President Christine Kangaloo said there is much to be learned from Muslims who observe Ramadan.
In her Eid-ul-Fitr message to the nation, she says Ramadan and Eid invite all to pursue joy and fulfilment by living lives of self-sacrifice and discipline, the values that underpin a strong and resilient society.
She added: “One of the major lessons we learn is that of the essential paradox of our existence – that it is often and only when we let go of our wants and desires that we invite greater abundance into our lives. We learn that when we give up fleeting pleasures and temporary gratifications, we often gain enduring peace and lasting happiness.”
The President said, “The call of Ramadan is a universal call – it is a call to learn to find fulfilment in the spiritual and not only in the temporal and material.”
She said just as the discipline of Ramadan precedes the celebration of Eid, so are citizens called to understand that restraint and self-sacrifice are the precursors of fulfilment and true happiness.
Kangaloo said Muslims take great solace in the understanding that personal sacrifices made during Ramadan are incomparable to the spiritual rewards promised by Allah to those who fast. She said they are sustained by their certainty that embracing sacrifice during this period brings about spiritual renewal and restoration.
She hopes this devotion to faith and “attitude of temperance and commitment to self-betterment” displayed by Muslims throughout this period serves as an example to the nation.
She added, “Let us vow to apply their wonderful example to every area of our lives. May Almighty Allah bestow upon us all blessings of peace and prosperity and may He accept and reward our efforts.”