Masjidul Ummah in Gustrouw, Strand.Aishah Cassiem
More than 300 people braved the winter chill on Sunday for the first Ahlan Wa Sahlan (AWS) outreach programme, which kickstarted at Masjidul Ummah in Strand. Throngs of men, women and children filled up the masjid shortly after Asr salah, ready to recite the holy Quran and share an iftar meal with one another. The annual project aims to bring communities together in Ramadan, whilst also assisting them with blankets, clothing and a meal to break their fast. Dressed in beautiful abayas and stylish hijabs, women in the small community gathered together their savouries and cakes inside the masjid, preparing for the itfar program which fed many families on the day.
Raighanah Manuel, 42, said that she is very passionate about helping others and with this year’s AWS programme in her community, she was overwhelmed. “When my husband told me that VOC will be at our community masjid along with the AWS programme – I immediately started gathering items to bring with today. There are so many people, even in my own street that needs support and many of them are unemployed as well,” she said.
Manuel said that she had been up since 9am on the day baking for the iftar program at the masjid. “With the contribution of the community I’m sure it shouldn’t be a problem to do something like this every week. There are lots of our Muslim brothers and sisters who are attending the program today who have no food in their homes. I made savouries and cupcakes for the event and will be sharing it, insha Allah."
Students at the masjid also recited the Quran up until Asr prayers. Muktar Adams, another resident in the community, said he was fascinated to see the students at the madrassa recite. “We should shukr Allah for giving these kids the ability to recite this well. There are many adults who are longing to read a single word in the Quran and I am amazed to see how well these small ones recite.”
Ebrahim Arnold, one of the project’s founding members, said with this year’s initiative, they are hoping to increase support from the community. “Alhamdulillah, we have been receiving blankets and clothing items since early this morning and the community is really playing their part in this initiative. However, we are hoping to increase and encourage more people in the community to come forward and contribute towards this good cause,” he urged.
Arnold said many other poverty stricken areas will be looked at this year. “Many of these places that we will be assisting are poverty areas like Parkwood, Bonteheuwel and more. They need support and there are many Muslims also living amongst these places. We want to try and give out as much this year and hope that it will benefit those needy people,” he said.
He added that many people in the community contributed towards the iftar program as well. “We had women step in earlier with buckets full of assorted savouries and cakes as well as pots of foods being made to feed those here today. We have seen a lot of support and it looks as if people will still be dropping off till the very end,” he said. With the upcoming AWS events running throughout Ramadan, Arnold urged those from other communities to come into the poverty stricken areas to volunteer.
The thikr continued throughout the afternoon with various Qurans and learning books being handed out to those that attended. Those who attended the iftar program where also fed various delicacies, including iftar goodie bags which consisted of fruit, water and dates. Stay tuned to The Voice of the Cape for more information on the next Ahlan Wa Sahlan program or contact the VOC offices on 021442 3500. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)
Raighanah Manuel, 42, said that she is very passionate about helping others and with this year’s AWS programme in her community, she was overwhelmed. “When my husband told me that VOC will be at our community masjid along with the AWS programme – I immediately started gathering items to bring with today. There are so many people, even in my own street that needs support and many of them are unemployed as well,” she said.
Manuel said that she had been up since 9am on the day baking for the iftar program at the masjid. “With the contribution of the community I’m sure it shouldn’t be a problem to do something like this every week. There are lots of our Muslim brothers and sisters who are attending the program today who have no food in their homes. I made savouries and cupcakes for the event and will be sharing it, insha Allah."
Students at the masjid also recited the Quran up until Asr prayers. Muktar Adams, another resident in the community, said he was fascinated to see the students at the madrassa recite. “We should shukr Allah for giving these kids the ability to recite this well. There are many adults who are longing to read a single word in the Quran and I am amazed to see how well these small ones recite.”
Ebrahim Arnold, one of the project’s founding members, said with this year’s initiative, they are hoping to increase support from the community. “Alhamdulillah, we have been receiving blankets and clothing items since early this morning and the community is really playing their part in this initiative. However, we are hoping to increase and encourage more people in the community to come forward and contribute towards this good cause,” he urged.
Arnold said many other poverty stricken areas will be looked at this year. “Many of these places that we will be assisting are poverty areas like Parkwood, Bonteheuwel and more. They need support and there are many Muslims also living amongst these places. We want to try and give out as much this year and hope that it will benefit those needy people,” he said.
He added that many people in the community contributed towards the iftar program as well. “We had women step in earlier with buckets full of assorted savouries and cakes as well as pots of foods being made to feed those here today. We have seen a lot of support and it looks as if people will still be dropping off till the very end,” he said. With the upcoming AWS events running throughout Ramadan, Arnold urged those from other communities to come into the poverty stricken areas to volunteer.
The thikr continued throughout the afternoon with various Qurans and learning books being handed out to those that attended. Those who attended the iftar program where also fed various delicacies, including iftar goodie bags which consisted of fruit, water and dates. Stay tuned to The Voice of the Cape for more information on the next Ahlan Wa Sahlan program or contact the VOC offices on 021442 3500. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)
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