IFTAR DINNER SPEECH BY CHAIRMAN CADISHEAD & IRLAM ISLAMIC CENTRE

A very Good Evening to Everyone.

Respected Guest, My name is Mahboob Rasool, and I am the chairman and the Imam of Cadishead and Irlam Islamic Centre.

Before starting the programme, I would like to invite Mr Muqsit Rasool and Iftikhar Uddin for Quran recitation. After I will request Mr Lewis Nelson to deliver his speech.

TRANSLATION OF RECITATION SURAH MARY (MARYAM)

By Iftikhar Uddin

FROM AYAT 27 TO 36

27. Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him. They said: "O Mary! Indeed you have brought a thing Fariyy (a mighty thing).
28. "O sister of Harun ! Your father was not a man who used to commit adultery, nor your mother was an unchaste woman."
29. Then she pointed to him. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle? "
30. "He Îsa (Jesus)] said: "Verily I am a slave of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet
31. "And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me Salat (prayer), and Zakat, as long as I live."
32. "And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest.
33. "And Salam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!"
34. Such is 'Îsa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). (It is) a statement of truth, about which they doubt (or dispute).
35. It befits not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glorified (and Exalted) be He (above all that they associate with Him). When He decrees a thing, He only says to it: "Be!" - and it is.
36. Jesus also declared,˺ “Surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him ˹alone˺. This is the Straight Path.”

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Thank you Muqsit Rasool, Iftikhar Uddin for beautiful recitation and translation and many thanks to Lewis Nelson for his expression.

Thank you all for being with us today. I would like to welcome everyone to the first ever community iftar dinner here in Irlam & Cadishead. from those who have been with us from the beginning of our journey, to those who have joined us today, a very warm welcome.

On behalf of the Irlam & Cadishead Muslim community, I sincerely thank and acknowledge every one of you who helped us to make this event possible today. I would especially like to thank Councillors Lewis Nelson and Hannah Smith and chairperson of Lady James Hall Francis Henry.

And Trust us, all of this would’ve been just a dream if it was not for your immense support.

Now, I would like to share with you how our journey started from praying at the Talk Talk office, to praying at the Local Fire Station, to Preston Hall and then to my home Garage for over a year and now offering Friday prayers at Lady James Hall with the help of Lewis Nelson & Francis.

After 30 years of Muslim’s being in the area, and now we are looking to get our own building for this purpose which would be accessible to everyone. An Islamic centre for Everyone.

Moving forward, I will talk about the holy month of Ramadhan, the rights of neighbours and building strong communities.

During this holy month, Muslims throughout the globe, observe fasting, do extra prayers during the night, give to charity, and read and reflect on the teachings of the Holy Quran.  All these forms of worship create a community feeling that is special.

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam.  In terms of fasting, we do not eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset. Fasting is obligatory for all adult Muslims who are in good health. Fasting is not something unique to Muslims, as other religions also had some form of fasting, in one form or another, as a part of their worship.

I will now talk about the rights of neighbours in Islam.  Interestingly, Islamic law has a wide definition of who is a neighbour – it is not only the people who live next to you, it actually includes the 40 families who live to your left and right, in front of you, behind you and above and below you!

The Companions of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were constantly reminded by both, word and deed that Allah and His messenger placed great importance on the consideration and kind treatment of neighbours.

There is a famous saying of our Prophet (P.B.U.H): “He is not a believer who eats his fill, whilst his neighbour beside him goes hungry” (Bukhari).

A good neighbour is one who guarantees comfort, security and safety.  This is true regardless of the ethnicity or religion of the neighbours.

If one member of the community suffers then the whole community is at risk.  In the past, neighbours and wider community members depended on each other in times of strife or calamity.  This is not so far from the situations we find ourselves in today; old people die alone and are forgotten, and neighbours go hungry behind closed doors.  Many community problems such as these could be solved by neighbourly concern.

Islam is an inclusive religion.  This is evident by the fact that Moses and Jesus are considered to be true Messengers and Prophets sent by Our Creator for the guidance of Mankind.

I hope that the message from today’s event, will be that the more we interact with each other, the more beneficial it will be for this whole community.  We may be different in terms of race, religion, nationality, language etc, but this diversity is actually a strength.  We are united by our sharing of common beliefs, such as ‘Love thy neighbour’, doing good deeds on an individual level and on a collective community level (that will benefit more people), acting in accordance with the law, respecting the opinions of others etc.

I hope and pray that everyone enjoys this meal. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us and we shall try to answer as best as we can.

Once again, I thank you for taking part in this event.