Updated on 08/09/2010
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 prepare for the celebrations of Eid ul Fitr, we bid farewell to this beautiful Blessed Month of Ramadhan with a heavy heart. Our beloved Imam Ali Zainul Abedeen (AS) in his supplication bidding farewell to the Month of Ramadhan states:
We bid farewell to it with the farewell of one whose parting pains us,
Whose leaving fills us with gloom and loneliness…
Peace be upon you,
O greatest month of Allah (SWT)
O Eid (festival) of His friends
O most noble of accompanying times
O best of months in days and hours
The Imam then beseeches the best on this day of Eid ul Fitr by stating:
O Allah! Bless us in the day of our Eid and our fast breaking and let it be the best day that has passed over us" Imam Ali Zainul Abedeen (AS) - Sahifa Al-Sajjadiyya
It is with these inspired words of our Imam (AS), on behalf of all of us here at The World Federation Secretariat, our heartiest congratulations go out to all Mumineen and community members all over the world wishing you all a happy and a joyous Eid ul Fitr. I am proud to be part of a community that always responds in the time of need with generosity, reaffirming the underlining unity of this community. On this day of rejoicing, I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to each one of you who contributed to this year’s Ramadhan Relief Fund and the Pakistan Flood Relief Appeal. I would like to thank all those who helped and continue to assist, especially the youths across the worldwide communities, who have shown up-most dedication and inspirational hard work in the collection efforts.
The floods in Pakistan now in its seventh week have displaced millions of people and the rising inflation has hit the community hard. The World Federation with your generous donations has been on the fore-front of the relief efforts, where thousands of the disaster victims have been provided with some urgent food and medical supplies by our partner on the ground Hussaini Foundation. We are working to provide other much needed food parcels. Inshallah, I will be leading a delegation to Pakistan next week primarily to visit some of the affected areas and to plan with our partners the medium and long term support to the victims. This will only be possible with your continuous generous donations.
Your support for the Ramadhan Relief Fund has also been the very lifeline that provides essential goods and services to our needy brothers and sisters across the globe facing desperate hardships especially during this Month of Ramadhan. With your generous support, we were able to provide iftaars to the poor, shelter to the displaced, warm clothes and bedding to the underprivileged, and most of all, renew hope in the hearts of the believers.
As we go through this day of Eid, with happiness and joy having offered our deepest gratitude and thanks to Allah (SWT) by paying fitra and offering Salatul Eid, let us remember the plight of millions of less fortunate people and pray for their well being.
This month has provided us with the blessing of reflecting on our past and inspirations of moving towards a better future. One important area that I would like to announce on this auspicious occasion of Eid ul Fitr is the forthcoming landmark Islamic Religious Education (IRE) Retreat. This is being organised in the next couple of months by The World Federation to chart out a generation plan for the Islamic Religious Education and Madaris needs of our future progeny. We want to build on the past and address the future challenges facing our children in this time and age. It will provide a forum for all experts including Ulama, child psychologists, pedagogy experts, experienced teachers, syllabus developers, Madaris and school administrators and educationalists. I sincerely hope and pray that our Madaris and schools will fully participate in this process and be part of this historic evolution within our community as well as be part of Baqeat-us-Swalehat (perpetual reward in the hereafter) that our future progeny will remember us for.
Once again on behalf of The World Federation, I wish you and your families Eid Mubarak and best wishes.
May Allah (SWT) accept our efforts and give us Tawfeeq to serve Him alone with sincerity of intent.
Dr Asgharali Moledina
President
1 Shawwal 1431