Assalamu alikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu and Eid Mubarak to you and your family.

As the blessed month of Ramadan comes to an end, and we prepare ourselves spiritually and physically to celebrate the successful completion of thirty days of fasting by gathering with family, friends and community in prayer and enjoying the Eid celebration, I share greetings of Eid with you all.  

تَقَبَّلَ اللهُ مِنَّا وَمِنكُم
“Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum”
May Allah accept it (good deeds) from us and you.

By the Grace and Mercy of Allah(swt), we are looking forward to celebrating Eid in-person after two years of imposed social distancing protocols due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  In these past two years, we were reminded of the fragility of the human condition and the importance of faith and community for our wellbeing. Faith provides us with the hope and an opportunity to rekindle the light that connects us to Allah(swt) in more profound ways so we can balance the physical, social, mental and spiritual parts of ourselves into a whole both individually and collectively. This is no better way to achieve that than by brightening our hearts by connecting with Allah’s light.

۞ ٱللَّهُ نُورُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِۦ كَمِشْكَوٰةٍۢ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ ۖ ٱلْمِصْبَاحُ فِى زُجَاجَةٍ ۖ ٱلزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌۭ دُرِّىٌّۭ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍۢ مُّبَـٰرَكَةٍۢ زَيْتُونَةٍۢ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍۢ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍۢ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِىٓءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌۭ ۚ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍۢ ۗ يَهْدِى ٱللَّهُ لِنُورِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَيَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَـٰلَ لِلنَّاسِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ ٣٥
Allāh is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp; the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allāh guides to His light whom He wills. And Allāh presents examples for the people, and Allāh is Knowing of all things. (Qur’an, 24:35)

This Light is the foundation for resilience and strength. The month of Ramadan provides us with the space and duration for a deep reflection of this Light and how we can illuminate our lives and communities with this blessed Light. On Eid, we celebrate this achievement as we complete the fasting of Ramadan.

Eid also functions as an institution that brings us together as a community of believers united not by racial of blood ties but by attributes and virtues connected to the Truth. We are blessed with a community that is young, resourceful and generous. Investing in its vitality and agility is key for our collective future. As we learned in this Ramadan, we have to anchor this future in living and loving Islam, and standing up firmly for truth and justice. We also need to inculcate these values in our youth and future generations. Standing proudly for our values and never allowing ourselves to be marginalized or pushed to be second-class citizens.  

Throughout various cities across the nation, MAC chapters are organizing Eid celebrations for Canadians everywhere!  I encourage you, your family and communities to join us in these Eid festivities, inshaAllah.

Let’s reflected on the blessings we enjoy this Eid and commit to be better versions of ourselves as we complete this blessed month of Ramadan and strive towards a future for our community that is guided by the Light of Allah (swt).   
Finally, I leave you with a reminder that our programs and events are a means for the community to thrive collectively, and we rely on the community as the foundation of these initiatives.  I encourage you to continue the momentum that was developed through Ramadan to continue to participate, volunteer, and donate generously so that we can continue to serve the community in the best way possible, inshaAllah.  Please stay connected to find out about several exciting upcoming initiatives, one of which is the MAC convention.

Sincerely,

Sharaf Sharafeldin
Executive Director

Muslim Association of Canada
www.macnet.ca