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MUSLIMS CELEBRATE END OF RAMADAN A look at The Gambian Community in Nottingham By Pa Modou Faal
Imam Baba Njie Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important days in the Muslim Ummah. It is celebrated to mark the end of a month long fasting and supplication to their creator, ALLAH (S.A.W.). The month of Ramadan is a period when Muslims keep fast from dawn to sunset staying away from food, water, sexual intercourse, bad deeds and speech to honour the blessings ALLAH grant them yet glorify his omnipotence, omniscience and benevolence. This day is celebrated by Muslims all over the world because they are promised purity from the sins and eternal reward of Jannah (paradise) by ALLAH.
At the end of the month, the community converged on the playing ground in Basford to mark the end of Ramadan in a congregational prayer. Delivering his summon to the joyous congregation, Imam Baba Njie, Imam of the Gambian Muslim Community in Nottinghamshire reminded the congregation that Allah is the greatest and deserved to be worshipped and mindful of as a day will come when everyone will return to Him, and every soul will be recompensed for what it had earned. Imam Baba said the day is one of “remembrance and glorification of our Lord and Creator, Allah as well as a day of happiness, rejoice and celebration”.
During the month of Ramadan, the Gambian Muslim community in Nottinghamshire hosted iftar (fastbreaking) at their Mosque in Sneinton with a view to coming together as a community and looking after each other during the blessed month. Members of the community contributed both in cash and kind and provided tradition Gambian meals to worshippers every Saturday night spanning the whole month.
“Be assured people that our sincere devotion and obedience during Ramadan in the form of fasting, performing night prayer, helping the poor and the needy, forgiving those who wrong us among many other good deeds, will be rewarded immensely by Allah and Jannah (paradise) is the ultimate goal. “ Imam Baba Njie reminded the congregation of quotes from the Quran and Hadith saying:“Those who follow the right path, Allah will increase them in guidance and bless them with piety. Those who say their Lord is Allah and they remained steadfast, there will be no fear concerning them nor will they grieve. They will finally enter paradise where they will live forever as a reward for what they did.”
