On Saturday March 9, President Emomali Rahmon met with members of the government, senior representatives of local authorities and religious figures on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, according to the Tajik president’s official website.

First of all, Emomali Rahmon congratulated all the participants of the meeting and the entire people of the country on the occasion of the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan - the month of piety and benevolence, charity, forgiveness of sins and purification of the external and internal, reflected on the valuable virtues of this month, and gave specific tasks to the officials to eliminate the existing shortcomings in this field.

The president once again reviewed the process of implementation of the country’s laws on regulating traditions, celebrations and rituals as well as on parental responsibilities and demanded strict observance of the provisions of the laws by the people of the country.

He noted that there were cases of violations of the law regulating traditions, ceremonies and rituals.  Even now, some people indulge in extravagance in holding events, the president said, noting that conceit, extravagance and non-observance of the established norms and standards of folk and religious traditions and customs, among other things, become an obstacle to raising the standard of living of the population. By recalling the commandments of the Quran and the hadiths of the Prophet, it was once again emphasized that God Almighty does not like spendthrifts.

The head of state also the attention of the audience to the multiple performance by citizens of Hajj and Umrah, emphasizing that it is obligatory for believers to perform Hajj only once, and the Prophet of Islam himself performed Hajj only once.

For this reason, it was reportedly proposed that those who want to perform Hajj for the second and third time can act according to the rules of Sharia and spend its fees to pay the expenses for the decent life of their family, the education of their children and grandchildren, the prosperity of the country, the construction of enterprises and schools, roads and bridges, as well as to help and support orphans and the homeless, the disabled, the sick and poor families, and get immense rewards.

Rahmon instructed the Government, President’s Executive Office and other related government bodies to carry out awareness activities and implement specific and timely measures to ensure the rule of law, prevent any crimes and violations of the law and extravagance among the population.

Other assignments were given to the representatives of the country's society on the education and training of the younger generation in the path to self-awareness and patriotism, the construction of modern educational institutions, various social and economic facilities, compliance with the country’s laws regulating traditions and parental responsibilities. 

The president called on the people of the country to give special attention to accomplishing construction and beautification measures, to properly organize and perform the Hajj and Umrah ceremonies, to do good deeds, and to extend a helping hand to the needy, orphans and the poor on the eve of the holidays, to show care for their parents and siblings in line with the noble traditions of the ancestors.

The president’s official website emphasizes that it is worth noting that all the guidelines of Emomali Rahmon regarding charity, support of poor families, orphans and the homeless, thrift and regulation of campaigns and ceremonies are based “on the best educational commandments of the Holy Quran and Prophetic hadiths, and the aim is to guide the people to a happy lifestyle.”