Islamic Day.

Islamic day was first celebrated in the late fifties or early sixties in the Maldives. Today "this day" has penetrated the consciousness of Maldivians more than before, maybe because our Government has taken the opportunity to mark the day with different programs to demonstrate how much more “Islam friendly” they are in comparison to the 30- year regime.

Centuries ago our forefathers accepted Islam, and today many of us like to boast; an increasingly contested statistic that we are 100% Muslims. Whatever the truth may or may not be, it’s an incontestable fact that Maldivians by and large have enjoyed historically (recent, at least) homogeneity with respect to their belief system. How much this homogeneity engendered brotherly love and harmony between the sons and daughters of this country, I leave for you to ponder.

By the Grace of Allah we have been fairly consistent in our acceptance of the Oneness of Allah and the acceptance of the Holy Prophet as Allah’s slave and Messenger. I dare say until recently the ordinary Maldivian had no difficulty in accepting the supremacy of the Shariah with regard to his day to day life. Thus I put it to you the reader that the Shariah was not given its due place in our lives mainly due to the failings of our leaders and even more importantly the failings of our scholars & elite.

It is in this light that we have to face facts and take stock of the present situation that we are faced in. On the one hand, in our day to day lives we consiously or unconsiously completely deny any preponderance or supremacy of the Shariah in our lives and on the other hand we consciously and actively give value and preference to a system of life that goes against the grain, letter and soul of the Shariah. We are now spending more and more time, wealth and all our energies in divisive politics and letting the strongest, richest, loudest and meanest amongst us to wedge hatred and ill feelings amongst us.

So in the many gatherings, celebrations, lectures in forums, TV and radios we are marking this day with unusually robust fashion. Alhamdulilahi! I wonder how many of you would stop and think that centuries ago our ancestors accepted by Allah’s Grace Islam as taught by Allah’s own prophet – who underwent insult upon insult, trauma upon trauma and pain upon pain to pass the Message of Islam entrusted on him by Allah in all it's pristine purity.

I invite you to make the firm resolution today that Insha Allah we are going to strive to uphold the attestation that THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH & THAT PROPHET MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER. Brothers & Sisters, the “mighty oak tree” was once only a seed. Together Insha Allah we can strive to reclaim our lives, our ethos, our being for ALLAH & ONLY ALLAH.

003.103 YUSUFALI:

And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.