Updated 13 October 2009
The month of Mahe Ramadhan proved to be a very successful month in Bosnia. There were several speakers and programmes organised for this holy month.
Prior to the beginning of Ramadhan, text messages and simple printed invitations were distributed in the neighbourhood. In addition, there were 25 new people who visited the centre. Among the newcomers was Adel, a student from Tuzla who came to Ljesevo to visit his aunt. When asked about his experience, he said: ‘ I was not used to religious gatherings. I must say there was something different from my perception of Islam. I loved listening to the Dua when I knew what was being recited.’
Daily programmes were conducted at the centre. Each programmed consisted of recitation of Dua Iftitah, lecture, namaaz, and iftar. This year several guest speakers gave lectures at the centre. Among them were:
- Sayyed Hassan Rabbani, the head of the Islamic propagation office of the Howza Ilmiyah in Qum.
- Hamid Etminan, the director of the Iranian Cultural Centre of Sarajevo
- Professor Mehran Shafi’ii, the Quran teacher at the International Imam Khomeini University
- Sayyed Muhammad Jawad, professor at the University of Qom
The recitation of Dua Iftitah was simultaneous with the power-point slides in which its Bosnian translation was presented. Gifts were presented to the volunteers in the kitchen and to the youngest regular participants in the programmes. Two orphans were supported from the nearby town of Visoko.
Sayed Hassan Rabbani: ‘ I commend the “Zivot” Foundation for organising these Ramadhan programmes. I see that the Muslims of this area in Bosnia live in the brotherly spirit despite their differences in madhabs. The best way to propagate the teachings of Ahlulbayt (a.s) is by doing good to the people’