“...we must all return to Allah so that we can benefit from His benevolence as promised in Surah Al-Anfal (Quran 8 v.33) where Allah said:”But Allah would not punish them while thou wast with them, nor will He punish them while they seek forgiveness.”
ISLAMIC WELFARE FOUNDATION (IWF)
PRESS RELEASE ON RAMADAN 1441 AH
Alhamdulillah Robil Alamin that it has pleased Almighty Allah that Muslims all over the world will be witnessing 1441 Ramadan in a few days’ time. It is coming at indeed a trying time for all Muslims because of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
This will be a very unique experience in that Ramadan will be celebrated without the usual and traditional commemorative rituals such as congregational Tarawih prayers, joint Iftar and Tafsir at the Mosques, all in respect for the Protocol put in place by the Government and the medical personnel to stem the tide of COVID-19.
For us in IWF, Allah is in total and absolute control of the world and He has a purpose for allowing Muslims to observe Ramadan in this manner.
We wish to underscore the fact that our current tribulations can not be severed from the prevalence of so much _fasad_ in the world in the form greed, avarice, corruption and such other unwholesome acts which Allah, in no unmistakable terms, condemned in Surah Rum (Quran 30 v.41).
Therefore, we must all return to Allah so that we can benefit from His benevolence as promised in Surah Al-Anfal (Quran 8 v.33) where Allah said:”But Allah would not punish them while thou wast with them, nor will He punish them while they seek forgiveness.”
We need to retrace our steps, seek Allah’s forgiveness in whole and with total submission to His will. Allah is ever ready to forgive us if we truly repent. We beseech Allah to save us from this pandemic and make us witness a peaceful, rewarding and disease free Ramadan.
I plead with all Muslims to continue to respect the social distancing protocol and the personal hygiene recommendations as these are in accordance with the ethics and prescriptions of Islam.
In compliance with extant protocols on Covid-19, IWF annual Ramadan Tafsir will be delivered remotely this year. Muslims and indeed all and sundry are advised to visit our website, www.iwf.com.ng, every Saturday and Sunday of Ramadan at 10 a.m. for a live stream of the Tafsir. In the same vein, our joint iftar will not hold this Ramadan to uphold social distancing. We urge all Muslim organizations to take a cue from this.
We wish Muslims all over the world Ramadan Mubarak
Engr. Abu Salami, FNSE
IWF National Coordinator