Our Ref: AF/PR/2023/009 Date: 21st March 2023
28th Shaban 1444 A.H.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the most Merciful.
“O People! The month of Allah (Ramadhan) has approached you with His mercy and blessings. This is the month that is the best of all months in the estimation of Allah. Its days are the best among the days; its nights are the best among the nights. Its hours are the best among the hours”.
[Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAWW)]
Foremost I begin by thanking the Almighty for granting us the opportunity to witness yet another Holy Month of Ramadhan – the glorious month of mercy, blessings and forgiveness.
The holy month of Ramadhan also helps to develop our moral and spiritual characters and bring us closer to Allah (SWT). Fasting during the holy month brings out within us a deep spiritual dimension of compassion and self-sacrifice and plays an important role in making us more conscious of the plight and hunger of the fellow human beings – the under privileged, poor and displaced people.
Let us all take the opportunity of this holy month to give more in Charity for the needy and deserving members of our Community as this significantly has greater and multiple rewards from Allah (SWT) than in ordinary days as said by our Holy Prophet (SAWW) – “Ramadhan is an honorable and blessed month, and the rewards for generosity are multiplied in It”.
Following my election as the Chairman of Africa Federation and having taken office in July 2022, I am pleased to inform our Community members that I have been granted an Ijaza by our Marje-e-Taqleed Ayatullah Al Uzma Sayyid Ali al-Husaini al-Sistani. I wish to take this opportunity to request members of our Community in Africa to remit their Khums to the Constituent Member Jamaats of the Africa Federation in their respective cities or to the AFED Secretariat in Dar es Salaam for centralized management and disbursements in areas where such funds are permitted and spent responsibly.
Africa Federation is also collecting Zakat and Sadaka funds for distribution through the centralized system to the deserving families, with the assistance of our Constituent Jamaats. Your support in this matter will be very much appreciated.
I wish to appeal to the Community Members, Parents and the Students who have taken Education Loan for Higher Education studies to repay the Loan which are due and overdue for repayment, substantial amount is outstanding. My appeal is also to our esteemed Constituent Jamaats leadership to make a vigorous follow-up with its members to ensure the outstanding Student’s Loans are repaid without further delay, this is also to avoid disruption in processing new Loan Applications. In this Holy Month of Ramadhan, our members should fulfill their pledges to repay the Loans being one of the practical Ibada’t of the several Ibada’ts to please Allah (SWT) and to seek His blessings.
Let us also take the opportunity of this holy month to build stronger ties and develop closer relations with our families, neighbors and community members. Similarly, let us build bridges of unity and good relationships with other communities in the country we live through the get-together religious and social gatherings, such as communal Iftaar with our Muslim brothers and other communities of different faiths and denominations. Please do not let this opportunity slip away from us.
I also call for unity and harmony in each of our Jamaats, the Holy Month of Ramadhan is the foundation of unity to surrender to Allah (SWT) by perfecting our spiritual dimensions.
May this month of Allah (SWT) bring unto us peace, harmony and prosperity, brighten our minds that we may reflect deeply for seeking God-Consciousness and make this World a better place for everyone to live together in peace, religious and social harmony – Ameen.
Let us remember all our past Leaders, Volunteers and all the Marhumeen with Sura-e-Fateha.
Wishing you all Ramadhan Mubarak,
Amine N. Goulamaly
Chairman