CIOG Eid Message 2018 “It is our duty to build on the progress we made in Ramadan”

Jun 15, 2018 News

Beloved Brothers and Sisters, As salamu alaikum wa rahamtullah. Eid Mubarak Eid Mubarak Eid Mubarak! We praise Allah (SWT) and we thank Him for granting us the favour of witnessing the completion of another month of fasting. May Allah accept our prayers, our fasts and seeking His pleasure in this most sacred of month. May He improve us in our sincerity and works and grant us His pleasure. Aameen.
Ramadan came and went, we must move forward with renewed spiritual strength and determination, drawing as much as we can from the many lessons learnt during our fast. In addition to our fast we met at iftar and for taraweh, we seek to help the poor, and by this we demonstrated care and concern, fostering a spirit of community. It is that spirit of community that I would like to focus on as we enter the month of Shawwal.
Community building is worship. In Ramadan we are galvanized around extra acts of ibadah and by the mode of generosity engendered by the month itself. Our egos are imprisoned by hunger and thirst and our days are harmonized by the fast. We come together, the poor, the rich, the strong, the weak, despite our diverse circumstances, and we help each other with patience and love through each day of fasting. Ramadan teaches us that nothing can bring people together in a more potent manner than worship of Allah, The Most High.
It is our duty to build on the progress we made in Ramadan throughout the year so that each Ramadan finds us stronger and closer to Allah as individuals and as a community. In this regard, I would like to suggest three simple steps we can take to help us achieve this. The first two suggestions are intended to strengthen us as individuals while the final point has to do with making a meaningful contribution to the welfare of the community.
Firstly, we should reaffirm to ourselves the importance of prayer. The strength of our community and our homes can be measured easily by the number of us who observe the five daily prayers. We see the great progress that can be made when we come together as a community around the fast. That progress can continue if we strive to come together around the prayer five times per day because salah or namaz is the spiritual sustenance of the believers. We should avoid all excuses and delays and observe our prayers, a small act to receive countless benefits and blessings.
Secondly, we need to bring our Masjids to life. The Masjid is the house of Allah and the meeting place of His true slaves. We should sacrifice some of our time to visit our Masjids. Even if we cannot attend the Masjid frequently we should do so consistently. We should be eager to contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of Allah’s houses without looking for rewards in the form of position or influence. When we attend our Masjids let us busy ourselves with worship and devotion and seek out every opportunity to show generosity and hospitality to others who visit. This will bring the light that comes with Allah’s pleasure into our hearts and make us spiritually stronger.
Thirdly, we should be involved in the work of the CIOG. I offer this final suggestion without reservation or apology as I am convinced that the days of shying away from “organizations” should come to an end if we are truly to move forward. We should recognize that dreams of community building will remain dreams without leadership and organization.
The CIOG, with its emphasis on the Masjid and Madrasa and on maintaining the communities and practices that have kept Islam alive in this nation, is uniquely positioned to play a vital role in bringing about true community development. Our vision is broad; our reach is wide and encompasses not only the Muslim community but our entire nation. To realize our vision, we need the input and support from brothers and sisters of all backgrounds and talents who are dedicated to Allah and who recognize the importance of moving forward as an organized community.
I am confident that if we take these steps seriously as individuals with patience, persistence and sacrifice that we will be able to grow spiritually and materially and more importantly that we will be well on our way to earning the Supreme Pleasure of Allah, Most High. May Allah accept our prayers and fasts of Ramadan and may He grant us every success and blessing in this world and the next.
Eid Mubarak Eid Mubarak Eid Mubarak!
Was Salaam
Al-Hajj Shahabudeen Ahmad
President

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CIOG Eid Message 2018 “It is our duty to build on the progress we made in Ramadan”

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