All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the universe. Peace and blessings be upon his final Messenger, his family, his noble Companions, and all those who follow them with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
My dear brothers, sisters and children, Assalamwa’alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
As we prepare to pray our Eid salah, it is imperative to reflect on the essence of this auspicious day, which is connected with Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam. Indeed, fortunate are those who have undertaken the journey of their lifetime to the blessed land treaded upon by many prophets namely, Ibraheem (AS), Ismail (AS), and Mohammed (SW).
This particular day is crucial in understanding the sacrifices our prophet Ibraheem and the tests that he was put through by Allah. As a result of his sacrifices, Muslims from all over the world of different race, colors and languages converge to this blessed place which is the center of the universe for all muslims. This is where everyone unites as one and engage in ibadah for the pleasure of the almighty creator.
The diversity of the Muslims usually displays differences of opinions, culture, school of thoughts, but during the time of Hajj we can clearly see this diversity is displayed as a show of strength and unity. Everyone is dressed the same, rich or poor standing, walking and praying together. Whether it be standing long hours in the plains of Arafat in the scorching heat or sleeping under the stars in Muzdalifah, everyone comes together in unity, with one common goal, and that is to please Allah (swt). May Allah (swt) accept the Hajj of all our brothers and sisters who have gone this year and may Allah (swt) accept all who are yet to fulfill this important pillar of Islam.
This occasion also reminds us of the rights of the underprivileged upon us as our Prophet (sw) told us to take care of the poor, needy, sick and the orphans. This is a good opportunity to seek out the needy in our community and share our Qurbani meat. This is also a great time to make friends and spend time with those who are new to our religion and our country. Alhamdulillah, The B.C. Muslim Association is continuing to strive and serve the needy in our local community through various means & resources.
I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Scholars of The BCMA and of the other Muslim organizations who are working together to administer the Halal Inspection & Certification program under the name, HIC Canada. I would also like to thank all the newly certified vendors for coming forward and allowing our inspection team to do thorough and random inspections of their facilities. By doing this, you are certainly providing the general public more avenues of eating certified Halal food with confidence.
In conclusion, I must congratulate my hardworking BCMA Executives and our fellow brothers and sisters of the Sea to Sky Hwy team who have played an important part in establishing Jumua Salah in Whistler and Squamish. InshaAllah, for the first time they will be collectively having their first Eid-ul-Adha Salah in Whistler this year, AllahuAkbar!
May Allah (swt) shower you all with the blessings of this beautiful day of Eid-ul-Adha.
On behalf of the entire BC Muslim Association, I wish you and your families, a very joyous… EID MUBARAK!
Iltaf Sahib
President – The BC Muslim Association