Address of the Grand Mufti Dr. Mustafa Hadzhi

on the occasion of the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan

Dear Muslim brothers and sisters,

There are no words to express the feelings and the happiness inside us, the Muslims, when we meet Ramadan, which will charge us with positive energy and spirituality.

What is specific for this month is fasting, but abstaining from food and drink is not an end in itself, but a mean to achieve balance between the spiritual and the material life of the people.

Embraced by our daily life, we forget about our spiritual situation, we make mistakes; we hurt people and especially our relatives. That is why we need to turn to ourselves and to try to take stock of our deeds. Ramadan is the best opportunity not only to revise our deeds, but also to improve our relation with Allah, The Most High.

We should also mention the fact that Ramadan is a month of compassion and empathy for the problems of the people. This is the “season” in which the wealthy ones help the needy, those who made mistakes seek forgiveness from Allah, those who are astray seek guidance, etc.

The mutual help in this month is expressed in the joint dinners, called iftar, and also the night prayer tarawih. The experience of these moments cannot be felt in any other time of the year, and that is why we must not miss this opportunity.

Reading the Qur’an in this month is another feature of Ramadan, but let us try to get inside into the deep meaning of the Holy Scripture, in this way its influence on us will be even much stronger. During the day, when we feel hunger or thirst, let us remember the reward which Allah has promised to those who are fasting. This is a good way to strengthen our will and to show that our love to Allah is stronger that hunger and thirst.

Fasting aims to make us stronger and better and we understand this also from the hadith (narration) of Muhammad (pbuh): “If one does not eschew lies and false conduct, Allah has no need that he should abstain from his food and his drink”. The good deeds during Ramadan have a greater value to the Allah, The Most High, that is why Muslims are more active during this month, but the good deeds are also measured according to the situation in which we are and according to the needs which people have.

Nowadays the most pressing thing is the proper upbringing and education of the rising generation, therefor supporting the Qur’an courses and the Islamic education is a priority for us.

May Allah accept the ibadah (worshipping) of all of us, to forgive the sinned, to heal the sick, to guide those who are astray and to be pleased with all of us.

Respectfully yours,

Dr. Mustafa Hadzhi – Grand Mufti of the Muslims in the Republic of Bulgaria