KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, performed Aidilfitri prayers at the Federal Territory Mosque here in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri 1446H/2025M celebrations.

Their Majesties’ arrival was accompanied by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Also present were Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

It was also attended by Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) director-general Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee.

Upon arrival, Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah proceeded to the prayer halls to perform the prayers, led by Federal Territories Mufti Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Luqman Abdullah.

This is the first time His Majesty is performing the Aidilfitri prayers at the Federal Territory Mosque after taking the oath of office as the 17th King of Malaysia on Jan 31 last year.

After performing the prayers, Their Majesties then listened to the sermon titled “Berdamai dalam Dakapan Syawal” presented by Luqman.

Sultan Ibrahim also spent some time shaking hands with some of the congregants, who took the opportunity to record videos and take pictures before His Majesty departed the Federal Territory Mosque at about 9 am.

Meanwhile, Luqman, in his sermon, urged Muslims to take advantage of the blessings of Aidilfitri to improve brotherhood relations between family ties, the community and the Muslim ummah.

He said that the Aidilfitri celebration should be used as a platform to continue practising noble values in daily life and to cultivate the spirit of open-heartedness and mutual forgiveness.

“The reality today shows the division among Muslims due to differences in beliefs, politics and personal interests. Be aware (that) quarrels only weaken us and provide an opportunity for the enemies of Islam to take advantage.

“This Syawal should be a turning point towards efforts to strengthen the Islamic brotherhood and restore ties that may have been cut,” he said.

In the spirit of Syawal, he also urged Muslims to emulate the character of Prophet Muhammad SAW in handling disputes, always prioritising dialogue, open-heartedness and forgiveness in resolving conflicts.

“This is the basis of a MADANI society, that is built on respect and kindness, nurtured through the teachings of Ramadan. As such, let’s purify our hearts to forgive one another, make peace with each other and take care of one another,” he said.