Dr Akber Mohamedali, President of The Council of European Jamaats, has issued the following Ramadhan message, stressing the values of community and tolerance.
He urges Khojas to seek “what is common amongst us within our own community and find unity with all communities.”
He also urged community members to support the Ramadhan Relief Fund 1440 AH, launched by CoEJ and The World Federation.
His message in full:
Ramadhan 1440 AH Message from the President
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam,
Salaamun Alaikum
All praise is due to Allah (SWT)), the Lord of the worlds, and May peace and blessings be sent on His Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his pure Family.
As we are approaching the Holy month of Rahma (Mercy), on behalf of all of us at The Council of European Jamaats, I wish you all a Ramadhan Mubarak. May Allah (SWT) bless you with happiness, prosperity and good health. May He grace your homes with warmth and peace, ‘Ameen’.
Surah ‘Ali-Imran, Verse 103
وَاعْتَصِمُواْ بِحَبْلِ اللّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلاَ تَفَرَّقُواْ وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاء فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىَ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
- “And hold fast by the cord of Allah all together, and do not separate; and remember Allah’s favour on you when you were enemies (of each other) then He united your hearts with (mutual) love, and thus you became brethren by His favour while you were on a brink of a pit of Fire then He delivered you from it! Even so Allah makes clear His Signs for you, so that you may be guided.”
With this inspiring verse from the holy Quran, let us join hands together to pray in unison for the victims and their families involved in the recent attack in Christchurch, New Zealand. While such violence has no basis in the Islamic faith, these criminals still use Islam to justify their actions. For them, the condemnation of their cause by governments, scholars, communities and faith leaders has no bearing on their actions. We as Muslims stand together in mourning with the rest of the country for the lives lost and in solidarity with all those affected.
This is the best time to truly reflect on the timeless truth that all of humanity and, indeed, all of creation, is within the Domain of Allah (swt)’s authority and mercy. When we recite the special Ramadhan dua which encourages us to pray for the oppressed, the hungry, the unclothed, the indigent, we also pray that Allah (swt) may remove all the separation and misunderstanding amongst the Muslim communities.
Keeping this in mind, I once again wish to remind you that by seeking what is common amongst us within our own community and finding unity with all communities, we continue to create a wellspring of goodwill that will ripple into unforeseen blessings and opportunities. We would be wise to ponder upon the fact that every community has talents and abilities which complement those of others: our true progress, success and contentment are assured through sincere and heartfelt collaboration with all.
CoEJ in Partnership with The World Federation and its regional members have launched the Ramadhan Relief Fund 1440 AH. This annual campaign is a global initiative where the support of our members of the communities in raising funds is vital to its overall success in meeting the basic needs of so many struggling families during the month of Ramadhan. This has been a source of comfort for thousands of families including widows, orphans, seniors, the sick and the disabled who find it difficult to break away from the cycle of poverty.
We may find that performing frequent charitable acts becomes easier in the Holy month of Ramadhan. It is a most auspicious time for giving charity to those who need it, in whichever form this may be. I would like to encourage you to reflect upon which causes are most dear to your heart and then donate your time, money, efforts or resources as much as you are able to these noble causes. This will surely enhance your experience of the month and allow you to experience the trait of generosity and set up a habit that will Insha’Allah continue throughout the year.
May the Almighty accept what little we offer Him in this month, and give us the strength and Tawfiq to carry on serving His creation. Let us also pray for peace and justice to prevail and for the hastened reappearance of our awaited saviour Al Mahdi (as).
Salaams and Duas
Dr Akber Mohamedali
President of The Council of European Jamaats