For Muslims in Newfoundland and Labrador, Sunday represented each the tip of Ramadan and a brand new starting for the neighborhood.
When the neighborhood met for morning prayers in honour of Eid-al-fitr, they gathered in a brand new mosque positioned within the former Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Torbay Street in St. John’s.
With round 6,000 in attendance for a pair of prayer periods, Muslim Affiliation of Newfoundland and Labrador President Haseen Khan says the occasion is a giant day for his neighborhood for a number of causes.
“Persons are very completely happy, individuals are excited, folks have sense of possession, they’ve sense of pleasure that now they’ve a spot the place they’ll all pray as one group, as one neighborhood,” mentioned Khan.
After shopping for the church in December, the Affiliation labored laborious to renovate in time to have it open for Eid, one of many holiest instances within the Muslim calendar.
“It is a massive celebration for Muslims. This marks the completion of 1 month of fasting, one month of coaching. Coaching for God consciousness, coaching for self-discipline, self-restraint, caring and sharing and it is likely one of the 5 pillars of Islam,” Khan mentioned.
“We’re celebrating Eid, however we’re additionally celebrating praying of Eid for the primary time on this new mosque,” he mentioned. “It is a very special occasion for Muslims in Newfoundland and Labrador. They’re able to pray beneath one roof as one neighborhood. So it’s thrilling, it’s reassuring and it’s pleasing.”
Khan mentioned such a giant crowd exhibits off the vary of variety throughout the Muslim neighborhood.
“On the similar time it exhibits the unity of the religion,” he mentioned. “Spiritually we’re all united, however we’ve our personal cultural variety, our personal values. However once more, all of us consider in a single God and all of us consider in a single sort of ritual, which is the fasting of 1 month after which celebrating the completion of that fasting by means of this prayer.”
Others in attendance
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