to the martyrdom anniversary of Sayyidana Ali bin Abi-Talib and said he was a great companion, first cousin and son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. We should follow his teachings and directions step by step.
At the end of his speech, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid encouraged for the payment of Sadaqat-ul-Fitr and said: “Zakat and Sadaqat-ul-Fitr are the best opportunity for you to pay. No charity has the reward as these. Try to pay the highest amount that was set for the Sadaqat-ul-Fitr”.
Follow WHO protocols & recommendations seriously
In the second part of his speech, he pointed to the spread of COVID-19 in Sistan-Baluchistan and said: “Unfortunately, corona virus outbreak has increased in Sistan-Baluchistan province, especially in Zahedan. Many people do not obey health advice in this regard.”
Friday Imam of Sunnis in Zahedan emphasized on the necessity of adhering health advice saying: “Many people are crowding in markets; they gather at ceremonies, sit close to each other, shake hands and do not take care of health advice and recommendations.”
He added: “Some people refuse to follow health advice and say that whatever Allah wants will be the same; this is right, but Allah has provided a cause for everything. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, also says in a hadith: “First tie camel’s knee and then put trust in Allah”. Leaving camel free and trusting in Allah is against the teachings of the Holy Prophet PBUH.”
The president of Darululoom Zahedan said: “My emphasized advice to dear people is to follow the WHO protocols and recommendations; to use masks and gloves outside of home during daily chores.”
Instead of destroying homes, allot lands for people
In another part of his speech, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid pointed to the housing problems and said: “People are in a very bad economic situation; officials should consider this critical situation and solve this problem with a proper and correct management.”
He added: “officials at the Housing Foundation and Natural Resources Organization should think about people’s housing. Many are suffering from lack of housing and are unable to pay their rent”.
The Imam of Grand Makki Mosque of Zahedan continued: “I’d like also ask the owners of houses and shops to cooperate with people in these critical economic conditions by giving discount or postponing the time of taking fare and rent.”
Iranian Sunnis’ eminent scholar in Iran emphasized: “My advice to officials is that instead of destroying people’s homes, try to solve their problems and allot them land generously in villages.”
“The current situation requires us to win the hearts of the people more than ever,” he said.
The Iranian Sunnis leader said: “It is very important to be with people and to win people’s hearts.”
Officials should be fair in distribution of positions among ethnic and religious communities
The Friday Imam of Sunnis in Zahedan emphasized on the necessity of “equality among ethnic and religious communities” and said: “My recommendation to national and provincial officials is to have an equal look at all, including ethnicities and sects and different tendencies.”
“The best way to strengthen brotherhood is to give equal opportunities to meritorious figures of all ethnic and religious communities”, the most influential scholar of Sunnis in Iran said.
He added: “Some tend to prefer some members of the nation over others, while all of them are Iranians who have come to the national events whenever the Supreme Leader and other officials asked; therefore, let’s respect the right of the whole nation and take action to solve their problems.”
At the end, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid emphasized: “There are policies in the country which should be changed and past experiences should be used. It is necessary to maintain unity and brotherhood in the country”, he said.