On the 10th night of the glorious month of Ramadhan, members of Hizb ut-Tahrir in South London organised a community iftar and dinner attended by approximately 250 local men, women and children.

The iftar meal was preceded by two inspiring speeches given by party members Jamal Deen and Abdullah. The first speech by brother Jamal focussed on the names by which Allah (swt) refers to the Quran and how important it is for Muslims to reflect on these names and their implications while reciting its verses during Ramadhan.

While the word Qur’an means “the Recital”, Allah (swt) has also called the Qur’an “al Huda” – the guidance – which He (swt) states was revealed for all human kind. Through the message of Islam, Allah’s (swt) holy book guides humanity not only to embrace the correct aqeedah (doctrine) but to also follow the correct way to organise life’s affairs at the individual and societal level through following His (swt) injunctions and prohibitions. Only through following its guidance comprehensively will the Muslim Ummah be able to revive herself and in doing so will become an example for other nations to follow.

Brother Jamal also highlighted the names “al-Furqan” – the Criterion, and “Ash-Shifa’” – the Healer, clarifying that these names highlight the Qur’an’s role as the basis for judging Haqq and Batil, Halal and Haram, and also as the basis for removing corrupting thoughts and ideologies from the hearts of the believers, and from the society at large.  The speaker repeatedly emphasised the Qur’an came for implementation, and not just for recitation.

In the second speech, brother Abdullah highlighted how Allah (swt) has given victory to the Muslims in the month of Ramadhan during the period when the Muslims used to implement Islam under the system of Khilafah. Recalling the great victories in the Battle of Badr and the opening of Mecca, Abdullah focussed on the battle of Ayn Jaloot during which the Muslims led by Saifuddin Qutuz won a decisive battle against the Tartars. This battle was of great significance in Islamic history as the Mongol invasions threatened to eradicate the Khilafah and Islam. The battle field was also close to the city of Haleb (Aleppo) in Al-Sham (Syria) where today the forces of the tyrannical Syrian Baathist regime of Bashar al Assad are locked in a fierce battle with the Free Syrian Army. Abdullah mentioned that this battle was of great significance to all Muslims since the Syrian uprisings were profoundly Islamic and had not yet been hijacked by America and the West. Abdullah prayed that Allah would grant victory to the brave Muslims of Syria in this month of Ramadhan which would see the re-establishment of the Islamic Khilafah in Al-Sham.

After the speeches were over, the congregation made du’a and took their iftar with dates and light refreshments. We pray that Allah (swt) accepts this gathering and the fasting and ‘ibadah of all those who participated in it. Ameen.