Najib wishes all Malaysian Muslims Selamat Aidiladha

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today wished all Malaysian Muslims "Selamat Aidiladha" in conjunction with the "Festival of Sacrifice" which falls tomorrow.

"Hopefully, Aidiladha this year will be better than the previous year and the next Aidiladha will be better than this year's," he said in his Aidiladha message posted on his 1Malaysia blog.

He expressed the hope that Aidiladha would be celebrated in an atmosphere of prosperity, peace and full of blessings.

The prime minister urged Muslims in the country to appreciate the concept of sacrifice as demanded by Islam where one was willing to sacrifice time and money, body and soul, thoughts, feelings and self-interest to obtain the blessings of God.

Najib said Malaysia upheld the concept of sacrifice by acting as the mediator to end the bloody conflict of over 40 years between Manila and the Bangsamoro in the southern Philippines.

This certainly is a sacrifice that we can be proud of," he said.

Najib said the Malaysian government adopted the approach of the Treaty of 'Hudaibiyah' of over 1,400 years ago to play its role in bringing about a peace deal recently between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine government.

It was due to the Treaty of Hudaibiyah between Prophet Muhammad and the Quraish in Mecca that Muslims were able to perform the Haj in the following year.

The Philippine government and the MILF sealed their historic peace agreement on Oct 15, with Malaysia as the mediator, to end the four decades of conflict in the southern Philippines.

Najib said the solid commitment to help resolve conflicts in any country has brought Malaysia world recognition as a progressive and dynamic Islamic country.

"This was proven by the recognition of the world's leading scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who expressed gratitude and appreciation for Malaysia's consistent efforts to support and assist the Palestinian people over the years," he said.

Najib also called on Muslims in the country to pray for Malaysian pilgrims in Mecca so that they could have a blessed pilgrimage and return home safely.

"The pilgrimage undertaken each year brings with it a thousand and one lessons," he said.