Eid-ul-Azha Message: Tawheed as the Bond of Muslim Unity
Dear People of the Nation,
I extend to you all heartfelt greetings and congratulations on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. The days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah have come to us at a time when the world is overwhelmed with injustice, oppression, war, bloodshed, and conflict. Especially if we look at the sorrowful and unfortunate condition of the Muslim nation, we see that Muslims across the globe are being insulted and humiliated as a people. At a time when we in Bangladesh are celebrating Eid, buying cows, preparing to eat meat with our children, millions of Muslims in Palestine are desperately roaming refugee camps in search of a drop of water or a morsel of food. Even people standing in line for food at aid centers are being indiscriminately killed with machine guns. How merciless! Countless families have been destroyed there. They have no homes, no educational institutions—nothing at all. The most barbaric and disgraceful violations of human rights in history are being committed against Palestinian Muslims. Yet the world is silent, and so are the Muslims. It’s as if no one can do anything. Meanwhile, nearly 2.2 million Muslims have been driven out of Myanmar and turned into refugees. Hundreds of millions of Muslims today are oppressed and displaced. The question is, will this ever end? Is this humiliation our destiny? Is this curse our fate? Is it our fate to be beaten by other nations, to have our children killed, and our women dishonored? But the Holy Qur’an does not say so.
The Qur’an says we are the best of nations, raised for the benefit of mankind—to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong (Surah Al Imran, 110). Then why have we fallen into such a pitiful condition? The Qur’an says that believers will be given authority and leadership on earth, that power and victory will belong to them (Surah An-Nur, 55), because Allah is with the believers. But where is that today? So the question arises: have we been deprived of Allah’s mercy and blessings? Yes, that is the very question we are trying to address through this Eid-ul-Azha publication. The most crucial strength of a nation is its unity. When that national unity is destroyed, nothing else remains. When members of a nation turn on each other in conflict, everything is lost. This is exactly what has happened to us today. If we look at the situation in Bangladesh today, we see that the very country we live in and grew up in—our beloved motherland—is facing a grave security threat. The head of the interim government has stated that preparations for war must be made. Even the Army Chief has warned everyone to be alert. So the question is: why this security crisis?
We have witnessed how a neighboring state constantly schemes to dominate Bangladesh, and how imperialist arms-dealing superpowers are competing to establish dominance and control. Added to this is the new crisis in Rakhine State, threats and conspiracies from the Rakhine Army. Internally, chaos has erupted—new political parties are forming, mobs, terrorism, fights, blockades, processions, attacks and counterattacks, groups being driven out of the country by violence. Another group enters the political field, operating just like their predecessors. In the meantime, trillions of taka have been smuggled abroad. Bangladesh is now entangled in a massive web of debt. And this isn’t the end. Prices of daily necessities are skyrocketing. Life has become unbearable. This year in some places, the price of beef has exceeded one thousand taka per kilogram. One thousand taka for one kilo of beef! Can you imagine? A kilo gives only 8–10 pieces, not enough for even eight people. No one can guarantee it won’t reach ten thousand taka in the near future. So we’re facing a suffocating situation—no security on one hand, and unbearable cost of living on the other. Add to that the burden of ever-increasing taxes and external security threats. All in all, people are under immense psychological pressure.
To escape this pressure, we say: Allah has given us a noble ideal, a guideline, the correct path. The founder of the Hezbut Tawheed movement, Mr. Mohammad Bayazeed Khan Panni, has presented this vision to us. He said that if Muslims can once again be united under the concept of Tawheed—“La ilaha illallah,” meaning we will accept no law but Allah’s—then all problems can be solved. This one phrase is the source of unity. It is the platform and the flag of unity. If we can unite like steel around this phrase, forgetting all religious divisions, political differences, and under the leadership of a sincere leader build a great united nation, then salvation is possible, and no harm can come to us.
Moreover, the Hajj is currently taking place. What is its true significance? On the day of Eid, we perform Qurbani (sacrifice). What is the meaning of this sacrifice? We do not understand. Hajj is both a spiritual and worldly educational center for the Muslim Ummah. Spiritually, it is a rehearsal and reminder that we will be held accountable before Allah for our lives and deeds. In the plains of Arafat, Muslims are meant to unite under one leader to solve their problems and crises. So there would be no need for the United Nations. The UN is not ours—it is theirs. Our place is the plains of Arafat. But today, we do not go to Arafat to solve our problems. This is unfortunate for us. The lesson of Hajj was to unify the nation, to create a great united people under one leader, to awaken the Muslim Ummah with a spirit of brotherhood and unity and to move toward Allah’s Khilafah (divine governance). This was the purpose of Hajj.
On the other hand, the lesson of Qurbani, associated with the memory of Ibrahim (A.S.) and his son Ismail (A.S.), is to please Allah by sacrificing our lives and wealth in His cause—to win against Iblis in the divine challenge. Allah says in the Qur’an: blood and meat do not reach Me, but your taqwa (God-consciousness) does. So the core of Qurbani is taqwa—sacrificing an animal is just training in sacrificing one’s life and wealth for Allah.
Therefore, what we need today is to deeply understand the true meaning of Qurbani and the real purpose of Hajj. We could not sit idly at home, ignoring the responsibility of our faith. It has become our religious duty to spread this awareness and message to the public—that peace will never come unless we establish Allah’s way of life. We have followed the West’s ideologies long enough. We’ve experimented with many systems. No more. Now we must return. This return is called Tawba (repentance). This return means establishing the Deen (divine system) given by Allah. It is for this noble purpose that we have formed the Hezbut Tawheed movement—completely apolitical and selfless in our work.
This newspaper is not just a news outlet. It is an ideological paper, spreading a great ideal with complete selflessness. Its salespeople also work selflessly. That’s why we seek the support of all. I extend my congratulations to those salespeople, office workers, and press workers who continue their efforts even during the Eid holidays. May Allah grant you all the reward of Qurbani. Congratulations also to our readers who regularly read our newspaper. There may be some differences of opinion, or misunderstandings due to false propaganda or misinformation about us. As a result, sometimes our workers face harassment. I humbly appeal to the nation's public representatives, businesspeople, journalists, and law enforcement to please ensure their safety.
Above all, I pray that Allah grants us the ability to embrace the true teachings of Qurbani. May we, as His servants, be able to establish His Khilafah and obey His commands. We desire that the state and society be governed according to the ideal revealed to the Final Messenger (peace be upon him). May Allah keep everyone healthy, protect us from all calamities, and safeguard the soil of our beloved motherland, Bangladesh, especially from imperialist aggression and threats.
We are awake, we are in the streets. We have not fallen asleep—we are awake and striving to awaken others. We are uniting and trying to unite others. We are striving to be the Qurbani ourselves and to sacrifice all our wealth. We ask only for your prayers and blessings. And Allah’s help and mercy are our provisions. May Allah protect everyone. Once again, I wish you all Eid Mubarak.
Eid Mubarak. Allah Hafiz.
Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
— Hossain Mohammad Salim, Imam, Hezbut Tawheed
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