Istanbulite Muslims flock to Hagia Sophia Mosque to perform first Friday prayers of Ramadan

Thousands of Istanbulite Muslim worshippers gathered at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque to perform the first Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan. The Hagia Sophia imam preached to Muslim worshippers and said in the sermon: 'Dear Muslims! In the verse I have recited, our Lord Almighty (swt) states, The believers, both men and women, are guardians of one another.' [Tawbah, 9/71] The preacher also added: 'In the hadith, I have read, our Prophet (saw) says, 'Whoever relieves a Muslim of some worldly distress, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection.' [Abu Dawud, Adab, 60] 'As of yesterday, we have reached the month of Ramadan, the herald of mercy, forgiveness and eternal salvation. While we enjoy the joy of Ramadan, we continue to feel the pain of disasters in our hearts. Insha Allah, with the spirit of unity, togetherness and solidarity that reinforces our brotherhood in the spiritual climate of Ramadan, which is the month that refreshes our hearts, we will alleviate our pain even more and we will walk to the future in hope,' the imam told the Istanbulite worshippers. 'Our great nation has once again demonstrated the best examples of cooperation and solidarity to heal the wounds of the disasters we have suffered. May Allah the Almighty (swt) be pleased with each and every one of our brothers and sisters who have mobilized all their resources and kept praying. For it is this spirit of solidarity that guarantees our unity and solidarity, peace and security. It is through this spirit that we strengthen the bonds of love, compassion and affection among us. The Muslim cleric also said: 'The Islamic civilization is a civilization of solidarity. Believers are the representatives of this civilization on earth. Indeed, our sublime religion, Islam, enjoins us to keep the sense of solidarity alive at all times. Allah the Almighty (swt) states, ى ٰو َوال تَقْ ِ ِب ر ْ َى ال another one with Cooperateَ 'وتَ َعاَونُوا َعل in goodness and righteousness. [Ma'idah, 5/2] 'As the Presidency of Religious Affairs, we highlight an important theme during the month of Ramadan every year. This year's theme is set as 'Ramadan and Solidarity' to increase social awareness about the disasters we have suffered. We will contribute to the awareness of social solidarity through activities we will carry out within this framework. We will do our best to support our brothers and sisters in distress. Insha Allah, we will build permanent homes for our disaster-stricken brothers and sisters in need through our zakat and other voluntary donations,' the imam stressed in the Friday speech. 'Let us heal our wounds together by seizing the opportunity of the spiritual climate of Ramadan. May our bonds of love, compassion and affection grow stronger. Let us experience the joy and blessings of suhoor and iftar together. Let us share love and affection. Let us relieve sadness and sorrow. Let us build bridges of zakat and sadaqah. May generosity surround us, and may stinginess be far away from us. Let us make our brotherhood everlasting, and spread goodness together. May peace and security prevail all around us. May the spirit of solidarity and cooperation be our guiding principle. May the month of Ramadan be blessed for all of us. Ramadan Mubarak!' the Muslim preacher said in a statement while concluding the Friday sermon.