Ramadan 2019 message from the MCB Secretary General
Assalamu Alaikum/Peace be upon you,
As the month of Ramadan draws upon us, on behalf of all our staff, affiliates and volunteers, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a blessed Ramadan.
Ramadan is a time for self-reflection and increasing our awareness of Allah (Taqwah). It is the most blessed month and provides an entire month when we can plan to take time out from our hectic lives and re-focus ourselves towards our Creator, through fasting, prayers, charity and doing good deeds – more than we usually would at other times of the year.
It’s also an opportunity to develop self-discipline, restraint and sabr (patience). Living in these testing times, when we face multiple challenges from the growing threat of Islamophobia towards our communities fuelled by the constant barrage of hatred spewed by far-right ideologues across social media. Following the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand there was an instant spike in hate crimes in the UK towards Muslims, our property and our mosques. I would urge all of you to take extra precaution when leaving and returning late home in the evening from Taraweeh prayers and also urge all our places of worship to make effective plans for security including liaising with their local police force to understand how they can help. The MCB have provided some basic safety guidance which can be seen here.
Let us use this month to not only improve ourselves but also to take the opportunity to build stronger ties with our friends across other faiths and those with none. Share the amazing experience we feel with them when we break our fast together for Iftar, one of the two joys that a Muslim experiences, the other being the final meeting with our Lord, Inshallah. I know many mosques and people will be organising such gatherings and we should all support these where we can.
I hope and pray that you and your families have a peaceful month and remember to also pray for the many Muslims that are needy or oppressed across the world. We are in a fortunate position in the UK and hence able to give our support to the needy through the many well established charities here.
May Allah grant us the blessings of this Ramadan and accept it from all of us. Ameen.
Harun Rashid Khan
