For many years, international and civil society organizations have been marking ‘World Toilet Day’ all over the world. However it was not until July 2013 that the United Nations officially declared 19 November as ‘World Toilet Day’. The objective of World Toilet Day is to make sanitation problems a global priority and bring about changes in behaviour and policy on issues ranging from improving water management to ending open defecation.
‘Therefore offer prayer for your Lord, and do the sacrifice.’ (Quran 108:2). ‘Qurbani’ is Arabic for ‘sacrifice’ of an animal (usually a cow, sheep or goat) in the way of Islam whose meat is then distributed among the deserving for consumption. This sacrifice takes place during Eid al-Hajj. This tradition has origins in the time of Prophet Ibrahim, where it symbolizes the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail in the way of Allah.
‘But why is Qurbani performed?’ one might ask. The answer lies in two very valuable benefits associated with this act. One being the humanitarian benefit of helping the poor and the needy. The other reason relates to the idea of spiritual closeness and submission to Allah (swt). Sacrificing an animal in this way signifies letting go of things for the benefit others in submission to Allah (swt) in order to get closer to Him. As the Holy Quran says:
‘It is not their flesh or their blood that reaches God. Rather, it is your God-wariness that reaches Him…’
(Holy Qur’an 22:37)
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One can also enhance their spiritual journey prior to this. The World Federation of KSIMC is currently providing a wealth of resources that can help you along your spiritual journey of Hajj, including 4GB MP3 player pre-loaded with various Hajj related MP3’s. To find out more: Click Here |
The World Federation of KSIMC is running a Qurbani Appeal 2014 campaign and is now taking orders. For more information: Click Here |
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On Sunday 14th June, Stanmore Madressa held their second annual bake sale to raise money for Ramadhan Relief.
See some pictures from our Ramadan Relief distribution this year and watch our advert on AhlulBayt TV.






