Eid-ul-Fitr 2025: ‘A Ramadan of Prayers & Lasting Transformation
We thank Almighty Allah for making us one of the beneficiaries of those that completed this year’s Ramadhan. I pray that it is a year of transformation for each one of us and a great source of the transformation of our society and our country. Year 1446 Ramadhan or 2025 comes to an end with the sighting of the crescent of the month of Shawwal, which signals the end of Ramadan and the dawn of Eid-ul-Fitr. On behalf of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at of Nigeria, I extend profound felicitations to the Muslim community in Nigeria on our successful completion of the Ramadan fast and auspicious ushering into the festive day of Eid-ul-Fitr of the year 1446 or 2025. This year, we receive the blessings of the guidance of His Holiness; Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be His Helper) which will be the main focus of this message. In the part of the Holy Qur’an that teaches about Ramadhan is a verse revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) thus: وَاِذَا سَاَلَکَ عِبَادِیۡ عَنِّیۡ فَاِنِّیۡ قَرِیۡبٌ ؕ اُجِیۡبُ دَعۡوَۃَ الدَّاعِ اِذَا دَعَانِ ۙ فَلۡیَسۡتَجِیۡبُوۡا لِیۡ وَلۡیُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِیۡ لَعَلَّہُمۡیَرۡشُدُوۡنَ ﴿۱ Meaning: ‘And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: ‘I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.’’ (The Holy Qur’an, 2:187) Prayers is a means of nearness unto Allah as his friend which is achieved in the month of Ramadhan. If this is continued after Ramadhan, the transformation achieved during Ramadhan will also continue to benefit mankind. Invariably, most people revert to the old ways of doing things after Ramadhan. Therefore, our advise at this Eid ut Fitr is to encourage us to stick to those transformations through prayers and good deeds. In His Friday Sermon of 7th March 2025, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be His Helper) admonished us on: He said that “with the start of the month of Ramadan, one’s attention is drawn towards prayers, because this is a month where prayers are especially accepted. Generally, people are more drawn to the mosques and attendance increases as compared to other times in the year. God says that during Ramadan, He closes the gates of hell, chains Satan and opens the door of Paradise.” His Holiness(aba) said that some may think that it is only during Ramadan that they must offer supplications and that it is only during this time that their prayers will be heard. However this is not the right mentality. Allah the Almighty has drawn increased attention towards prayers during Ramadan so that it may become a lasting habit for the rest of the year as well. Hence, it is not enough to simply offer prayers and attend the mosque solely during Ramadan. The Holy Prophet(sa) said that one who supplicates in the nights of Ramadan to fulfil their rights of their faith and for the sake of blessings then their previous sins are forgiven. When a person tries to make these virtuous habits a regular part of their lives, then their attention will increase during Ramadan towards these things.” In essence, we should Continue the act of fervent prayers after Ramadhan as Allah accepts prayers after the month of Ramadhan and not only in the month of Ramadhan. If this is done, we will achieve nearness unto Allah and obtain His divine blessings. We must love Allah for our prayers to witness quick acceptance. Man is prone to make mistakes; however, Allah the Almighty is very Gracious and Merciful. As such, He has given us an opportunity to renew our vows during Ramadan to act according to God’s commandments for the rest of the year as well. Ramadan is for one to attain guidance, and that is not something that can be established just for one month; rather, guidance is something which is meant to be permanently established. Since humans are forgetful, Allah has made Ramadan a recurring time, each year, so that people may be reminded about their duties and rights owed to God and the rights owed to His creation. In the above verse, where God refers to ‘My servants,’ it means those who hold God to be their Beloved – not just for a month but throughout the year. True lovers are those who adhere to everything their beloved says. One can be disappointed with worldly love, but by loving God, one can never be disappointed and finds nothing but continuous benefit. Hence, we should strive to beseech God for His nearness. We should not only pray for things of our own benefit; rather, we should also pray to attain nearness to God. We should pray that God grants us His nearness, enables us to make supplications that are granted acceptance, grants us a rank of His approval, and that He accepts our fasts. When we do this, then we will be saved from making mistakes even after Ramadan; rather, we will be granted the continuous ability to do virtuous deeds. Special attention has also been drawn towards reciting the Holy Qur’an. The Promised Messiah(as) said that there are more than 700 commandments in the Holy Qur’an. A true believer not only recites the Holy Qur’an, but they search for those commandments and then make every effort to implement them. Complete belief entails complete obedience to God’s commandments and the teachings of His Messenger (sa). As a result, God becomes a person’s Friend, as it is stated in the Holy Qur’an, ‘Allah is the Friend of those who believe.’ This nearness to God is something that never ends; rather, it only increases. Hence, during Ramadan, we must try to attain this rank and consider that if, after Ramadan, we regress and do not offer supplications as we did during Ramadan and do not strive to attain the nearness of God, then how can God become our friend? God has established certain conditions for the acceptance of prayer: being His servant, being sincere to Him and sincere in prayer, considering Him to be the Fountainhead of
