Location: Ma’unatul Islam Association, Fiji, Kshatriya Hall, Tavua
President of the Ma’unatul Islam Association Fiji, Mohammed Rafiq;
General Secretary of the Ma’unatul Islam Association Fiji, Mohammed Arfad Ali;
Members of the Media;
Brothers and Sisters;
Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabaraktuh
May Allah’s Peace, Mercy and Blessings Be upon You.
Today, we celebrate the anniversary of the blessed birthday of our noble Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who has laid, with his wisdom and kind preaching, great and eternal foundations for humanity as a whole.
I congratulate the good people of Ma’unatul Islam Association, Fiji on the occasion, praying to Allah to bring about many happy returns of the day and ultimate goodness, peace and blessings to you all.
Today, is momentous, not only because we are celebrating the birthday of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallahu Alaihi Wasallam), today, we also celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Ma’unatul Islam Association, Fiji. This holds a special place in my heart, as my dear grandfather was a founding member of this very association which has been at the forefront of strengthening our Islam faith within this congregation.
Brothers and Sisters,
We are truly blessed; with the freedom we enjoy today. Far too often, we take for granted our blessings. The opportunities we have, opportunities many are still deprived of. Through Allah’s blessing and protection, we are able to move around freely, host gatherings under parameters set by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and visit our loved ones – this in itself is a price of good fortune.
Brothers and Sisters,
Today’s celebration of the anniversary of the birth of the essence of mankind and the Prophet of Mercy (PBUH) gives rise to all the values of mercy in our true religion and reminds us about tolerance and construction rather than destruction.
Certainly, building balanced mindfulness calls for the collaboration of all religious, educational, cultural and media institutions in order to contribute to building a resilient character, which is gifted of fronting challenges. In other words, a stature that tells apart between right and wrong, fair and prejudiced, and facts and rumors
As with other religions, Islam talks about peace, harmony, tolerance, humility, patience, respect and solidarity. Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) was a living example of these values and what we stand for.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) has taught us how to look after oneself, how to behave as a husband, as a father, a son, as a neighbour. He also advised our sisters how to behave as a wife, a mother, a daughter. He taught us, our rights and obligations, irrespective of where you are in our social structures.
We must appreciate that in Fiji, we as Fijians have equal rights to practice any religion. This shows how united we are, and how tolerant we are to co-exist. This again, is consistent from the time of our Holy Prophet who taught us to live and co-exist with each other irrespective of race, colour or religion.
Brothers and Sisters,
In the same vein, the message of Islam, conveyed by the noble Messenger, was a victory for freedom of faith, choice, belief and thought.
Brothers and Sisters,
I give surety to everyone that our Prophet is in the hearts and minds of Muslims all over the world. Despite His death over 1400 years ago, our beloved Prophet’s name continues to be called out on every corner of the globe, five times a day. But, more than just reciting His name, we need to live through teachings he left with us.
In closing my message this morning, let us make the celebration of his birth, an encouragement that brightens the way for us to live and realise the true concept of humanity, understanding, kindness, and forgiveness.
Let us be exemplification of our faith for accepting and applying the true religion and achieving our purpose.
Brothers and Sisters,
We need to collectively send a message confirming the tolerance of all religions and that it should be a conduit to World peace and the compassion of all of humanity.
Thank you and Vinaka Vakalevu.