A leading member of a youth association has used the faith comment column in the Farnham Herald to explain the importance of Ramadan to Muslims.
Imam Abdul Quddus Arif, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, has shared his take on Ramadan’s significance through the Herald, comparing it with the political debate on community.
The Imam said the month of fasting, communal prayer, reflection, and community was taking place at a time when “a recent poll reported in The Independent suggested more people in the UK now see immigration as the most pressing issue facing the country than in any other nation surveyed”.
He wrote: “Ramadan is often misunderstood as simply a month of hunger. It is a month of discipline and self-reflection. Fasting is prescribed ‘so you may become righteous.’
“Muslims abstain from food and drink (and water) from dawn until sunset but the deeper fast is from anger, gossip, ego and selfishness. If someone frustrates you, you respond calmly. If tempted to speak harshly, you hold back.
“For British Muslims in Farnham, Ramadan unfolds in ordinary settings. Parents still commute. Students still revise for exams. Business owners still open their shops. Life does not stop; it simply becomes more mindful. But what Ramadan also produces is something visible in our own community: service.”
Personal invite
The Imam wrote about the “compassion and service to humanity” shared during Ramadan, adding: “As part of that spirit of openness and neighbourliness, I would like to personally invite readers and their families to attend The Big Iftar, a special Ramadan gathering at Mubarak Mosque at Islamabad, Tilford.”
Imam Abdul Quddus Arif’s post on LinkedIn about his comment article has generated more than 100 likes.
He wrote: “It was a real pleasure to write for Tindle Newspapers Ltd. The column has now been published in the Farnham Herald, Liphook Herald, Alton Herald, and the Woking News & Mail.
“This year Ramadan is unfolding alongside Lent: different faiths, shared themes of reflection and restraint. And it’s happening while immigration and identity are being debated louder than ever. My point in the article is simple: the most helpful answers aren’t found in arguments, they’re found in action.
“Ramadan doesn’t pull Muslims away from British life, it pushes many of us deeper into it, through charity, community support, and quiet everyday contribution.”
Read Imam Abdul Quddus Arif’s article on Ramadan here.