Tuesday, March 7, 2023
This is the holy Lailat al-Bara’ah. May the endless praises be to the Almighty Allah (swt) who reaches us to this night once again.
Bara’ah is a herald of salvation. It reminds us the value of living in accordance with good deed and good morals with submission to the Almighty Allah (swt), seeking refuge to the Allah (swt) from everything that pollutes mind and heart and moves the life away from its meaning and purpose, being distanced from all kinds of desires and behaviors that is not in accordance with His will. Let us contemplate our situation tonight by making accounting and reasoning journeys into the depths of our hearts and lives. Let us review our sensitivity to the commands and prohibitions of the Almighty Allah (swt). Let us open our hands and hearts to His presence and present our situation to Allah (swt). Let us make this night the beginning of a more beautiful life with contemplation, chants, worship, seeking of forgiveness, duas and suppliance.
The truth is that those who live their lives in accordance with faith and good morals will gain the happiness of the world and the hereafter. Those who spent the life He gave with obedience and submission to Him will reach to the salvation. Those who repent their sins and mistakes with sincerity will be honored with mercy and those who properly fulfill their responsibilities will reach to security and peace. Those who are able to want the beauties they want for themselves for everyone will reach to perfection, and Allah (swt) will help those who come to the aid of the orphans, the poor, the oppressed and the troubled. The Almighty Allah (swt) will protect and look after those who pursue justice, bestowal and kinship ties and He will bestow His mercy and affection on those who strive to live in goodness and direction of Islam.
We strive to heal the wounds of this earthquake as a nation with a great solidarity and cooperation while comprehending these holy times with wounded and sorrowful hearts. Our Beloved Prophet (saw) emphasizes the reward of cooperation and solidarity in the presence of Allah (swt) by saying “Whoever relieves a Muslim of some worldly distress, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection,” and He expresses the sensitivity of believers to each other’s sorrows with the following hadith, “The believers, in their mutual love, compassion, and sympathy are like a single body; if one of its organs suffers, the whole body will respond to it with sleeplessness and fever.” Therefore, our nation’s mobilization of aid will continue until we meet all the needs of our brothers and sisters who are the victims of earthquake, inshallah.
On this occasion, I would like to congratulate the Lailat al-Bara’ah of our dear nation and the entire Islamic World and May the Almighty Allah (swt) give inner calm to mournful hearts with his mighty and grace; heal the wounded hearts and make the difficulties easier with his mercy and goodness.
Prof. Dr. Ali ERBAŞ
President of Religious Affairs