Dear Friends,

In the Quran Allah reminds us that man is forever toiling towards his lord. One of the ways we toil towards God is through the sacrifices we make in the hopes of receiving His Rida or felicity. This season of Hajj is the most apparent reminder of this toiling, where millions of Muslims leave their homes to perform the pilgrimage.  Others who remain behind partake in the spirit of the season by sacrificing a cow, goat or a sheep and sharing a meal with family, friends as well as disadvantaged members of the community.

To all those who are away at Hajj, we pray that you have a safe, healthy, and successful undertaking and that Allah in His mercy accept your Hajj with His Rida. In particular, we pray that you remain safe from the Ebola and MERS outbreaks currently impacting the region.

For the rest of us, may God accept all the sacrifices we have made throughout the year, great and small, and may they be a source of bringing us ever closer to Him. 

Amen!

Eid Mubarak!

Warm Salams,

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
Chairman, The Cordoba Initiative